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Landslides: WA Natural Resources Issues Warning

OLYMPIA, WA — State Representative Liz Pike, of Legislative District 18, said, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the state is facing an extreme risk for landslides.
In particular, said Pike, quoting the DNR, Lewis and Thurston Counties are currently facing extreme risk for landslides, which are expected to be “frequent and widespread.”
The most recent forecasts, updated a few hours ago, show all Western Washington and some Eastern Washington counties facing extreme landslide risk.
The DNR warns that sudden changes in creek levels, cracking wood of moving rocks are strong indications of a pending landslide, and they recommend staying away from hiking trails until the ground starts to settle.
If you see a landslide or indications of one, the DNR instructs you to get into contact with your local Emergency Management Division. The direct number is 800-562-6108 or 253-512-7000.
Stay safe out there!
Go to www.DNR.wa.gov for more details and updates on current conditions.
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Heavy Rains Swell Lacamas Lake Boat Ramp

This week’s heavy rain has, of course, had an effect on local roads and bridges, but it has also caused Lacamas Lake to swell and crest the boat ramp (near the Lacamas Lake Lodge). Here is a video. Photos to come in another post. ‪#‎lacamaslake‬ ‪#‎lacamasmagazine‬

 

 

 

 

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Vanderwood Sworn in as Superior Court Judge

VANCOUVER — Camas resident Derek Vanderwood was sworn in as Clark County’s newest Superior Court judge Friday at an investiture ceremony that was attended by approximately 130 people.

Vanderwood, who has practiced law in Vancouver since 1996, was sworn in by Judge Barbara D. Johnson, as family, friends and peers looked on during the sunny afternoon on the sixth floor of the Clark County Public Service Center.

Derek Vanderwood is sworn in as Superior Court judge by
Judge Barbara D. Johnson

The simple, yet elegant ceremony included remarks by Johnson, Casey Marshall (Vanderwood’s former law practice partner), and Judge Daniel L. Stahnke, who all spoke highly of Clark County’s newest judge.

Marshall introduced Vanderwood and spoke highly of their professional relationship while sharing some lighthearted moments. He said he at first doubted that Vanderwood would be appointed to the bench, but never doubted he’d make a good judge.

“And here we are now, ” Marshall said. “Derek will do an excellent job. He’s very meticulous and has a great love of community.”

Vanderwood was appointed to the bench by Governor Jay Inslee after a vacancy become available through the retirement of Judge Nichols. Vanderwood will have to run for election in November to complete the remaining two years of this judicial term.

“We welcome Derek into his new role,” said Judge Stahnke. “He’s been doing orientation for the past week … and know this can be overwhelming.”

After taking the oath of office from Judge Johnson, Vanderwood received his robe, which was placed by his wife, Allison, a longtime Clark County resident.

“It’s been a great opportunity to serve so many clients over these many years,” said Vanderwood. “And my partners have been a great help. I’m looking to create new relationships and this is an opportunity to help others … and I want you to know that I’m committed to respecting all those who enter the courtroom.

“This has given me a chance to reflect on accomplishments, and it’s a wonderful chance to serve,” he added. “And I ask you all to look how you can serve our community.”

In her closing remarks, Judge Johnson said: “Judge Vanderwood fits in and truly seems to have a calling to be a judge. It’s very meaningful to have him here.”

In attendance was Vanderwood’s immediate family, including his wife, Allison, and three of his four children: Alina, Andrew and Tyler. His oldest two sons, Devin and Grant, are currently serving missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Peru and Dallas, Texas, respectively. The new judge also serves as a local LDS Bishop in Camas.

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Derek Vanderwood, his wife Allison, and three of their five children.

Much of his extended family, including his mother, Joan, and siblings, were in attendance, as well.

Following the investiture ceremony, the guests attended an elegant reception at Vancouver Hilton.

“It’s a great experience for our family,” said Andrew. “It’s a good change. I thought he would get it. He’s a great public speaker and it was just right.”

His mother, Joan Vanderwood, referred to the ceremony as a parent pay day.

“Of course, I’m impressed with Derek and his abilities,” said Joan. “He’s very fair and has many good qualities. I’ve always felt he had the potential to be amazing and live up to his potential.”

Judge Vanderwood has served actively in the community for years in his ecclesiastical capacity, as well as serving Little League and the Boy Scouts of America, among other organizations.

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Judge Vanderwood takes his seat among other judges.

