You can! Following a major disaster, first responders who provide fire and medical services may not be able to meet the demand for these services. Factors such as number of victims, communication failures, and road blockages will prevent people from accessing emergency services they have come to expect at a moment’s notice through 911. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number. CERT is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where citizens will be initially on their own and their actions can make a difference. Through Basic CERT training, citizens can organize themselves and use spontaneous volunteers to manage utilities, put out small fires, provide basic medical first aid, search for and rescue victims calmly, safely, and efficiently.

Clark County Fire District 6 will begin CERT training classes on Thursday, February 16, 2012. The classes will be held at Clark County Fire District 6, Hazel Dell  (8800 NE Hazel Dell Avenue).  Cost to participate is $30; knowledge gained, priceless.

For more information, contact Dave Sinclair at 360-576-1195.

The NSCNA will welcome Michelle Solari from the Goddard School and Dave Brown from Northwest Wild Fish Rescue to the January 24th general meeting to be held at 7:00 pm at Riverview Community Bank Salmon Creek (by Salmon Creek Fred Meyer, 800 NE Tenney Rd). We will also be presenting the awards for the 2011 Holiday Lighting Contest.

Michelle will give a short presentation on the new Goddard School that is being built in Salmon Creek.  The brand new state-of-the-art 8000 sq. ft. building will be built between Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital and WSU Vancouver, near the junctions of both I-5 and I-205. The school will feature a year round extended day program for ages six weeks to six years and will offer an accredited education program designed to enhance the development of its students.

Dave Brown grew up in Northern California and had the luck to be able to fish for steelhead on some of their most storied rivers. But the fish started to disappear. Jobs took him away but he always managed to continue fly fishing. He eventually settled in north Clark County where he has lived for 20+ years. In the early nineties he decided to try to make a difference for the fish. Using his own funds and a lot of hard, physical labor, he started to rescue wild coho and steelhead fry from Mill Creek in areas where the water had dried up. When he started he rescued only about 600 fry. He has since expanded his rescue work to Mason Creek and Salmon Creek. Last year he formed a non-profit, Northwest Wild Fish Rescue. To hear more about this program, please attend the meeting on January 24th.

The Second Annual National Unpublished Writers’ Day Workshop at the Clark County Historical Museum (1511 Main Street, Vancouver) will take place on Sunday, January 29, 2012 between noon and 5 pm.

“National Unpublished Writers’ Day is free, both in terms of admission and in the spirit of a sixties “happening” with their multiple, simultaneous events and opportunities. We do, however, welcome any contributions and donations. The event will feature a series of “creative stations” and workshops around the Museum, each offering different opportunities to learn or experience something associated with different aspects or kinds of writing. These Creation Stations and workshops serve to highlight a broad approach to writing and offer a wide array of information, theory, and practice for our visitors.

Creative stations will include: Zines, Editing/resumé writing, Writing for mobile media, Poetry, Spontaneous writing, Comedy writing, Creative writing, Radio writing, and Descriptive writing.” ~Clark County Historical Museum

This event highlights the Brautigan Library Collection at the Clark County Historical Museum, and is sponsored by Riverview Community Bank, Washington State University Vancouver and the Clark County Historical Museum.

I don’t know about you, but this workshop sounds just “write” for me! See you there.

This post: “National Unpublished Writers Day Workshop” was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

While Christmas 2011 is over, I still haven’t had the heart to take down our Christmas Tree. It’s a live tree (well, it used to be) and the needles are drying out a bit, so most likely it will come down on January 2, 2012. That gives me a whole 5 days before the Cub Scouts will be out looking for Christmas Trees to pick up.

This year Cub Scout Pack 494 will be out picking up Christmas Trees on Saturday, January 7, 2012. If you would like the scouts to recycle your tree, please leave it at the curb by 8:45 am; making sure that all ornaments, lights, tinsel, and tree stand ( ) have been removed.

A $5 per tree (or more if you want) donation is greatly appreciated. Please make checks payable to Pack 494 and place in an envelope taped to your front door, or call 360-571-9084 for mailing address.

I you have any questions, or if your tree has not been picked up by 3 pm, please call the phone number above.

The November 15, 2011 general meeting for the North Salmon Creek Neighborhood Association (NSCNA) is the time to elect your 2012 NSCNA Board. The meeting begins at 7pm at Riverview Community Bank in the Fred Meyer Shopping Center (next to Three Creeks Library).

Arrive a few minutes early to pick up your ballot and raffle ticket, and enjoy some light refreshments, Peet’s Coffee and of course have time to visit with your neighbors!

Living in the Pacific Northwest means dealing with rain; some days (and months!) more than others. With the cold, wet, Pacific Northwest winter just around the corner, Share Vancouver is holding its Fourth Annual “Operation Sole Mates” Sock Drive during the month of October.

“Socks are one of the least donated, yet most needed items,” said Diane McWithey, Executive Director of Share, adding, “They are a ‘renewable need’ that is constant for our clients, year-’round.” Clean socks are a staple of health care. Rain-soaked feet, ill-fitting shoes, constant standing and disease all take their toll on the feet of homeless people. One of the most basic ways to keep feet healthy is to keep them warm and dry – a sometimes daunting task if you spend your days outside.

Share is asking for donations of new athletic socks for both men and women, as well as new underwear for men, women and children (all sizes). All donated items will be distributed to clients of Share’s Outreach program, which provides services to individuals living on the streets, as well as to clients currently in shelter.

