Here’s a thought…
“What are we doing, and why?”
AMANDA CARPENTER
High winds expected to impact WSF service through Tuesday evening
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| All ferry passengers should be prepared for possible service disruptions through Tuesday evening due to high winds. Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes: With stronger winds in the north, we expect these routes to be most impacted by severe weather. This could
Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee seeks youth & San Juan Island members
Apply by May 1st to help steer climate action in San Juan County ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is accepting applications for volunteer three positions on its Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee. District 1 (San Juan, Stuart, Brown, Henry) - 4-year term Youth Representative (age
Health Care District board to meet
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT BOARD ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, March 25th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. The Board Meeting Public Packet is available below.
The Whale Museum opens registration for the 2026 Virtual Gear Up Workshop
||| FROM TRACIE MERRELL for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum has opened registration for the 2026 Gear Up Workshop! This year’s workshop will take place virtually on Thursday, April 30 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and will prepare participants for the field season ahead. This event is
Existing vacation rentals in Eastsound & Lopez Village need a provisional use permit by June 25
The permit process is open until June 25, 2026, and can be completed through the mail or in person ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| If you operate a vacation rental in Eastsound Village or Lopez Village, it is a requirement to apply for a provisional use permit to
Orca Action Month plans are underway
||| FROM REIN ATTEMANN for ORCA ACTION MONTH ||| It’s that time again! June is Orca Action Month in the Pacific Northwest, and the Orca Salmon Alliance is looking forward to all kinds of activities throughout the region. Orca Action Month (a.k.a Orca Month) is an annual series of events
Letter to Editor | OPALCO board candidate observations
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| OPALCO Board Candidate observations: District 1: Drew Gislason: He comes across as the candidate best equipped to push back on expensive, low-payback solar microgrids if they don't deliver rate relief or reliability gains — while still supporting smart local generation where it makes technical and economic
Guest Opinion | The ClearWater commitment is a framework for institutional integrity
Transparency is the essential mechanism through which governing boards earn the trust of their constituency. ||| FROM THOMAS OWENS ||| Boards that do not operate at the level of transparency expected by their constituency will be continually questioned and challenged resulting in an increasing level of distrust of their goals
Conservation donor fills funding gap on Orcas Island
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Last August, the Land Bank was ecstatic to announce the acquisition of a 23.8-acre waterfront property located on Orcas Island’s East Sound – home to 1,300 feet of undeveloped shoreline, including a 260-foot pocket beach, a small intermittent stream, open fields and forest.
Something strange in the water and it don’t look good…who ya gonna call? MyCoast!
How to report marine debris in San Juan County ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Marine debris like fishing gear, floats, docks, parts of vessels, creosote waste, and microplastics wash up on our islands’ beaches. If it’s on your property, you’ll likely dispose of it responsibly on your own.
Queen Mother | A tribute to the music of Queen coming to Orcas Center
Can anybody find me somebody to love? ||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Experience the genius and spectacle of Queen’s music live and in person, the way it was meant to be, with Seattle-based tribute band Queen Mother on Orcas Center’s main stage on Friday, April 3
The Ramba Effect, FHFF’s best tales from the heart, screens free March 27
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Series continues with another powerful, audience-chosen documentary, The Ramba Effect, that will be shown Friday, March 27 at 7 PM at the San Juan Island Library and Lopez Center
Frolic in Daffodils at Sculpture Park
||| FROM MARITA HOLDAWAY for SAN JUAN ISLANDS SCULPTURE PARK ||| Spring is arriving, and it’s time to get outside and San Juan Islands Sculpture Park is the perfect place to start. This year, we are celebrating our 25th Anniversary Mid-March to Mid-April with our Daffodil Frolic. David Jenkins, the
Story Night is back at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center, in collaboration with Phil Klein, is presenting its second Story Night, an evening of sharing true stories among friends. All are welcome on Wednesday, April 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Madrona Room. The theme of this event
Eastsound Water cited for repeated safety violations
Total penalties exceed $24,000 ||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| Eastsound Water Users Association has received multiple safety and health citations from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) following workplace inspections conducted in 2025 and early 2026. The most recent inspection (March 2026) resulted in several violations—many classified
Letter to Editor | Tightening our belts, for real
The conflict has triggered the largest supply disruption in the history of the global oil market. — International Energy Agency (IEA), March 20, 2026 ||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| In my previous op-ed on "tightening our belts", I wrote about the need to prepare for harder times; to “tighten our
