Whidbey, Camano couples work
To shape their island dreams
Wings spread wide, a large raptor glides silently past as we stand at the rim of the bluff. “That’s an immature bald eagle,” says a grinning Bruce Russell.
This is how I opened a story about Shore Stewards published in 2008 in the Whidbey News-Times, South Whidbey Record and Stanwood-Camano News. I localized it for newspapers serving both Whidbey and Camano islands by interviewing couples from both. The feature explained why more than 500 people on the two islands have joined a stewardship program called Shore Stewards to better care for their shoreline properties.
The opening words of any story are crucial. I paint word pictures.
The Great-horned Owl on Craig Johnson’s easel is not just any owl. It is Teddy. Great-horned Owls maintain territories where they hunt rats, mice, voles and other small game. Johnson and his wife, Joy, named this one Teddy and came to recognize their old friend on frequent wildlife outings to Fort Casey.
David Dicks needed only three words to sum up two days. “I’m blown away.”
It wasn’t one thing but many. Stinking algae blooms. Fewer marine birds. No gray whales. Contaminated shellfish. And then the capper. “My son went snorkeling and found no eelgrass – just sandy bottom and three dead kelp crab...”
Bring together two guys from Florida, a woman from San Diego, a borrowed car, somebody’s guest room, a pile of Frequent Flyer miles and about $14,000 cash. What do you get?