“It’s been a fantastic day,” said Allison. “It’s really an honor to be part of this event, and I’m just so  proud of him. This entire experience teaches our kids the importance of community. When he was appointed by Governor Inslee, were were shocked, but very happy with the announcement. It was a surprise and surely a great honor. Derek will serve people well.”

Judge Vanderwood will continue his orientation these coming weeks, and will then be given a load of cases to oversee.

 

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Vanderwood Appointed to Superior Court

VANCOUVER – Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s office announced Friday the appointment of civil lawyer Derek Vanderwood, a long-time Camas resident, to be Clark County’s newest Superior Court judge.
Vanderwood, a partner at the firm English, Lane, Marshall & Vanderwood, succeeds Judge John Nichols, who retired this month after serving 18 years on the bench.
“Derek has a long-standing reputation in Clark County for being a smart and committed lawyer,” Inslee said in a prepared statement. “I know he’s ready to take on this role and serve the people in a new capacity.”
Derek Vanderwood, of Camas.
Friday’s announcement was the culmination of a months-long process, which began last summer when Judge Nichols announced his retirement. At that time, Gov. Inslee posted a notification for application with a mid-September deadline.
Vanderwood was one of three applicants, which included Clark County Chief Deputy Prosecutor John Fairgrieve and criminal defense attorney Christopher Ramsay. Each applicant had the opportunity to present their case to the Clark County Bar Association, as well as conduct interviews with Gov. Inslee and the General Counsel.
“I look forward to this wonderful opportunity to serve,” said Vanderwood. “I’ll be wrapping up matters at my practice, which will take some time. I’ll likely start serving in this new position in late February.”
Vanderwood has been practicing law in Washington state since 1994, and has lived in Clark County since 1996. At his Vancouver firm, he focuses on injury claims, civil litigation, wrongful death, medical malpractice, and consumer safety cases.
One of his highest profile cases involved a suit against Hyundai for defective seats in which the jury awarded the plaintiff, Jesse Magna, $8 million. Vanderwood and firm partner, Dennis Lane, represented Magna, who was ejected from the vehicle during a late 90s automobile accident. The award was appealed to the state’s highest court, and was ultimately upheld.
Vanderwood, who is originally from Grand Junction, Colo., is married to Allison Teuscher Vanderwood, who grew up in Clark County. They have five children – four sons and one daughter – who have all attended Camas public schools.
Service to community is part of Vanderwood’s life, as he has been serving as a Bishop (an ecclesiastical leader) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Camas since 2012. The voluntary, non-paid position requires many hours each week dedicated to serving church members and local residents. He also volunteers his time serving the community at large in other capacities, such as being a parent volunteer at Camas Little League, among other organizations.
Vanderwood’s supporters say, “He follows the letter of the law, and is very much into respecting individual privacy rights.”
“In the Washington judicial system there are two trial courts: District and Superior,” said Vanderwood. “Superior is the higher court and the distinction is in size and ramification. The Superior Court works with more serious criminal cases, as well as large financial claims. Over time I will be working on a mix of family, criminal, civil, and juvenile cases, and that can change with rotations.”
While Vanderwood has primarily focused on his law practice, he said he’s been drawn to serving on the bench in recent years, and looks forward to the opportunity.
He will need to run for election in November 2015. Each Superior Court judicial term is four years.
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Pike Appointed to House Local Government Committee

OLYMPIA, WA — Eighteenth District Representative Liz Pike has been appointed to serve on the House Local Government Committee.  The committee considers issues relating to the operations and financing of counties, cities, and some special districts. It also considers issues relating to the Growth Management Act and land use issues such as local permitting and the subdivision of property.

Pike, who served on the Camas City Council from 2003 to 2007, says the new committee assignment is a good fit that will allow her to utilize her past experience in city government.

Liz Pike
Lacamas Magazine Archived Photo: Rep. Liz Pike at the 2012 Clark County
GOP Convention at the Hilton in downtown Vancouver.

“During my time on the city council, I learned about municipal budgeting, ordinances, land-use policies and the Growth Management Act, as well as many other issues involving local government. I’ve walked in the shoes of the local elected officials and I know the challenges they face and the services expected from local government by the public,” said Pike, R-Camas. “I have six small cities just within my legislative district, so I’m looking forward to helping them, their constituents, and other local governments across the state.”

Pike said one of her priorities will be restoration of the Public Works Assistance Account, which makes low- and no-interest loans to cities and utilities to finance water, sewer and street projects. Last year, the Legislature used the money, $354 million, to help balance the state operating budget. As a result, no loans were issued. Pike said those monies are vital to local governments to provide funding for needed infrastructure. The sweeping of those funds was one of the reasons Pike voted last year against the operating budget proposal.

