The Puget Sound is in serious danger. Pollution has wreaked horrible consequences on this majestic waterway. For example, 92% of wild salmon runs are no more, and several stocks of other species are collapsing as well. Why is the Puget Sound in danger? Ask an expert.

Take it from William Dietrich. He published an article in the Seattle Times yesterday. It's about this very subject. It's very well written and it's titled: "Puget Sound: One man's indictment, love poem and call to arms", here's a link: seattletimes.nwsource.com/

I see there's been a policy change about the content, so I've decided to write an Olyblog entry reflective of the new orientation.

Olympia. Olympia! Olympia is a land of puppies and rainbows and leprechauns where people spontaneously dance in circles in the street. No one ever dies and there are no unhappy people there. Olympia was created on God's eighth day, the one where he created cool places that weren't meant to be known about by too many people. Olympia single handedly created all music composed since the early '90s, for real. And none of that music sucks. It's thrift stores shine with light and love, spilling their golden rays out onto the streets for the benefit of passersby. Even the sun likes Olympia, when it comes out you can look up and see a face winking its eye as if to say "I'm looking at you, bro". Our parks are second to none, our selection of cool ethnic eats is primo, and we're working on our lack of non-white people. The heavens open up on a weekly basis and angels descend down to fifth street singing the praises of God's special place.

Olympia, my phallus swells at the thought of you, I kneel down and worship your feet in an erotic way.

Olympia, you are great, all the time, and anyone who says otherwise is a rat fink liar.

Last year, I carried bags of wildflower seeds on my walks to and from work and sowed them on to the empty spaces along my route. The results were modest, but measurable.

I'm doing it again this year. Here are a few of the spaces I've "flower bombed." I'll report back later this summer and provide you with some mouseover before-and-after photos of the results.

I am installing and configuring threaded comments, and will be enabling users on their request the ability to create their own unique posts. 

I've added a few new posts on various subjects.  Vermin of the Week will be updated between today and tomorrow.  

As always, thanks for looking at my blog!

Thanks to Olyblog, I am about to begin a three-year post on the Olympia City Council's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. I read about openings on the Committee in this post and decided to apply.

The entire process was pleasant: the application was simple, the interviews were brief and pleasant, and the communications from city staff were pleasant, welcoming, and useful. My interview with three of the city council (Kingsbury, Strub, and Ottavelli) was on March 17. Upon walking in, Jeff Kingsbury noted that I was the "most pedestrian" of the applicants (I walk to work most days, and have for years) and, such was the tenor of the interview, that I took that as a good thing (though I'm sure that there are people who would judge me fairly pedestrian). Two weeks later, it was official, and next week, I attend my first meeting.

I don't know how this all works, yet, and I expect that the advisory committees' agendas are pretty closely managed, but if you have any ideas that you think the BPAC should consider, let me know.

Attention organic gardeners – and gardener wanna-bes.

Interested in making your organic vegetable garden more productive and more sustainable? New to organic gardening and seeking experienced mentors? Interested in sharing resources, tools and surplus crops?

Join us at 5pm on Sunday May 4th at the organic garden at Lincoln Elementary School, 213 21st Ave SE.

The goal of this gathering is to establish a resource and support network for people who are seeking to live more sustainably by growing more of their own food using organic, biointensive, earth friendly techniques.

Please bring a dish to share (locally raised, organic food preferred), and your own non-disposable utensils.

We’ll share a meal and get to know each other from 5-6pm, then share ideas, wants, needs, hopes and dreams in an open discussion in the garden or the greenhouse from 6-7:30.

By the end of the evening we hope to have planted seeds that will grow into a network of people committed to helping each other increase the fertility of their soil while growing delicious, nutritious, organic food.

For more information, please contact TJ Johnson at tjjohnson@scattercreek.com, or 943-4596.

Thursday May 8th at 6 pm at Traditions Cafe at 5th and Water street. Contact Beth Doglio for info: 570-8804.

Explore climate change and sustainability issues with Climate Solutions and visiting delegates from Olympia's sister city, Santo Tomas, Nicaragua. Great Family Event!

I have had lots of opportunities to work with and mix with folks from indigenous cultures during my lifetime. I worked years ago on a SPIPA health care project with the Chehalis Tribe, the Squaxin Island Tribe, the Nisquallies and a couple other tribes that are in SPIPA. I had a long working relationship with an Inuit who retired from DSHS a few years ago. I worked with the Chehalis, Cowlitz, Upper Cowlitz, Yakimas and Colvilles during my years as a social worker. I was pretty engaged with the indigenous folks who lived up in eastern Lewis County a couple of decades ago.

These days when I work with native americans I am working primarily with Chehalis, Cowlitz and Squaxin Island tribe members. I have invested a significant amount of time in becoming familiar with these local tribes and their cultural histories. My family has some longstanding connections with the tribes on the res in Oklahome, so I come to these encounters with folks from the local tribes with some larger perspective about and respect for these cultures anyway.

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Shake it with DJ Bernys from Olympia's sister city, Santo Tomas, Nicarauga, and Olympia's own DJ DALYA. Salsa and merengue lessons at 7:30, followed by dancing at 9:00. $10 with lessons, $7 from 9:00 on. In the old K-records space across from Fish Brew Pub in Olympia. 525 Cherry street (near legion way). May 10th. Contact Calen for info 357-6493.