NEWS BRIEFS: Sequim Library to host movie screening on Saturday . . . and other items

SEQUIM — The Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave., will host Family Flicks with “Meet the Robinsons” at 2 p.m. Saturday.

This 2007 computer-animated film tells the story of a brilliant young inventor named Lewis who sets off on a time-traveling journey to find the family he never knew.

In an amazing twist, Lewis discovers that the fate of the future rests in his hands, but he can’t save it alone — he’ll need every bit of help he can get from the wonderfully wacky Robinson family.

The Robinsons help Lewis learn to keep moving forward and never stop believing in himself.

For more information, phone 360-683-1161, visit www.nols.org or email youth@nols.org.

Port Angeles whales program set for Thursday

PORT ANGELES — The Juan de Fuca Network’s first public outreach event will be presented at the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday.

The cost is $7.

The panel discussion, “Whales in the Strait of Juan de Fuca,” will be moderated by local marine mammal responder Rich Osborne and include speakers Jamie Valadez from the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, Shane Aggergaard from Island Adventures, Kirstin Flynn from Cascadia Research Collective and Helle Andersen of the Feiro Marine Life Center.

Speakers will talk about whales in the Strait from historic to modern times, and what to do if one encounters a stranded marine mammal.

This fall, NOAA Fisheries awarded Feiro Marine Life Center $25,226 in funding to support response to stranded marine mammals along the Strait of Juan de Fuca coast from Discovery Bay to the eastern edge of the Makah Reservation.

This is the first time the Juan de Fuca Stranding Network has received an award from the John H. Prescott Marine Mammal Rescue Assistance Grant Program.

Feiro had previously been responding to marine mammal stranding calls in the region on a volunteer basis.

With this financial support, Feiro was able to hire a part-time stranding network coordinator, Andersen, who coordinates Feiro’s citizen science programming.

She is working with seasoned local marine mammal responders Ed Bowlby, Mary Sue Brancato and Osborne to recruit volunteers for this Clallam County-wide response team, as well as increasing efforts for education and public outreach.

People interested in volunteering for the network response team or those interested in local whales should attend this first public outreach event.

For more information, phone 360-417-6254 or visit www.feiromarinelifecenter.org.

Bees, biodiversity

PORT TOWNSEND — The Jefferson Land Trust Natural History Society will sponsor a presentation on “Bees and Biodiversity” by Jerry Freilich, former director of the North Coast and Cascades Science Learning Network, on Thursday.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship sanctuary hall, 2333 San Juan Ave.

This event is free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $5.

An entomologist by training, Freilich coordinated scientific research in Olympic National Park.

He has researched insect biodiversity since 1996 and recently carried out a project to find and identify as many bee species as possible in Olympic National Park.

Freilich will explain why bees are so difficult to study.

For more information, visit http://jltnatural.org/2015/11/02/bees-and-biodiversity.

Memorial service

SEQUIM — Sequim Valley Funeral Chapel, 108 W. Alder St., will host a community holiday memorial service from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday.

This is a free, non-denominational service for anyone grieving the death of a loved one over the past year.

The event will include music, prayer, candle lighting, a reading of the names of the deceased, reflection and reception of a memorial ornament.

Participants are asked to bring a picture of the loved one.

For more information or to preregister, phone Paul Fiorini, bereavement coordinator with Assured Hospice, at 360-582-3796.

Studies abroad

PORT ANGELES — Peninsula College’s Studium Generale will present “A Celebration of Study Abroad” in Peninsula College’s Little Theater, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd., at 12:35 p.m. Thursday.

International studies adviser Val Conroy and student John Pritchard will present.

Last winter, Pritchard, a Makah tribal member and spoken word poet, published a collection of poems titled W.O.L.F. (We Only Love Freedom).

It was the publication of that book and his commitment to achieving his dream of studying abroad that provided Pritchard with the opportunity to study in Florence, Italy, in the spring.

According to a news release: “An initial publication grant from the Bill Hennessey Native Bridges Fund provided a key starting point, but it was the poet’s charisma, talents, and wisdom that led many individuals, as well as the Makah Tribal Council, to provide generous contributions toward his dream of studying abroad.”

The audience will hear Pritchard’s stories of his time in Florence and

other Italian cities and beaches.

Following Pritchard, the audience will have the chance to hear about future study-abroad options in Germany, England, Costa Rica, Ireland, Australia, Japan and Italy.

The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, email Conroy at vconroy@pencol.edu or Kate Reavey at kreavey@pencol.edu.

Discussion group

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 focus of this talk is “Delusions of Grand Strategy: The Problem with Washington’s Planning Obsession.”

The suggested background reading for this discussion is the article “Delusions of Grand Strategy” from the November/December issue of Foreign Affairs, published by the Council on Foreign Relations.

New members are always welcome.

For more information, contact John Pollock at jcpollock@olypen.com or 360-683-9622, or visit http://tinyurl.com/pdn-greatdecisions.

Chain gang work

PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Chain Gang removed 620 pounds of refuse during the week of Nov. 16-20 from illegal dump sites on Blue Mountain and Joyce-Piedmont roads.

