The first sector meeting was a great success, despite the weather.  Twenty folks braved the rain and enjoyed the new Coho preserve hike yesterday afternoon.  We then trekked to Coleen’s house to enjoy her roaring fire and learn more about the efforts of the Land Bank, the San Juan Preservation Trust and the Seadoc Society.  It was a great discussion and really interesting to hear how the organizations intersect and support each other in their efforts to preserve and enhance the environment.  I am looking forward to future sector gatherings and hopefully our next will be on a sunny day!

This morning OICF hosted a meeting on Mental Health services in our schools, Community Resource Center and Senior Center.  We wanted to learn more about what is currently available, what a good baseline would be and where gaps exist.  County Health Manager Mark Thompkins and Council member Rick Hughes attended.  The growing needs on Orcas are in step with county wide trends.

The county relies on the Health and Human Services Advisory Board to set priorities for services County wide. Our local representatives are Carolyn Fiscus, Bonnie Burg, and Catherine Ellis.  Art Lange is likely going to join as well. Clearly, having strong and knowledgeable advocates on this board is important to maintaining good services for our community.  Meetings are held monthly on San Juan Island. I have attached an overview on the 1/10th Mental Health sales tax for those of you who would like to learn more.