Front Page

Call for Artists for Summer Studio Tour

https://guemesisandart.org/call-for-artists

Ferry Rate Proposal

To help people follow the discussion, GICCA is providing access to as much public information as we can about the County’s deliberations regarding changes in ferry rates.  You can submit comments to ferrycomments@co.skagit.wa.us.

Consultant “slide deck” for presentation to Commissioners

Proposed Rate Structure

February 28 Public Hearing recording

Skagit County website on the 2023 ferry fare proposal

Skagit County adopted 2022 and proposed 2023 budgets (scroll down to find Public Works)

Please come to one of the April work parties to remove weeds, spread mulch and add new plants to the Community Stage or the Hall.

• Sunday afternoon, April 2 from 1:00 to 4:00 - Community Stage
• Saturday morning, April 8 from 10:00 to 1:00 - Community Stage
• Sunday afternoon, April 30 from 1:00 to 4:00 - Community Center Hall

Socialize with friends while weeding and trimming. Weekday small group sessions available upon request.

There is a need for sword ferns at both the hall and stage. Dig a few, drop in a plastic bag, and leave at the stage gate or behind the pumphouse at the hall.

Stay in touch at GICCAVolunteer@gmail.com

Upcoming GICCA business meetings are posted here. Details including agendas will be posted as links for each meeting as they are available.

• April 27th (Thursday) 7:00 PM at the Community Hall

ARTICLE III (Membership) Proposed Changes

GICCA is reviewing and updating its bylaws throughout 2023.  One or more sections of the bylaws will be reviewed at each business meeting, and the proposed changes will be posted four weeks in advance on this website, as required by the current bylaws.  For more information on the proposed bylaws revisions to be discussed in each upcoming meeting and those adopted in the previous meetings, click Here.

Saturday, April 8, at 1:00 PM between the Community Hall and the Church. The cold weather has delayed the emergence of many of the edible plants available for foraging so the walk had been moved from April 1 to April 8. Karen Lamphere, MS, Certified Nutritionist will be leading a foraging walk around the Labyrinth and grounds around the Community Hall. Learn how to identify edible and medicinal plants found here on Guemes. Recipes will be provided for the edible plants found.

Space is limited to 15 people. The signup deadline is April 3rd.  Reserve your spot by sending your name and contact information to karenlamphere@gmail.com. $10 per person.

 This year the annual Guemes Island Clean Up falls on the actual Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Islanders come together to clear our roadways and beaches of trash and debris. Winter storms have planted a great deal of unwanted items in the beach wrack lines.

Meet at the GICCA Pavilion at Schoolhouse Park at 1PM to select a beach or roadway and avail yourself of tongs and trash bags provided by Skagit County Public Works. Return found trash and debris to the park by 3 PM. Truck support will be available. Alternately, you are invited to clean your own beach or roadway and bring the collected trash to the park for disposal by Skagit Public Works. Please no household trash.

"If your nerd for bird is keen on crows," don't miss Dr. Kaeli Swift's fascinating presentation on corvids on Saturday, April 29 at 1:30 PM at the Guemes Island Community Hall.

Kaeli will share the science behind one of the world's more charismatic and influential groups of birds. Crows and ravens have appeared in historical texts and creation stories of cultures around the world. Some species thrive in human dominated environments and appear to exhibit some human traits. They play, problem solve, bond with their families, and sometimes cause mischief.

As a graduate student at the University of Washington, Kaeli studied crow "funerals" and revealed the crow's ability to recognize human faces. If you cross a crow then watch your back because they may remember you.

Dr. Swift is requesting that all attendees please wear a mask. This enables her to speak without a mask to be heard more clearly.

$10 at the door and 18 and under are free.

Generosity runs deep in our community; we have come together over this past year to support each other in so many ways.  The GICCA Board of Directors thanks you for your generous support.

GICCA is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization. We appreciate your financial support. You can find out about ways to donate here.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors – GUEMES CONNECTS Needs You

A "community" is defined as a group of people living in the same place. There is also a more internal definition. A community is a group of people that takes care of each other. As Guemes Islanders, we are geographically connected but when we feel we are part of something bigger than ourselves, we truly function as a community.

For many years, GUEMES CONNECTS has brought neighbors together to help neighbors. Their mission is to foster a network of support for the Guemes Island community. This group of dedicated volunteers is committed to meeting the needs of anyone requesting assistance, regardless of age, illness, disability, race, or religion. Now CONNECTS needs new volunteers as several of the founders are retiring.

 GICCA owns and manages the Community Hall (7549 Guemes Island Road) as well as the Murray Read Pavilion and the Community Stage in Schoolhouse Park.  The Community Hall can be rented for private events and is available for public events.  Please Click Here for information on private event rentals and contact 4gicca@gmail.com about any reservations.  The Murray Read Pavilion is available for picnicking without a reservation or for private events by reservation (email 4gicca@gmail.com).  We are in the process of developing processes for reserving the Community Stage for private and public events, but it is available anytime for drop-in events (with no amplification) with 30 or fewer people during Schoolhouse Park hours.

The health of the Guemes Island community continues to be a top priority for GICCA as we offer venues for public gatherings. We appreciate that there are varied views on this important topic, and we remain attentive to changes from Skagit County, the State, and the CDC.  GICCA no longer requires that masks be worn for events held inside the Community Hall, but we strongly recommend them because of the possibility of spreading COVID-19 before becoming symptomatic.

GICCA's Social Connections page has a number of interesting virtual learning links to podcasts and videos covering a variety of topics from travel destinations to humor, music, nature, and more.

We need your help NOW to update your directory listings on this website, myguemes.org. Islanders can easily add, delete, or update their listings (both residential and business). GICCA is committed to producing a new printed directory this year, but we can't do it without you. Please take a moment to review your listing(s) and add or edit, if needed.

To add your listing(s):

Pull down the Guemes Directory & Map tab in the menu bar at the top of this home page.

Select Directory Signup, then Residential Signup or Business Signup.

Complete your information and click Send.

To edit or delete existing listings:

Pull down the Guemes Directory & Map tab in the menu bar at the top of this home page.

Select Link Request (listing edit/opt out), then Link Request Residential Listing or Link Request Business Listing.

Complete the information and click Send or Submit.

The Help You Want

The Resources You Need

CERT - Community Emergency Response Team

• CERT Neighborhood Sectors & Volunteer List
• CERT Description
• CERT Household Preparedness
• CERT Neighborhood Procedures
• CERT Questionnaire
• Search & Rescue Sign

Emergency Preparedness - 'do1thing'

Earthquake Early-Warning Notifications

GICCA Facilities & Forms

• Schedule GICCA Facilities
• Hall Rental Agreement
• Hall Amenities
• Volunteer Waiver (Stage)

Guemes Island Art (GIA) Initiative

Guemes Island Ferry Committee (GIFC)

Guemes Island Fire Department (GIFD)

Guemes Island Library (GIL)

Guemes Island Planning Advisory Committee (GIPAC)

What's Up, Guemes? (FB)

Guemes Island General Store (FB)

Guemes Tide and Evening Star Archives

Ferry Notifications (Unplanned outages, etc)

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