Press release issued 11/ 20/ 17
http://www.commerce.wa.gov/news-releases/greenrubino-to-develop-new-tourism-marketing-plan-for-washington-state/
Reflecting a core principal of Commerce and the Washington Tourism Alliance, the marketing plan will strengthen rural and underserved communities as part of first state-funded tourism promotion plan in six years.
OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce, in collaboration with the Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA), has selected GreenRubino as the agency of record to develop and produce a new tourism marketing plan for the state.
Eleven firms from around the country competed for the contract, which will result in a proposed comprehensive plan for marketing the state locally, regionally, and nationally. The tourism marketing plan is slated for completion in March 2018. Commerce and the Washington Tourism Alliance will jointly oversee and guide the plan’s development. The plan is funded by an appropriation in the 2017-19 state operating budget and is intended to allow Commerce and the WTA to develop a plan that will be submitted to the legislature for consideration as a path forward for the state’s tourism effort.
Promoting the many natural, cultural, and recreational attractions in rural and underserved communities throughout the state will be a top priority for the plan, according to Robb Zerr, marketing director for the Department of Commerce.
“We look forward to working with the WTA and GreenRubino to deliver a proposal for a marketing plan that attracts visitors to every part of our amazing state, and also dials in on promoting rural communities where tourism can be an important economic driver,” Zerr said. “GreenRubino brings a lot of expertise to the project. Over the years, the agency has worked with a roster of tourism and hospitality clients, including other Washington state projects.”
“Tourism is Washington’s fourth-largest industry, bringing over $21 billion to our economy and providing 177,000 jobs,” said Mike Moe, managing director of the Washington Tourism Alliance. “However, since 2011 Washington’s tourism industry has had a competitive disadvantage with states like Oregon and Montana that spend $19-32 million a year to attract tourists. We are excited to work with GreenRubino to create a marketing plan that will serve as a road map once legislation is passed to fund the reestablishment of a statewide tourism marketing effort.”
“To say GreenRubino is excited about a renewed commitment for Washington State tourism is an understatement—we’re ecstatic,” said partner Cam Green. “This perfectly complements our tourism and hospitality marketing experience. The entire team is very proud of the work we created as the state’s tourism marketing agency from 2008 to 2011. We’re keenly aware of the enormous economic impact tourism has statewide and are thrilled to get working on the strategic statewide marketing plan.”
About the Washington Tourism Alliance
The Washington Tourism Alliance (WTA) is a 501 (c)(6) organization, established by industry stakeholders with the mission to advocate, promote, develop and sustain the economic well-being of the Washington tourism industry. For more information visit watourismalliance.com.
LABOR & INDUSTRIES: Power lines and cranes a very dangerous mix — construction firm cited for putting workers at risk
Press release 11/ 20/ 17http://lni.wa.gov/News/2017/pr171120a.asp
Tumwater – A Kirkland construction company is facing a large fine for workplace safety violations for operating a crane too close to high-voltage power lines without taking proper safety precautions. Workers are hurt and killed every year when cranes come in contact with power lines. It’s a significant workplace safety issue, with very specific requirements that must be followed.
The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) has cited Compass General Construction for two willful violations, the most serious, and one general violation. The company faces fines totaling $96,000.
The violations were discovered last May, just a few days after an L&I safety inspector visited the job site and went over the crane operation safety requirements with the site superintendent. At that time, there was a crane on site, but not near power lines.
A few days later, L&I received a referral from Seattle City Light that the crane was operating near the power line without the required safety precautions. L&I returned to the site and verified that the crane was operating near the power lines without a warning line, such as highly visible flagging or caution tape to keep the crane a safe distance away, or a dedicated spotter to alert the operator if he got too close.
As a result, Compass has been cited for one willful violation for not appointing a lift director to oversee the crane lifts and rigging crew. The company was cited for a second willful violation for not ensuring that power-line safety requirements were met, including having an elevated warning line a safe distance from the power lines, along with a dedicated spotter. Each violation carries a penalty of $48,000.
Both violations are considered “willful” because the L&I compliance officer went over the specific requirements with the site superintendent just three days earlier.
Cranes and power lines a known hazard
In September 2016, two employees of Spartan Concrete Inc., were severely injured and nearly killed while working near the same West Seattle power line when a high-voltage jolt of electricity traveled down a crane’s hoist line to the men below.
The dangers of cranes and overhead power lines are well known. There were nine deaths in Washington from crane contacts with power lines from 1999 to 2012, including a double fatality in 2010.
L&I issued an alert (Lni.wa.gov/safety/hazardalerts/CranesAndPowerlines.pdf) in 2012 warning companies of the deadly hazard after receiving reports of six power line contacts by cranes in just six months.
Company on severe violator list
Along with the two willful violations for the recent incident, Compass General Construction was cited for one general violation for not documenting that the rigging supervisor had passed the required tests showing he was qualified.
As a result of the willful violations, Compass has been placed on the severe violator list and will be subject to follow-up inspections to determine if the conditions still exist.
The company has appealed the violations.
Penalty money paid in connection with a citation is placed in the workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund, helping workers and families of those who have died on the job.
(page 2) WEEKLY AGRICULTURAL REPORT
NEWS FROM THE USDA:
USDA Provides More Than $10 Million to Help Caribbean Area Farmers Recover Following Hurricanes
Press release issued 11/ 21/ 17
https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2017/11/21/usda-provides-more-10-million-help-caribbean-area-farmers-recover
SAN JUAN, P.R., November 21, 2017 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing $10.9 million in technical and financial assistance to help farmers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands repair damage and rebuild following hurricanes Irma and María. This investment through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, a Farm Bill conservation program, is one more option available through USDA to aid with recovery.
“USDA remains committed to helping the people of Puerto Rican agriculture with every means at our disposal. With this funding, we can assist local farmers in repairing damages to their land and existing conservation practices caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria,” said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “Through EQIP, we co-invest with farmers to repair and prevent soil erosion, address flooding and other water quality issues, as well as any other resource concerns resulting from high rainfall events and flooding.”
EQIP Funding for Emergency Assistance
To expedite disaster recovery, NRCS is issuing waivers allowing farmers to receive payment and begin implementing key conservation practices prior to contract approval. Practices can include the disposal of dead livestock, the construction of animal mortality facilities, replacement of roofs and covers on agricultural buildings and debris removal. Participants are asked to file an EQIP application and a waiver to start implementing a practice.
Meanwhile, farmers who have worked with NRCS previously are also eligible to get assistance to implement new conservation practices or repair failed practices.
NRCS accepts EQIP applications year-round in a continuous signup. But landowners must submit their applications by Jan. 19 to be considered for this disaster recovery funding. Farmers and ranchers should visit with their local USDA service center to apply. Caribbean NRCS office listings and phone numbers can be found at www.pr.nrcs.usda.gov. Farmers may also call the Caribbean Area Disaster Recovery Bi-Lingual Hotline at 787-303-0341.
Disaster Recovery Assistance for Caribbean Communities
In addition to assistance to agricultural producers, NRCS is helping local communities repair dams and infrastructure impacted by the hurricanes. NRCS is providing $1.75 million to local governments and entities through the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program to restore damaged and destroyed infrastructure. While EWP generally can pay up to 75 percent of the cost of emergency measures, in both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, President Trump authorized 100 percent Federal cost for debris removal and emergency protective measures until March 2018.
Four NRCS teams spent the last five weeks in the Caribbean region conducting damage survey assessments to determine potential sites and sponsors for EWP projects. Through the program, NRCS works with local government entities in impacted areas to remove debris, stabilize streambanks and fix water control structures, among other practices.
Requests for assistance must be made within 60 days of the storm event.
More Information
Today’s announcement builds on investments USDA has made to support agricultural producers impacted by the hurricanes. USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers multiple programs in Puerto Rico and across the nation to help with disaster recovery, including compensation for livestock death and feed losses, risk coverage for specialty crops, and repair of damaged agricultural and private forest land. Most recently, FSA added emergency assistance for dairies in Puerto Rico to help provide feed for their remaining cattle. USDA’s Risk Management Agency also offers several Federal crop insurance plans, helping producers overcome natural catastrophes.