“I’ll also be working to limit unfunded mandates to our cities and counties that are working with limited budget authority. If we could reduce some of the financial burdens on our local governments, it would increase delivery of services to those communities and help our citizens immensely,” she added. “That’s the direction of change I hope to make with this new committee assignment.”

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Lacamas Heights Elementary to Celebrate 50th Anniversary with Celebration on January 17

CAMAS, WA — The Lacamas Heights Elementary community invites all members of the Camas community to help celebrate their 50th Anniversary with two special events on January 17.

At 2:30 pm, staff and students will host a school-wide assembly where guest speakers will share memories from their years at Lacamas with staff and students; additionally, current students will share a special presentation reflecting back on the great history of Lacamas Heights.

All who attend will be treated to a sneak peak at a movie short titled “The Lacamas Story.” This will be an opportunity to provide today’s students with a glimpse of what has made Lacamas the school that it is today.

For the second event, all former students, teachers, and staff are invited to a Celebration Reception, which begins at 5:30 pm. This will be a time to tour the school, reminisce with former students and staff, reconnect, and celebrate the impact that Lacamas has had over the past 50 years.

There will be pictures, memorabilia, birthday cake, and the premier of our short film, “The Lacamas Story,” but most importantly, there will be teachers, administrators, staff, and students who called Lacamas Heights Elementary School their school from 1963-2014. This is an exciting opportunity to reconnect Lacamas alumni, and organizers hope community members will help to spread the word about this special day.

Lacamas Heights Elementary, in Camas, to celebrate 50th anniversary.

 

 

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Community Gathers to Help Downtown Bloom

Residents, businesses, churches and students had trowels in hand this Sunday scurrying around the streets of downtown Camas. Pushing wheelbarrows, installing hoses, planting flowers and pulling weeds never looked so fun and community oriented. Hosted by the Downtown Camas Association (DCA), Journey Church and the members of the National Honor Society at Liberty Middle School, families and business leaders took over the streets and sidewalks early Sunday afternoon.

Downtown Camas
Several volunteers gathered at Downtown Camas to beautify the area.
Camas Improvements
Children receive instruction on how to set plants into the flower beds.
Bead Paradise, Focus Designs, A.L. Insurance, Navidi’s and Journey Church were among the local shops in on the action. Lacamas Magazine and Kids Ink NW dropped their cameras and tablets to get in on the dirty fun too. Tony Dangerfield led a contingent of Liberty Middle School National Honor Society Members on the beautification day.
The end result…lovely and quaint downtown Camas is even lovelier today.
Landscaping Downtown
Hard at work.

Plants

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Camas Teacher Makes Every Day Earth Day

If you ask a student at Grass Valley what makes their school special, they’ll tell you that Grass Valley is a Green School!  First grade teacher Julie Della Valle is the leader who makes this happen, and Clark County Environmental Services agrees. The organization will honor Mrs. Della Valle with the “Make Every Day Earth Day” award at a ceremony on April 12.

Della Valle has initiated and managed many activities designed to get students and adults focused on the environment.  Most noteworthy of these are: the Eco Officers Club, a school-wide Earth Day celebration, and the accomplishment of being a Level II Washington Green School.

Having the Eco Officers club ensures the school’s green efforts start with kids.  Mrs. Della Valle hosts weekly meetings and guides students in their efforts to reduce Grass Valley’s trash output and maximize recycling potential.  The kids assess each classroom’s effectiveness in recycling through trash audits and award them for their efforts.  Eco Officers teach their peers how to decrease trash production and increase their recycling and reusing habits.

“What we have found is that the adults in our building and parents at home are learning right along with the kids,” commented Grass Valley Principal Patricia Erdmann.

 

Earth Day
Julia Della Valle teaches at Grass Valley Elementary in Camas.

 

For the past two years, the Eco Officers have contributed to the Washington Green School Summit.  The efforts of Eco Officers and their leader have spilled over into other Green Team activities, such as the SOS (Save Our Scraps) program in the cafeteria.

A great example of the community coming together in this recycling effort is the Bottle Cap Drive that Della Valle brought to Grass Valley.  In cooperation with a local business, Grass Valley students are collecting thousands of threaded bottle caps that would otherwise end up in landfills.  The Eco Officers spend hours collecting and sorting the bottle caps (which are recyclable, but need to be separated from the plastic bottles) to help with this effort. Once again, the grownups in these children’s lives have become caught up in the tide of this effort and are eagerly participating.

