New neighbors may be moving into our houseboat community, but you wouldn't want to invite them to dinner. The newcomers are nutria, which look like "the biggest rat you'll ever see," according to Charles Easterberg of the UW's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Sciences.

There are a lot more options for adding winter interest to your pots than the standard pansies and ornamental kale and cabbage.

Pansies are still the best to plant over tulips and narcissus as the bulbs can easily grow up through the roots.  There are lots of colors and types including some very nice, small-flowered violas.  The breeders come out with new ones every year.  Cabbage and kale will look good through late winter, but will begin to "bolt" as the light increases. 

Meeting 4

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
6:00-9:00 p.m. with "Meet and Greet" from 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Inventory and Characterization Results,
Environmental Designations and Residential Shorelines

Notes:

DPD Planner Maggie Glowacki's presentation of the attached Summary of Code Changes drew particular interest from floating homes residents attending this SMP Revision Citizen's Advisory Committee meeting.  One of her bullet points was an outright prohibition of floating homes.

An enthusiastic membership attended the 2008 FHA Annual Meeting held on April 22 in the South Lake Union Armory. There was a festive atmosphere during the pre-meeting social hour as members shopped at the Houseboatique, chatted with dock friends, mingled with the scheduled speakers and FHA board members and met neighbors new to houseboat life.

The Lake Union/Portage Bay Sweep was once again a great success. Overall, the Sweep had about 250 participants, including boaters, shore volunteers and event support. About 2.1 tons (4360 lbs) of trash was recovered.

Exotic imported nutria - large rodents brought to Washington State from South America for their pelts in the 1930's - are back with a vengeance.

The Lake Union Trail Citizen Advisory Group began meeting in May and includes representatives from, among others, The Floating Homes Association, the Center for Wooden Boats, Seattle Bike Advisory Board, Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board, Lake Union Dry Dock, and the Eastlake Community Council. The main goal of the first meeting was to create guiding principles for the Lake Union Trail Project. Led by project manager, Terry Reckord of MacLeod Reckord, meeting attendees created the following five point list of guiding principles: