Western Front - 2002 May 17

              Fore!
Sophomore golfer advances
to national championship.
See Story, Page 8.
The clones are here
Find out if "Episode IF of the Star
Wars saga was worth the wait.
See Story, Page 7.
Western Washington University Volume 121 Issue 13 Bellingham, Washington
Gas contaminates water; homes evacuated
By Bobbie Egan
and Mike Baab
THE WESTERN FRONT
A tanker spilled 2,000 gallons
of gas in Ferndale on Thursday
morning, contaminating drink­ing
water and forcing the city to
evacuate 500 residents from
their homes.
Mike Sibley, the federal on-scene
coordinator for the
Environmental Protection
Agency, said some of the-gas,
seeped into Deer Creek. ','<{• •
The creek eventually leads to
the Nooksack River, Ferndale's
primary water source, Sibley said.
Mayor pro tern Melvin
Hanson said if the city conserves
water it can stretch its reserves
for seyeral days.
Between 100 and 150 families
were evacuated from their
homes near the creek, said
Randy Scott, the director of
Disaster Services.
By 5 p.m., a majority of the.
families were allowed to return
. . . . • See SPILL, Page 5 .
Evan Parker/The Western Front
Hazardous Materials team member Shane Wefer, in mirror, waits out the clean tip effort
Thursday evening on Axton Road in Ferndale after an overturned truck leaked gasoline
intoDeerCreek a n d f^
Faculty, staff
vote to reject
restructuring
proposal
By B r a n d o n Ivey
THE WESTERN FRONT
If Western's faculty has its
way the College of Fine and
Performing Arts will remain
unchanged for now; however the
issuels open for future debate.
The Faculty Senate and its
two committees, the Academic
Coordinating Commission and
the University Planning
Council, voted against the
provost's proposal for restruc­turing
the college organization.
The proposal called for the
creation of two colleges, a
College of Arts, Social Sciences
and Humanities-arid a College
of Science and Technology. The
two colleges would divide the
College of Arts and Sciences and
. See COLLEGE* Page 4
Happy Valley residents upset about sale of old fire station
By Juli Robinson Christman said. really took their job seriously
THE WESTERN FRONT ^ot e v e r v resident agrees and wanted to represent the
with the council's decision, public," she said. "They certain-
Many residents in Happy including Happy Valley resident ly did not act logically according
Valley are outraged after the Marc Pierson. He said 104 to their own process."
Bellingham City Council decided neighborhood residents signed a The fire department put the
to sell the old fire station in petition last February to keep old station up for sale last year ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hs^^^^^^^^^m-r^ w •M:«sa
Fairhaven to a local resident who the fire station under residential to offset $175,000 needed to pay
wants to turn it into a business. ownership. for a new fire station. - ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H R ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ H H ^ f !
The council finalized the deci- "Where's it going to stop?" he The City Council staff gath- ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ • K ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ B H ^aJJ
sion May 8. Their final vote was said. "The building is on our ered bids for the building! After
5-2 in favor of Matt Christman property line. We wouldn't have reviewing the proposals, they
who plans to turn the station built here if we thought (it) recommended local artist Steve
into a community-oriented fine would become a business." Clark, who planned to make the ,
and performing arts center. Ann Haffner, another unhap- building a residence, but the
Christman said the building py resident, said the decision council overrode the decision.
will also provide space for com- does not comply with the neigh- "I think the trouble with these
munity groups such as nonprofit borhood's 20-year plan. things is you have to choose," said
organizations to have their She said the last time the plan City Councilman Grant Deger, • _t , . _. ,_. :.,. , „
.. •• ji.i_ -J. J J i_ i. J • c j ni • , Stephanie Kosonen/ The Western Front
meetings. was revised the community decid- who voted m favor or Christman. . ... .r . . . .
"It's really neat that the per- ed they did not want any com- "And that was our lot. We have to T n e o l d f , r e Station on Harris Street in Fairhaven awaits its
forming arts will have a home mercial buildings in the area. look at the biggest picture and do controversial transformation. New owner Matt Christman
in a more visible way," "I always felt the City Council See FIREHOUSE, Page 4 envisions turning it into a fine and performing arts center.
Low prices offer hunters incentive to purchase toxic lead ammunition
By Bobbie Egan enough, I knew more would die Washington or state regulated Mike Davison, wildlife biologist Tm guessing I give out 12 to
THE WESTERN FRONT this v e a r» an(* the number will farms. with WSDFW, said the lead pel- 20 citations to hunters who use
increase until we find the source "There are areas where water- lets found in the bird gizzards lead shot in Whatcom County
Researchers predict hun- of the shot." fowl and upland bird areas over- cannot be dated. each year," Reed said,
dreds more trumpeter swans State and federal laws prohib- lap, and lead shot is banned "It would be difficult to date Bill Hebner, chief enforcement
will likely die this winter from it lead shot use in waterfowl there as well," Mikitik said. the pellets because bile wears captain for Fish and Wildlife,
lead poisoning. hunting areas. The mystery of where the down the lead," Davison said. said he does not have a number
In the last three years, 434 Mick Mikitik, hunter educa- swans are picking up lead shot Tom Reed, a wildlife biologist of the total lead shot citations
swans have died of lead poison- tion coordinator for the remains unsolved. Biologists with WSDFW, has managed given each year. However, he
ing by ingesting now-illegal lead Washington State Department suspect the majority of swans 5,000 acres of state and federal said hunters still violate laws
shotgun pellets that linger in of Fish and Wildlife, said lead pick up lead pellets in corn fields land in Ferndale and Lummi and use lead shot,
northern Whatcom County use is illegal everywhere except that are either leased for bird Island since 1973. Though not a It is not illegal to use lead
fields and lakes. for upland bird hunting, target hunting or have had a history of game warden, Reed said his job shot, and it is sold at every
"Last year, 92 percent of the shooting, and skeet shooting, hunting. The concern is whether •'. gives him law enforcement sporting goods store in Whatcom
swans we examined died of lead Upland game consists of pheas- the lead shot pre-dates the 1986 authority to cite hunters not County. The cost is oftentimes
poisoning," avian veterinarian ant, chukar and quail and is typ- ban or if the shot is being used . complying with state and feder- half that of steel shot — the
Laurie Degernes said. "Sadly ically found in Eastern illegally. allawsv • . S e SWANS P 4
For news tips, call (360) 650-3162 or e-mail The Western Front at wfront@cc.wwu.edu www.westernfrontonline.coni Please recycle