Volunteers are needed to help with two upcoming invasive plant removal work parties – the first at Walker Preserve Saturday, Feb. 18 and the second at a stream in Burien Monday, Feb. 27.

Donuts, along with gloves and tools, will be provided, and workers are asked to bring:

• Your enthusiasm
• Clothing that will protect you from the rain and blackberry thorns
• Filled water bottle
• Gloves if you have them
• Pruners

Here are the specific details:

WHAT: Walker Preserve Invasive Plant Removal

WHEN Saturday, February 18, 2012, 9:30 a.m. – Noon

WHERE: SW 168th Street and 2nd Ave SW in Normandy Park, up the road from Normandy Park City Hall.  If driving, your parking options include:

• Three spaces in the small lot at SW 171st St. and Second Ave. S.W.
• On the street along SW. 168th St.

INFO: Stewardship Purpose: Improve habitat along the stream by removing non-native, invasive plants.

Activities:

• Seek out English ivy and remove it from trees and pull roots out of the ground.
• Seek out Himalayan blackberry plants, cut them back, and then dig out the root balls.

RSVP:  See below for what to bring and how to sign up.

The second event:

WHAT: Streamside Invasive Plant Removal in Burien.

WHEN: Monday, February 27, 9:00 am – 11:30 a.m.

INFO: Neighbors will meet at SW 158th Street near 7th Ave SW to remove ivy from trees along the stream.  This stream is a tributary to Miller Creek, which supports spawning coho and chum salmon. Please park along the street.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  There are no restrooms at either site.

CONTACT/INFO: Elissa Ostergaard, elissa.ostergaard@kingcounty.gov, 206-296-1909 (Day of event only: 206-707-6549)

Also, check the Volunteer Event Calendar for other stewardship opportunities in the basin.

These stewardship projects are a joint effort of the City of Normandy Park, the City of Burien, the City of Seatac, King County, the Port of Seattle, and the Miller and Walker Creeks Stewardship program.

ESC Kids' Art Contest winner Anne Wilhite with Burien City Councilmember Joan McGilton.

The Environmental Science Center (ESC) on Thursday (Feb. 9) announced the winners of the Earth Day Kids’ Art Contest:

Congratulations go out to Anne Wilhite of Mr. Matthews’ 4th grade class at Marvista Elementary for winning the Grand Prize:

Ngan Nguyen of Ms. Miller’s 6th grade class at Cedarhurst Elementary also won as a Finalist:

Payton May of Mrs. Barker’s class, also Marvista Elementary, was selected as a Finalist:

A total of 103 pieces of artwork were submitted from eight schools and programs in the areas served by ESC. Students were asked to submit work that inspired others to take care of the earth. The work was judged by three jury members, two from the Burien Arts Commission. Judging criteria included artistic merit, creativity, and originality. Ms. Wilhite’s art expressed what the world could look like if we all do our part to protect the environment. Ms. May’s more literal artwork reminds the viewers to THINK of important actions, such as commuting and composting, that will provide a greener place for us all. Ms. Nguyen’s art inspires people of all backgrounds and ethnicities to take part in protecting the world.

To give special recognition to the Grand Prize winner, the former Mayor of Burien, Joan McGilton presented the award to Anne in front of her class. After the ceremony, students eagerly waited to have a chance to talk with the former Mayor and to shake her hand. ESC sincerely thanks McGilton for her continued support of ESC and our local schools. ESC along with its supporters is proud to continue inspiring each of these three young artists with an artist’s tote containing:

• Artist & Craftsman Donation- heart-shaped craft box, craft tissue paper, craft glue, and set of paintbrushes
• Utrecht Art Supplies Donation- artist’s sketchbook, set of pencils, and eraser
• Beading kit
• Sculpting sticks

Anne Wilhite’s will be featured on the invitations to ESC’s Annual Earth Day Dinner & Auction as well as on ESC’s website. Additionally, the Grand Prize included a one-year membership for a family of five to the Seattle Aquarium. One Finalist received a Family Fun Pack to the Woodland Park Zoo and the other received admission for four to the Seattle Bug Safari and admission for two to the Pacific Science Center and IMAX theater. All participants were recognized for their submissions with a certificate of participation. Thank you to all the students and teachers who submitted these wonderful works of art. We look forward to seeing more next year!

For more information about the Environmental Science Center visit www.envsciencecenter.org.

Washington’s only Reptile Man will slither into Des Moines on Saturday, Feb. 18, for a show at the Des Moines Activity Center.

The Reptile Man, aka Scott Petersen, has performed for more than 800 schools in the Northwest. Corporations such as Microsoft, Boeing, and Eddie Bauer have found this program to be exciting for all ages. He has been seen on Bill Nye The Science Guy, Evening Magazine, Northwest Afternoon, Town Meeting, Q13 Kids Club, and Watch This.

Scott is fully insured and has teaching credentials. He has a teachers State Patrol Certification on file with the State Superintendent of Public Education. This program will create an interest in the natural sciences and teach students about the importance of all animals in the balance of nature.

The program starts at 10:30 a.m. The Des Moines Activity Center is at 2045 S. 216th St., Des Moines.

Tickets are $3 in advance and $5 at the door, or $10 and $15 for families.

Advance tickets are available through the Des Moines Parks & Recreation Department at 206-870-6527.

For more information on The Reptile Man, visit www.reptileman.com/home.html.

Upcoming shows include:

• Harmonica Pocket Get Loose with Seuss, March 17, also at 10:30 a.m.

For more information on the Des Moines Arts Commission, visit www.desmoinesartscommission.com.

Here are some videos of the Reptile Man in action:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A big milestone was reached injecting the grout into the tendons of the bridge spans of the new Sylvester Road Bridge construction.

Next, the “end diaphrams” will be framed and poured, then curbs, railing and approaches.

We’re getting there!

Completion date estimates are coming into view, maybe the end of February to the beginning of March.

The attention to detail is impressive and problem solving has been incredible – these guys are really good.

Here are some pics – click images to see larger versions:

(Upper Left) Casey Wagner (KC) foreground and Sam Bellah of King County monitor the grout mixing process by employees from ReBar International (RBI) Tony Raybell, Brandon Chevalier and Brian Benton. 440 fifty pound bags of Sika Grout (“powdered rock”) are used to make a “special sauce” that fills the 16 bridge span tendons sealing the suspension cables adding tremendous strength to the bridge spans.

(Upper right) Sam Bellah, Field Engineer for King County makes notes and records the details.

(Lower left) Brian Benton of (RBI) tests the flow of the mixture before the hose is attached to the tendons input valves. 100 pounds of pressure pushes the mixture through and (lower right) closes the valve at the far end when the mixture comes through.

(Upper left) Tony Raybell adds just the right amount of water to the mixing vat as Brandon Chevalier brings the 50 pound bags to the mixer.

(Upper right) Tony Raybell (RBI) loads the mixer.

(Lower Left & right) Casey Wagner, Quality Control Engineer for King County takes frequent samples of the mixture testing temperature and makes several grout cubes for testing. Two days later the cubes are break compression tested for strength. Typically 5,000 pounds is reached in 2 days and 26,000 pounds in 7 days.

Here are some other photos sent to us Feb. 4, courtesy Ron Laiminger, who adds “They have a cable all tensioned and are getting ready to pour the sidewalk and guard rails” (click images to see larger versions):

Click image to see larger version.

BTB Advertiser Highline Athletic Club & The BNI B-Town Business Builders Health & Wellness Power Team will be holding their second annual “Health & Wellness Fair” at HAC on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

This fair is FREE and open to the public so mark your calendar, invite a friend and be sure not to miss this exciting event.

Here’s more from our friends at HAC:

Dona Forrester, General Manager of Highline Athletic Club shared that her BNI “Health & Wellness” Power Team partners started this event last year to bring awareness to our community on the many different forms of health care. This is a collaborated effort and will bring you the best of the best from our community. Attendees will be able to talk to vendors; learn from each treatment professional what is unique about their service as well as share their passion for their industry.

The BNI – Business Builders Power Team bringing you this event consists of: Dona Forrester, Highline Athletic Club; Susan Parko, Rodan and Fields Dermatologists; Bryn Karlberg, Licensed Massage Practitioner; Dr. Kyle Beffa, Beffa Dental; Dr. Spencer Wade, Collins Chiropractic; and Patricia Eslava Vessey, Integrity Coaching & Training Systems.

In the Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, West Seattle areas we are quite fortunate to have many forms of health and wellness services available to us, including Highline Athletic Club. The health and wellness fair will also have dentists, Licensed Massage Practitioners; Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Family doctors, Mental-health providers, Nutritional advisors, skin care consultants, healthy eating options & much more. Our current list of vendors include: Vitality Chiropractic; Lake Burien Physical Therapy; SHIBA/Senior Services; Highline Therapy Services; Flourish Acupuncture & Wellness; Moss Chiropractic; Roxbury Spine & Wellness Clinic; Integrity Coaching & Training Systems; Eating Well: Living Well; Face to Face Euro Spa & Healing Hands Massage; Beffa Dental; Bryn Karlberg Massage; Rodan & Fields Dermatology; Collins Chiropractic; Triton Team Nutrition; Xocai Healthy Chocolate; Normandy Park Senior Living; Ren; Skin Secret; Human Being More; Somantic Education – Feldenkrais; Freggies Organic Produce; Change Front; Seahurst Chiropractic & Wellness Center; Synergy Home Care; Town Square Dentistry; One Earth Natural Medicine Clinic; Karuna Arts Yoga Studio & the Tag Zone.

Each person attending this Health & Wellness Fair will be eligible to win a variety of great prizes donated by the vendors that you will not want to miss out on!

The demographics of our community cover a wide age range and we’ve taken this into consideration when planning our vendor list. We have provided a list of vendors, however we continue to add more as we approach our event and a current list will be posted on our Face Book page which is available if you search for Highline Athletic Club Health & Wellness Fair.

Please plan to join us – it is an event you won’t want to miss. Saturday, February 25th, 2012 from 10am-3pm. Mark your calendars!

Highline Athletic Club is located at 125 South 156th Street, Burien, WA 98148; 206-246-9000; www.highlineathleticclub.com.

Brian Aston

by Mark Neuman

We spoke recently with our friend Brian Aston. Readers may recall that Brian is the young man who quite suddenly lost almost all of his vision about eight years ago at the age of 20 (read our previous coverage here).

The reason: A genetic disease called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON).

The Highline High School graduate recalled the day his sight began to go away, eight years ago.

“I was at a memorial golf tournament in memory of my father who had passed three years earlier. I was on the 18th hole. I drove the ball down the fairway, got in the cart and drove to my ball,” Brian said.

“When I reached my ball I then looked for the pin or flag to take my next shot and I could not find the flag. I was with my Stepdad and we were basically arguing back and forth about where the flag was and we eventually walked to where he said the flag was and suddenly about fifteen feet away from the flag it appeared right in front of me.

“Just like that, in a matter of moments, my left eye was almost completely blacked out.”

Sight in his right eye deteriorated months later.

Brian is, however, experiencing recent improvement in his eyesight.

“I’ve been taking a vitamin called Idebenone, and in the last six months I have improved my vision tremendously. I’m sitting in the same spot at home I was sitting in when I did my KING-5 interview (last spring) and I can now see the blue lights on my cable box.

“I can’t read the numbers from this far back, but instead of just a big black blurry blob I see the cable box, I see our stereo system, I see the subwoofer behind it all.

