PORT ANGELES — The Navy will host an open house from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday to provide information on plans to build a pier, sleeping quarters and other support buildings for seven submarine-escort vessels of up to 250 feet long at the Coast Guard station on Ediz Hook.
The meeting on the $16.7 million project planned for Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles will be at the Elks Lodge, 131 E. First St.
Navy and Coast Guard personnel will be on hand to answer questions about the three Coast Guard station sites being considered for the project, but there will be no formal presentation for a formal question-and-answer session about the project, Navy spokeswoman Liane Nakahara said last week.
Nakahara said public meetings on the project are not required.
“We know there are questions about this project, and we wanted to make sure we address some concerns early on,” she said.
Local tribes, divers and Puget Sound Pilots have expressed concerns about the westernmost alternative near the Coast Guard station’s entrance.
But Navy officials have said the efficiency of the crews staffing the escort craft is compromised by not having a stopover in Port Angeles.
Camp Cardio
Two athletic facilities have joined Olympic Medical Center for a cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program the hospital calls Camp Cardio.
The Sequim Aquatic Recreation Center and the YMCA of Clallam County offer the program by referral to patients who have been discharged from OMC Heart Center’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs.
Such patients still may need a transition program to support them as they manage their health on their own.
For more information on program hours and cost, call the heart center at 360-565-0500.
Climate change
PORT HADLOCK — A series of four lectures this month will provide information on climate change.
The free lectures by Paul Loubere, who has researched global ocean and climate systems for more than 30 years, will be at 6:30 p.m. each Thursday in February at the Jefferson County Library at 620 Cedar Ave. in Port Hadlock.
During these interactive lectures, Loubere will address the question: Can Earth’s climate be managed or “engineered” by humanity to control global warming?
The lecture series examines climate systems in a nontechnical way — meaning by use of many photographs and little math, Loubere said, “to provide a basis for a discussion of the active management of climate.”
Schedule
■ Thursday, 6:30 p.m. — “The Big Picture: What Makes Earth’s Climate Systems?”
Global climate is the result of the combination of regional climate systems which have their own distinct character and behaviors.
They are separate, yet also linked via what climate scientists call “teleconnections.”
What are these systems, and what planetary scale factors cause them to exist?
■ Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. — “Gathering Heat: Climate Systems of the Sunny South.”
The Earth gathers and stores heat from the sun at tropical latitudes. That heat drives climate over the whole planet.
Tropical climate systems, especially in the Pacific, impact temperatures and rainfall over the globe.
What patterns of variation do they have, and what could change with the addition of more heat?
■ Feb. 19, 6:30 p.m. — “Yin and Yang: Systems of the Polar Deep Freeze.”
While equatorial regions gain heat, the poles lose it to space. If the tropics are the heat source, the poles are the sink of the global climate system.
What factors can lead to change in the flow of heat to the poles?
How will such change alter polar environments, and how will the overall climate respond to that change?
■ Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m. — “Managing Climate Change: Can You Engineer Climate?”
Humanity is now engaged in altering climate by changing a fundamental climate factor: the amount of incoming solar radiation that is trapped by the planet.
Can we predict the consequences of that, and can we counter the warming process if we decide we need to?
For more information about this program, visit www.jclibrary.info or call 360-385-6544.
Talk slated Thursday on strong women
PORT ANGELES — Nationally known youth motivational speaker and author of Live Extraordinary Heather Schultz will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St.
Schultz is based in Atlanta and will present skills in “Building Stronger Women.”
The program is sponsored by Jet Set Soroptimist and Juvenile Services Behavioral Health.
The goal is to foster confidence in each other, strengthen trust and develop effective communication skills between mothers and daughters, grandmothers and their granddaughters, according to a news release.
For more information, phone Schultz at 404-518-9552 or Danetta Rutten at 360-460-1722.
Life on Tatoosh
PORT TOWNSEND — On Friday, the Jefferson County Historical Society First Friday Lecture will feature Marrowstone Islander Joanne Pickering with tales of her life on Tatoosh Island.
The program will begin at 7 p.m. in Port Townsend’s historic City Council chambers, 540 Water St.
Admission is by donation, which supports historical society programs.
Pickering lived on Tatoosh Island from 1958 until 1962. Her husband worked for the National Weather Bureau.
At a time before Doppler radar and computers, Tatoosh was a significant location for gathering weather data that were transmitted to the forecast center in Seattle.
Pickering’s story is one of an isolated existence including primitive transportation to and from the island that was dependent on jumping from a boat into a basket that was then raised up a 100-foot cliff, according to a news release.
She will talk about the rugged beauty of the island, the dangers of living there, the early history of the Makah, the lighthouse and more.
For more information, phone Kris Lawson or Bill Tennent at 360-385-1003.
Mason bee talks
GARDINER — The Gardiner Wild Birds Unlimited store, 275953 U.S. Highway 101, will hold two presentations on the orchard mason bee.
The first class is Saturday at 9 a.m., and the second class Saturday, Feb. 14, at 9 a.m.
Christie Lassen gives an hourlong, family-friendly talk on the benefits of the mason bee and how to attract them and keep them in gardens.
Bees play an important role in our environment and everyday lives, according to a news release, and everyone can play a role in the survival of these important pollinators
Phone 360-797-7100 to reserve a place, as seating is limited.
A contribution of $5 to the Community Education Fund holds a seat for a presentation, and proceeds from the talk will go to Discovery Bay Wild Bird Rescue.
Discussions group talks defense funds
SEQUIM — The Sequim Great Decisions Discussion Group will meet at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., from 10 a.m. to noon Friday.
The topic is “The End of the Military-Industrial Complex: How the Pentagon Is Adapting to Globalization.”
“Commercialization and globalization, coupled with a decline in U.S. defense spending, have ushered in a new era for the U.S. defense industry. The Pentagon is off to a slow start, however, in weathering the current transition,” according to the group’s calendar listing.
The suggested background reading for the discussion is the article “The End of the Military-Industrial Complex” from the November/December 2014 edition of Foreign Affairs.
New members are welcome.
For more information, phone John Pollock at 360-683-9622, email jcpollock@olypen.com or visit www.tinyurl.com/SequimGreatDecisionsDiscussion.
Composter training
PORT ANGELES — Clallam County Master Composter training will take place in the commissioners’ room (160) of the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., from 9 a.m. to noon Friday.
This free four-part series continues Fridays, Feb. 13, 20 and 27.
The training includes informative guest speakers and a tour of local composting systems, and presents in-depth information, research and visual aids on topics such as:
■ Important factors for composting.
■ Different types of compost systems.
■ The soil food web.
■ Cultivating healthy soils through organic soil amendments.
■ The impact of compost on the environment via carbon sequestration and waste reduction.
■ Vermicomposting.
At the end of four weeks, trainees are certified as Master Composters, thus being compost ambassadors for the Clallam County community.
Trainees are encouraged to contribute 12 volunteer hours within a year of graduation to “pay back” their free training.
For more information, visit http://ext100.wsu.edu/clallam or contact Meggan Uecker at muecker@co.clallam.wa.us or 360-417-2279.
Streamside land
QUILCENE — Local streamside landowners will have an opportunity to attend a free workshop to learn about the impacts of invasive weeds as well as the benefits to fish and property value from native plants at 1 p.m. Friday at the Quilcene Community Center, 294952 U.S. Highway 101.
“Native plants have so many benefits for landowners, both economically and environmentally,” said Tamara Cowles, who works with native plants for the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group.
“Compared to non-native plants, they require little maintenance and less money over time, use less water and can improve property value. They also are great for attracting wildlife and birds, and help reduce erosion and runoff into the river.”
In addition to the free workshop, free site visits and consultations will be available for streamside landowners interested in native plants.
To learn more, contact Seth Elsen at 360-275-3575, ext. 12, or seth@pnwsalmoncenter.org.
Pruning workshop set this Saturday
SEQUIM — The Olympic Orchard Society will sponsor a pruning workshop with Gordon Clark of Clark Horticulture at Lazy J Tree Farm, 225 Gehrke Road, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The event is free and open to the public.
Clark will demonstrate tree pruning after a brief lecture.
The Olympic Orchard Society is a chapter of the Western Cascade Fruit Society. It is a nonprofit organization that offers education, workshops and information to orchardists and backyard growers.
Annual dues are $20.
For more information, contact Marilyn Couture at couture222@msn.com or 360-681-3036, or visit www.WCFS.org.
UFO meeting set
PORT TOWNSEND — Olympic UFO will now meet the first Saturday of the month from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Quaker Meeting House, 1841 Sheridan St.
This Saturday’s meeting will feature Sayward Ayre, author of Aliens at My Fingertips: Real Meetings with Strange Beings, who will recount experiences from her life that have led her to believe she has come in close contact with aliens.
A separate group for contactees/abductees, facilitated by a retired clinical psychologist, will follow the main meeting.
For more information, contact Maurene Morgan at 360-344-2991 or maurene.morgan4@gmail.com.
Family Flicks set
SEQUIM — Family Flicks resume at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., at 2 p.m. Saturday with a free screening of the 1963 G-rated film “The Incredible Journey.”
This live-action Walt Disney production is based on the eponymous novel by Sheila Burnford.
The film follows the adventure of three pets — Luath the Labrador retriever, Bodger the bull terrier and Tao the Siamese cat — as they journey 250 miles through the Canadian wilderness to find their way home.
Family Flicks will then bring “Toy Story 3” to the screen at 2 p.m. March 7.
Offered the first Saturday of each month through May, Family Flicks provide family entertainment, popcorn and movie trivia for free.
For more information, phone the library at 360-683-1161, visit www.nols.org or email youth@nols.org.