Storm debris removal was done on Blue Mountain, East Scrivener, Harrington, Monroe, Draper, Mt. Pleasant, Dietz, Glass, Gasman, Stuart, Hoko-Ozette, Whitcomb-Dimmel, Pavel, Salmon, Steelhead, Mary Clark, Dan Kelly and Eden Valley roads.

Also Peters, Wasankari, Liljedahl, Grauel-Ramapo, Bishop, Miller, Camp Hayden, Agate Beach, Crescent, Joyce-Piedmont East Beach, Old Olympic Hot Springs and Quillayute roads, plus Olympic Discovery Trail at Cooper Ranch Road.

Crews performed culvert maintenance, ditch digging and storm drain clearing on East Scrivener, Mt. Pleasant, Mt. Angeles, Dietz, Glass and East Lake Pleasant roads.

Genealogy party

PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Genealogical Society will hold a holiday party and silent auction for the public Saturday.

The party is at the Research Center, 402 E. Lauridsen Blvd., from noon to 4 p.m.

The auction starts at 1 p.m. and closes at 3 p.m.

Auction items include gift baskets, books, collectibles, glass, pottery and more.

For more information, phone 360-417-5000.

Senior nutrition

PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles Senior Nutrition Site dinners will be served at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday at the Port Angeles Senior Center, 328 E. Seventh St.

A suggested donation is $5 for those who are 60 or older.

People younger than 60 can attend for $8.

Reservations should be made 24 hours in advance to 360-457-8921.

Menus are subject to change.

■ Tuesday: Waldorf salad on a bed of greens, seafood melt, grapes and dessert.

■ Wednesday: Green salad, Italian sausage with peppers and onions, steamed rice, steamed carrots and baked custard.

■ Thursday: Tomato juice, scrambled eggs, waffles with strawberries, sausage link and cantaloupe.

■ Friday: Green salad, cheddar broccoli soup, chicken pot pie and baked apples.

Clallam chain gang busy in October

PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office Chain Gang removed 1,140 pounds of refuse from illegal dump sites on Eggloff and River roads during the week of

Oct. 19-23.

Crews performed curb scraping along O’Brien, Bravo, John Jacobs, Lake Farm, Blue Mountain, North Larch and Elwha River roads, plus North Bayview Avenue.

They removed and hauled away brush hanging into the roadway on Lake Farm Road.

Crews removed alder trees and shrub vegetation growing in the ditch line on Mount Pleasant and Elwha River roads to Sisson Road.

Brush piles and limbs were chipped off on Gossett Road in preparation for the Adventure Route of the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Crews brushed and chipped the county right of way on South Barr Road.

Approximately 30 to 40 yards of limb debris were chipped at the Mount Pleasant Road gravel pit.

The corner of Township Line and O’Brien Road was chipped, along with the 900 block of Freshwater Bay Road.

During the week of Oct. 2-6, the chain gang removed 620 pounds of refuse from Little River Road.

A total of 1,280 pounds of trash was removed from an illegal dump site on Deer Park Road.

Crews removed flooring on an abandoned motor home on Youngquist Road, totaling 1,320 pounds.

They cleaned storm drains and culverts on Monroe, Mount Pleasant, Deer Park, O’Brien, Blue Mountain and Shore roads.

At Klahowya Campground, crews assembled 12 new picnic tables and disassembled 15 old tables.

Sites 12, 16, 38, 39, 40, 47 and 49 have new tables.

Sites 26 and 56 have new bench seats.

Table tops were replaced at sites 37 and 44.

During the weeks of Oct. 6-30, crews removed 1,120 pounds of refuse from the entirety of Quileute Road.

Litter pick-up/security for the Hope After Heroin program took place on Benson and Bean roads, plus Fairmont Avenue.

Retention ponds were cleaned and weed-eated on Larch, Mount Pleasant and Gasman roads, plus Wild Currant Way.

Crews brushed Gehrei and Monterra roads.

Hazardous trees and debris were removed from Eden Valley Road.

A damaged guardrail was removed on Lower Elwha Road.

Crews removed blackberries and brush for a ditch renovation on Edgewood Drive.

They performed maintenance on South Bagley Creek Road and did ditch-digging and culvert maintenance on North Bagley Creek Road.

During the week of Nov. 9-13, the chain gang removed 220 pounds of refuse from 8 miles of county roadways between Blue Mountain Road.

Trash was removed from illegal dump sites on River, Happy Valley and Taylor Cutoff roads, plus Wild Current Way and Sieberts Creek.

In addition, culverts were cleaned on Edgewood Drive, Joyce-Piedmont, Lake Aldwell, Little River, Mount Pleasant/Dietz, Draper, Monroe/Baker Farm, Dan Kelly, Eden Valley, Camp Hayden, Whiskey Creek Beach, Schmitt and McGarvie roads, totaling 115 culverts.

Crews performed ditch digging and pipe location on the 500 block of Mount Pleasant Road.

Weeds were pulled and blackberry bushes were removed from the Sequim county shop’s lower pit.

Weeds also were pulled at Upper Sequim county pit and Kirner Road gravel pit.

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