“Six months ago I would not have been able to work with the ease and normalcy that I’m working (with) now.

“In the eight years since I’ve lost my vision I’ve only held a normal job for about six months” Brian said. “I now see way well enough to take the bus to work every day.

“I take the bus from where I live in the Kent Valley to the Southcenter area where I work at a call center. When I started just a little over a month ago, my nose was almost touching the (computer) monitor so that I could read people’s names when a call comes up.

“Now I’m over a foot away,” Brian told us. “My detailed reading sight has improved greatly.”

Brian started wearing glasses about three weeks ago. He’s been involved in a genetic therapy study for almost a year now.

He and many others with LHON could use our help.

“The National Eye Institute is where the funding for our study comes from. We need to raise about $60,000 as soon as possible. An outside consultant needs to be hired to finish the paperwork that will be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”

Rules prevent anybody directly involved with the study from writing the paperwork, which could amount to a thousand pages in length.

“So we have to hire a writer at a cost of a hundred grand,” Brian said.

“We need about $60,000. We need that money as soon as possible, so that we can get this guy hired and get the paperwork written and submitted to the FDA.”

The goal is to have the FDA come back with approval to begin human trials in the beginning of 2013.

For more information, go to Brian’s website:

www.TheGeneticHouse.com

Click on “Fundraising” to learn how to donate (direct link here).

• Arbor Lake Park, 12380 2nd Ave South, volunteers will be working 9 am-Noon to spread mulch chips around the native planting added late last year along the North side of the lake.  No restroom facilities!
• Shorewood Park, 28th Ave SW & SW 119th Street , volunteers will be working 10am-Noon to remove those English ivy shoots and continue pushing the big stands out of the park.  Also, we have had lots of branches fall – great mulch except those that are covering our new native plantings, so we can artistically replace those, and add a few  baby native conifer trees.  No restroom facilities!

Coming up in March:

• Salmon Creek Ravine on Saturday, March 10th,  volunteers will be working 10 am- 2 pm (unless we finish earlier)  planting 150 new bare root plants and mulching around the newly added plants.

For more information, contact Lisa Aumann at the City of Burien: (206) 988-3700 or lisaa@burienwa.gov.

This work will affect the inside southbound and center lanes between SW 146th to SW 140th Street.

Here’s more from the city:

Construction times will be between 8 a.m. to 3 p.m Monday through Friday. During this time, travel lanes will be restricted with intermittent closures where heavy equipment is in operation. Left turns will be limited and may require detouring to the next signalized intersection or as directed by construction signage. Businesses especially on the west side of 1st Avenue South should expect limited access at times with intermittent driveway closures.

Steel plates will be used and drivers are cautioned to drive slower on these plates. Caution signs will be in place to inform drivers especially motorcyclists.

All lanes will be open to traffic outside of the construction time. Again, please expect steel plates to be in one of those lanes and use caution when driving over them.

• SR-509 northbound and southbound lanes at SR 518 bridge.
• SR-518 eastbound and westbound lanes at 24th Ave. S., S. 154th St., and SR 518 bridge at milepost 2.26.

The recent snow and ice days set the completion date back a bit but progress is being made – click images to see larger versions:

Sub-contractors from RBI, Rebar International, Brandon Chevalier (topside) and Brian Benton lift and position the DYWIDAG (Dew EE Dag) hydraulic ram into place to tension the bridge span cables.

There are four spans with four tendons (tubes) in each, with 22 cables running 230 feet in length. Each girder has 3,850,000 pounds of lift.

The ram stretches each bundle of 22 cables about 15 inches with 5,000 pounds of pull. A Guide plate pushes each 3-part cable seating wedge into place anchoring the cable securely against the girder face.

Each face has an injection port for grout which protects and strengthens the cables. As the cables are tensioned the bridge should arch slightly upward so the “false work” metal support structures can be removed.

Concurrently, bridge rail and curb forms are being constructed.