Donations can be dropped off at the Share Volunteer Center (1708 Main Street), Monday through Friday between 9 am and 4 pm; the Share House (1115 W 13th St); Share Homestead (4921 NE hazel Dell Ave); or Share Orchards Inn (5609 NE 102nd Ave).

“The mission of Share is to lead the hungry and homeless to self-sufficiency by providing food, shelter, housing, education and compassion through the strength of our community.” For more information, you can visit Share Vancouver online, or call 360-695-7658.

This post: “Share Vancouver Operation Sole Mates” was originally featured at Clark County Live!

For more detailed coverage of the People, Places, Activities and Events throughout the neighborhoods of Clark County, please visit Clark County Live!

New tools are changing the way teachers teach and students learn. Students are more motivated, more involved in their learning, and they’re gaining the skills they’ll need for the future. You are invited to the weLearn Technology Showcase 2011 presented by the Vancouver School District on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at Skyview High School (1300 NE 139th St) in Salmon Creek; admission is free.

“Learning is changing in Vancouver schools, for the better. New tools and resources allow teachers to enhance their lessons. Opportunities are unfolding, and limitations are disappearing. “Down time” is being replaced with engaging activities, giving students more time to hone their skills and build confidence. With the right tools and infrastructure, learning can take place anytime, anywhere.

“Technology is integral to our work, our lives, and education. Students must develop skills, learn to think critically, and discover new ways to seek answers. In their careers, they will need to find solutions and adapt to tools that have yet to be developed. We need to prepare them now for their future.” ~ Steve Webb, Superintendent, Vancouver Public Schools

This is your opportunity to see how teachers and students are using technology for learning. Tour the exhibits, view demonstrations, and try out new technology tools.” For more information, please visit the Vancouver School District page, or call 360-313-1000.

It’s “FORE” a good cause!

The Skyview High School Class of 2012 Parent Boosters are hosting a Golf Tournament to raise funds for senior events, including a drug and alcohol free senior class party.

This 4 person scramble held August 29, 2011 at Tri Mountain Golf Course with a noon check in, 1:00 Shotgun Start, and followed by Dinner, Prizes and Raffle. Prizes will be awarded for Long Drive, Long Putt, Two KP’s and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Finish.

Cost is $100 per person, or $50 per person for High School students. Register as a team, or if you don’t have a team, register individually and you will be put on a team. Registration fees include Green Fees, Cart, Range Balls, Goodie Bags, Hawaiian Themed Dinner and no host bar.

Wanna join the fun, but don’t golf? No worries, you can still register for the Dinner and Raffle for $15.

For more information, visit Skyview Class of 2012 Project Graduation. You can also call Scott or Chris at 360-263-3399.

Is the end in sight? Clark County’s second season – road construction – comes in to full swing this week as crews start the local roads paving segment of the Salmon Creek Interchange Project. According to a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) release, WSDOT work will begin July 11, and Clark County crews will be at it beginning July 12. Aside from long delays, what else should you expect? Long delays.

What can drivers expect?

Both directions of I-5 between NE 134^th and NE 179^th streets
Northbound I-205 near NE 134^th Street
Watch for shoulder closures during the day and single-lane closures at night for the first two weeks of work.

Both directions of I-5 between NE 134^th and NE 179^th streets
Starting in late July, crews will close two lanes and shoulders from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night, Monday through Thursday.

NE 10^th Avenue and NE 139^th Street
Plan ahead for delays during paving on NE 10^th Avenue, north of NE Tenney Road, and on NE 139^th Street, west of NE 10th Avenue. Drivers will be able to travel through the area using the temporary one-way pattern implemented in May, with one-way northbound on NE 10^thAvenue and one-way westbound on NE 139^th Street.

Please keep an eye out for crews and take it slow in work zones!

What’s next?
WSDOT will continue working on I-5 and I-205 as Stage three of SCIP gets under way. Stage four, the project’s final stage, is expected to begin this winter. Stage four improves safety and traffic flow on the interstates and NE 134^th Street by building a new I-5 interchange at NE 139^th Street. Paving on local roads indicates that work is beginning to wrap up on Clark County’s portion of this $133 million joint project. Most work on the west side of I-5 is expected to be complete in late August, although weather and other factors can affect construction schedules.

So for those on the west side of the freeways, especially north of 134th around 10th avenue, prepare yourself for the extended drive to your next destination. Leave yourself plenty of time, and please watch out for crews out there.

Klineline Pond at Salmon Creek Park has long been a popular destination for summertime fun. With the addition of the play structure, spray feature and lifeguards, the popularity only increased.

The good news is that Klineline will be open for the summer. The bad news is that the spray feature will be off, and the lifeguards absent.

Here is an excerpt from a recent Clark County press release:

“For a second year, the county will not provide lifeguards or operate the children’s “spray ground” water feature at Klineline Pond in Salmon Creek Regional Park, 1112 N.E. 117th St., Vancouver. Swimmers, parents and anyone else using the park should review water safety guidelines and pay attention to warning signs at Klineline Pond.

“We were able to keep regional parks open this past winter and had hoped to reinstate lifeguards for the summer swimming season,” Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Director Pete Mayer said. “But the ongoing economic slump and reduced revenues made that difficult, given other regional park maintenance and operations needs, countywide.””

For the full press release from Clark County, Washington, read  Be safe without lifeguards at Klineline Pond and elsewhere, this summer.