USDA Scientists Honored as AAAS Fellows
Press release issued 11/ 21/ 17https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2017/11/21/usda-scientists-honored-aaas-fellows
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21, 2017 – Two USDA scientists have been honored as 2017 Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, who serves as Administrator for USDA’s Agriculture Research Service as well as Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics, and Dr. Autar K. Mattoo, an ARS plant physiologist, were named Fellows in a vote by the AAS Council in recognition of their contributions to science and technology, scientific leadership, and extraordinary achievements across disciplines.
AAAS has been awarding the Fellows distinction since 1874. Past honorees include inventor Thomas Edison, anthropologist Margaret Meade, and five of the 2017 Nobel Laureates. Along with other new AAAS Fellows, Dr. Jacobs-Young and Dr. Mattoo will be recognized at a Feb. 18 Fellows forum at the 2018 AAAS Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas.
Dr. Jacobs-Young has headed ARS, the USDA’s chief scientific in-house research agency, since February 2014 and previously served as ARS’ Associate Administrator for National Programs. Prior to her tenure at ARS, she served as the Director of the USDA Office of the Chief Scientist, as Acting Director for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. A native of Georgia, she holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Mattoo is an ST Level senior scientist at the ARS’s Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. Prior to returning to bench research in 2004, he served as a Research Leader for 16 years - nine years heading the Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory and seven years heading the Vegetable Laboratory at USDA-ARS. He specializes in Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and his findings include the targeting of key genes in the fruit ripening process, and those in the polyamine biosynthetic pathway, to prolong the shelf life and increase the nutritive value of tomatoes. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India.
USDA BLOG: Five Tips So You Don’t Miss the Big Deals With Bad Black Friday Leftovers
Posted on 11/ 24/ 17https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/24/five-tips-so-you-dont-miss-big-deals-bad-black-friday-leftovers
t’s the day after Thanksgiving and all through the streets, 154 million consumers are moving their feet. All aim to get the best deal of the day, whether flat screens, jewelry or a 4K Blu-ray.
But your next door neighbor missed all the cheap deals because his stomach was turning; it’s not made of steel. The Thanksgiving leftovers he went to devour were left on the table past 2 hours. The room-temperature food allowed bacteria to grow, entering his stomach as a terrible foe. A few simple steps could have saved him this fate, but now he must deal with a bad tummy ache. So we offer these five leftover tips to keep you from getting awfully sick. Follow these rules to keep your family healthy and let Black Friday sales keep your pockets wealthy.
Keep food out of the Danger Zone: Bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40°F and 140°F. That is what is referred to as the Danger Zone. Hot food must be kept hot at 140°F or warmer to prevent bacterial growth. Within 2 hours of cooking food or from keeping it warm in a slow cooker or chaffing dish, leftovers must be refrigerated. Throw away all perishable foods that have been left in room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Cool food quickly: To prevent bacterial growth, it's important to cool food rapidly so it reaches 40°F or below, which is the temperature of your refrigerator. To do this, divide large amounts of food into shallow containers. A 20-pound turkey, for example, will take a long time to cool, inviting bacteria to multiply and increasing the danger of foodborne illness. Instead, slice the turkey and place into shallow containers, so it will cool quickly.
Wrap leftovers well: Wrap leftovers in airtight packaging, or seal them in storage containers. This helps keep bacteria out, retain moisture and prevent leftovers from picking up odors from other food in the refrigerator.
Don’t store leftovers too long: Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days and then must be eaten or put in the freezer. They will last in the freezer for three to four months. Although the leftovers are safe indefinitely in the freezer, they can lose moisture and flavor when stored for longer times.
Reheat safely: When reheating leftovers, be sure they reach 165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Reheat sauces and gravies by bringing them to a rolling boil. Cover leftovers when reheating to help retain moisture and allow the food to heat all the way through.
Now you see how easy it can be to keep your family bacteria free. Remember these tips when dealing with leftovers so foodborne illness won’t be on your shoulders. Because people won’t remember how great a time they had, they will only remember that your food made them feel bad.
Have food safety questions? Call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) to talk to a food safety expert. You can also chat live at AskKaren.gov, available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, in English and Spanish.
Need Help Growing Cranberries? It May Be Crawling in the Soil
USDA blog post dated 11/ 21/ 17https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2017/11/21/need-help-growing-cranberries-it-may-be-crawling-soil
The cranberries that are traditionally a part of Thanksgiving dinner may have a brighter future because of what Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists found when they went digging recently in a remote marsh in Wisconsin.
“We literally found biocontrol agents in our own backyards,” says Shawn Steffan, an entomologist with the ARS Vegetable Crops Research Unit in Madison.
The cranberry, just like any other plant, is attacked by insects that can damage its roots, vines, leaves and, in the case of the cranberry, the bright red berries that processors turn into jellies and juice. Cranberries are a $1 billion industry in Wisconsin. The state produces 60 percent of the nation’s supply, and the cranberry is the state’s official fruit.
There are several insects that can wreak havoc on cranberry bogs, with the flea beetle, the cranberry fruitworm and the sparganothis fruitworm (aka “Sparg”) chief among them. To control them, cranberry growers often have to spray their marshes with insecticide two or three times a year. The insecticides leave residues, and the treatments cost up to $100 per acre, which can add up. Many growers have several hundred acres of cranberries.
The pests spend much of their life cycle underground as larvae, and that prompted Steffan to wonder what natural enemies might also live down there that could be used to control them.
In the summers of 2015 and 2016, he and his colleagues went out to marshes in Wisconsin where wild cranberries have grown for millennia and found half a dozen nematode types that attack the pests in the wild. They compared the nematodes’ abilities at controlling the pests with insecticide sprays.
Overall, the results showed that two of the six nematodes were particularly effective, in some cases wiping out up to 90 percent of the pests. The beauty of using them as biocontrols is that they are native to Wisconsin, so they’re no threat to indigenous flora or fauna. “We don’t have to worry about the unintended consequences of introducing a foreign species into a new habitat,” Steffan says.
Steffan is currently working on a strategy for mass producing the nematodes and hopes to create a bio-insecticide that cranberry growers can use with standard spray equipment.
“It’s an environmentally friendly way to address a problem that now requires the spraying of insecticides,” he says.
In this season of giving thanks, it’s also another reason to give thanks to Mother Nature.
(PAGE 3) LOCAL MEETINGS AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS for NEXT WEEK
CLALLAM COUNTY COMMISSION MEETINGS:
Clallam work session agenda highlight items;
1) Discuss letter to Congress regarding funding for Secure Rural Schools and Payments in Lieu of Taxes Action Item
2) Resolutions establishing the 2018 General Purpose Property Tax Levy and the 2018 Road Fund Property Tax Levy
3) Agreement with Washington State Department of Commerce for funding from the 2018 STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant (2c)\
(see full agenda)
Clallam County regular session agenda highlight items;
1) Public Works - Carlsborg Sewer Operations - Carlsborg Sewer System did not commence operations as early in 2017 as budgeted and revenue was overestimated/$80,175
2) Resolution adopting the following Supplemental Appropriations:
Health and Human Services - Operations
* Funding is being received from Washington Traffic Safety Commission for the Health and Human Services Forks office to hold a child safety technician training and to purchase items for a car seat check station/$11,680
* WIC funding added for registration and travel expenses to Washington State Nutrition Education Conference; State Foundational Public Health Services funding for 2017; Public Health Emergency Preparedness funds for the remainder of 2017/$63,368
Health and Human Services - Developmental Disabilities
* Funding to provide additional employment services to individuals with developmental disabilities/$17,277
* Additional funding for services provided in fiscal year ending June 30, 2017 to provide additional employment services to individuals with developmental disabilities/$9,985
Sheriff - Enhanced Nine-One-One - Reimbursement from E911 County Coordinator Professional Development contracts over what was budgeted for 2017/$24,000
Sheriff - Operations - Funding from the Road Department for Traffic Policing/$300,000
3) Consideration of resolution adopting the following Debatable Emergencies:
Non Departmental - Additional funding needed to cover State auditor fees for the annual audit/$6,000
Public Works - Solid Waste - Funds needed for a Coordinated Prevention Grant from the Department of Ecology/$9,000
Public Works - Roads - Increase traffic policing contribution to the Sheriff’s Office to meet expenditures by that department/$300,000
Prosecuting Attorney - Local Crime Victim Compensation - Funds needed to reimburse Prosecuting Attorney Operation (00100.841) for services provided in 2016. Funds were included in the 2016 budget; however, the reimbursement was overlooked/$30,974
(See full agenda)
IN OTHER LOCAL AND REGIONAL MEETINGS;
City of Sequim agenda
Ordinance No. 2017-24 Amending SMC 17 .32.110 Concerning Subdivision Access
The City has been a member of the Association of
Washington Cities (AWC), Risk Management Service Agency (RMSA) since 1989. As a member, the City participates in a program of joint insurance and receives risk
management services. The City has grown considerably in size and complexity since joining RMSA (e.g., the City-wide total budget in 1989 was $3.9 million, population
3,616, compared to the 2018 budget of $32.7 million. population 7,498). Staff thought it prudent and appropriate to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) for insurance coverage and risk management services from other providers of municipal services in Washington
State. Staff wishes to share the results of our assessment of the responses and asks Council to consider staff's recommendation to notify RMSA of our intent to withdraw effective 1/1/2019 to join WCIA.
http://www.sequimwa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1752
Ordinance No. 2017-24 Amending SMC 17.32.110 concerning subdivision access
A recent preliminary plat application highlighted the fact that the current subdivision access code may lead to an undesirable amount of traffic being placed on certain neighborhood streets.
http://www.sequimwa.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1753
CITY OF FORKS AGENDA ITEM HIGHLIGHT: Set hearing on Robbins Annexation
http://forkswashington.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/agenda112717.pdf
JEFFERSON COUNTY COMMISSION AGENDA HIGHLIGHT ITEM:
AGREEMENT re: Demolition & Removal Project Agreement re: 280 Fremont Ave. on the Big Quilcene River; In the Amount of $ 28,344 plus tax of $2,551 for a Project Total of $30,895; Jefferson County Environmental Public Health; Diggin’ It!
http://test.co.jefferson.wa.us/WebLinkExternal/0/edoc/1741422/A112717.pdf
NEWS REPORT COMMENTARY
Article from the Seattle Times: Sen. Maria Cantwell’s uphill battle to keep oil drilling out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell hopes to prevent opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling — a time-sensitive battle as Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski got the drilling language into the GOP’s plan for overhaul of the nation’s tax code.
https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/the-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-might-be-opened-to-drilling-heres-what-sen-maria-cantwell-has-to-say/
Related Cantwell press release: Cantwell To GOP: It’s A Wildlife Refuge, Not An Oil Field Senator denounces cynical effort to open the ‘biological heart' of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling (Press release issued 11/ 15/ 17)
https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cantwell-to-gop-its-a-wildlife-refuge-not-an-oil-field-
Quote: " The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge supports more than 250 species, including caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, wolves, muskoxen, wolverines, and migratory birds. “At its core, the Chairman’s Mark would manage and change current law of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and turn it into a petroleum reserve. That’s what this Mark does. It turns the Coastal Plain in this refuge into an oil field,” said Senator Cantwell.
This is contradictory to the purpose of a national wildlife refuge, which is to conserve wildlife and wildlife habitat for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans, and in the case of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge specifically – to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitat in their natural diversity. There is no doubt that allowing oil and gas development will permanently change the fundamental nature of the refuge’s Coastal Plain."
Related US Dept. of Interior press release issued in October
Department of the Interior Releases Energy Burdens Report
Quote: " “Developing our energy resources to grow our economy and protecting the environment are not mutually exclusive. However, while conducting the review outlined in the Executive Order, we found that several costly and burdensome regulations from the past threaten that balance by hampering the production or transmission of our domestic energy,” said U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke. “Our public lands are meant to be managed for the benefit of the people. That means a multiple-use approach where appropriate and making sure that multiple-use includes energy development under reasonable regulations. Following President Trump’s leadership, Interior is fostering domestic energy production by streamlining permitting and revising and repealing Obama-era job killing regulations – all while doing so in an environmentally responsible way.”
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/department-interior-releases-energy-burdens-report
Editorial Commentary; Once again were being fed by Sen. Cantwell a feel good measure design to keep us depended on foreign oil when we have opportunities to drill for oil here, so we would rely on sources of oil, which could be used to blackmail this nation to comply with demands of nations who don't share in our way of life. That's how I see this whole drama act from Cantwell, Murray, and Kilmer. They rather keep us depended on Saudi oil, and jobs in foreign hands.
Daily Bible Verse: And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Colossians 3:17 NKJV
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