For the past seven years, Julie Della Valle has organized an annual, school-wide Earth Day celebration.  She involves every single student and staff member in the celebration along with many parents.  Each year students design and make their own Earth Day flag to decorate the school.  They also host a school-wide garden cleanup to help recognize the day and to beautify the school grounds.  Additionally, Della Valle created a walking field guide for nearby wetlands and park areas identifying many local species students can find along the way. Many classes have taken advantage of this resource to explore the native plants and animals in the area around the school.  This opportunity is something that all Grass Valley zebras look forward to every year.

Beyond Earth Day, Mrs. Della Valle maintains native perennial plantings in the school garden and composts in her classroom.

In 2012, Mrs. Della Valle led the way for Grass Valley Elementary to achieve Level II Washington Green School status.  Reaching Level II acknowledges that they sustained our goals to reduce trash and recycle, and are now making strides to conserve energy throughout the building.

Students and staff members at Grass Valley Elementary are proud of their accomplishments in conservation and stewardship of the local environment and recognize that Julie Della Valle has been the catalyst in these efforts. Her commitment to the environment and the passion for sharing her knowledge empower the children to ensure a green future. Thanks to her determination and enthusiasm the entire Grass Valley community is making our world a better place.

Content provided by Camas School District.

 

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Boyd Organizing “Future Papermaker Fitness Camp”

Boyd
Camas Senior Tucker Boyd is organizing
a fun track fitness camp for elementary-aged
kids (K-5).

Camas High School senior Tucker Boyd is excited about a project he’s been working on: the Future Papermaker Fitness Camp, to be held from April 1-April 5 at Helen Baller Elementary School.

For Boyd, this is his Senior Project, which is something all CHS seniors are required to do for graduation. But it’s more than that.
Boyd has had a successful track career at CHS and dominates most meets in the 800m and 1600m runs. He’s made a name for himself, to be sure.
So he thought it would be a good idea to teach young kids about a sport that he thoroughly enjoys.

He designed a fitness camp for elementary-aged youth wherein they’ll learn the fundamentals of track.

“The events will be spread across several days,” Boyd said. “They’ll learn a lot about running, as well as safety and nutrition.”

Boyd is coordinating the effort and has recruited volunteers to assist in the camp.
“We’ll start off with a daily warm-up routine,” Boyd said. “We’ll help with techniques and teach them the proper fundamentals. It’ll be fun.”
The camp will train on the following:
  • 100m
  • 200m
  • Softball throw
  • Standing long jump
  • 800m
 At the end of the camp, the participants will receive certificates of completion, as well as ribbons for placement in each event.
The cost of the camp is $25 and it runs from April 1-April 5 from 1-3 pm at Helen Baller Elementary. The program is for K-5 students.

To sign up for the event, fill out the attached registration form and send it in. For questions, refer to the email on the form.

The proceeds from the camp will be turned over to the CHS Track and Field program to help with increasing transportation costs.

“Camas Track and Field has grown in popularity,” Boyd said. “So our transportation costs to away meets has gone up. This money will help with that.”
Boyd presented his plan to the Senior Project Board and it was approved in early December. He’s recruited people to help market the camp and is looking forward to running the event.

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Rep. Herrera Introduces House Bill to Transfer Pearson Air Museum Property to Vancouver City

Jaime HerreraOn Thursday, U.S. Representative (WA-3) Jaime Herrera Beutler introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would transfer Pearson Air Museum and the surrounding seven acres of land from National Park Service control to the City of Vancouver.  The bill would allow the City of Vancouver to restore its partnership with the Ft. Vancouver National Trust, and once again make Pearson Air Museum fully accessible and open to the local community.

“For years, Fort Vancouver was the shining example of a local community benefitting from a successful public-private management,” said Herrera Beutler.  “Forcing this change through congressional action was not my first choice.  I am still hopeful that the National Park Service will work out a solution with the City and the Trust, and I will continue to do whatever I can to facilitate a compromise.  However, if compromise fails, the Park Service needs to know a legislative fix is moving forward.”

The bill uses a “land conveyance” procedure to permanently transfer control of seven acres of land recognized as the Pearson Air Museum Complex from the National Park Service to the City of Vancouver.

The Fort Vancouver Trust quickly moved out of museum last week after the two entities failed to reach an operating agreement.

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