Here’s a thought…
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”
THOMAS PYNCHON
Letter to Editor | The crisis at Eastsound Water Users Association
||| FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS LISTED BELOW ||| If you are one of the 70% of Orcas Island residents who receives water from Eastsound, Doe Bay, Rosario, and Olga water users associations, you depend on the experienced water system operators of the Eastsound Water User Association (EWUA) who operate all of
Encounter #30 • Bigg’s T23s in Haro Strait
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 11:37 AM ObservEnd: 01:48 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T23, T23D, T23D3, T23D4, T23D5, and T23D6 LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: Michael and Dave were working in the office when they
Celebrate Student Artists | Exhibit at Orcas Center
||| FROM D.N. KINSEY for ART FOR ORCAS KIDS ||| During the month of May, Art for Orcas Kids celebrates Arts Education Month with the Annual Student Art Exhibit at the Orcas Center. Thank you to all who joined us for the exhibit opening and a special thank you to the VAC volunteers
Rep. Larsen | Child care costs now rival rent or mortgage payments
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Coming off of Mother's Day weekend, I am thinking about how we can better support working families during this affordability crisis. Right now, working families are being pushed to the brink by the rising cost of child care. In communities
OIFR graduates 21 new firefighters – one of the largest in department history
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) held its 2026 Fire Academy Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, May 9th at Station 21 in Eastsound. The ceremony was standing room only, with more than 150 friends and family members in attendance. Families
News Brief | Photographing whales when something you can only see once in a lifetime happens
||| FROM WONDERBOT ANIMALS |||
News Brief | A water doom loop is coming
||| FROM NEW YORK TIMES ||| Ecologists warn that in just 25 years, more than 70 percent of the Southwestern needle leaf evergreen forests, which include ponderosa pines, may be replaced by grass in what might qualify as the first significant post-climate change landscape in America. Lands that are no
Orcas Island Health Care District sponsoring Orcas Island Caregiver Project
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| OIHCD is excited to support the Orcas Island Caregiver Project, a community initiative working to strengthen professional caregivers and connect them with island families. During the collaboration of the Orcas “Out of Clinic Care” workgroup in Summer of 2025, caregiver support was
GiveOrcas | Let’s grow something together
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for GIVEORCAS.COM ||| Today is the day! Since 2013, the Orcas Island community has come together to contribute an impressive $3 million during Spring GiveOrcas. You’ve invested in preserving historic community buildings, made sure seniors have plenty of activities to connect, brought artistic visions to life
OIFR urges community action on wildfire prevention
||| FROM FIRE CHIEF CHAD KIMPLE ||| In recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) is encouraging residents to take proactive steps now to reduce wildfire risk and protect homes, neighborhoods, and the island as a whole ahead of the summer fire season. Wildfire prevention starts
Letter to Editor | Congratulations to new OPALCO board members
||| FROM RICH GOODHART ||| It is easy to congratulate the two new OPALCO Board members this year — Congratulations Lauras! Both have backgrounds with strong qualifications and I’m sure will do an outstanding job, along with the existing five board voices. If I have any advice, it is through
No Place Like Loam | The six-tree culinary apple orchard: eating, cider, baking, storage
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM from ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| I spent the last week pruning an orchard near President's Channel on Orcas Island —thinning cuts only, thank you—which leaves a lot of time to think. There’s a long pause between deciding the future and letting the saw finish the
Derevensky and Stern win seats in OPALCO 2026 board election
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPEERATIVE ||| On Thursday, May 7, OPALCO held their virtual Annual Business Meeting, where the meeting minutes from the 2025 Annual Meeting were approved and the election results were announced. Ray Glaze of the OPALCO Election and Governance Committee announced the
Garden Club garden tour tickets now on sale
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Looking for a last minute Mother's Day gift? Garden tour tickets are officially on sale! Hello Fellow Garden Enthusiasts! Mark your calendars! This year's theme, "Gardens With Purpose" features seven inspiring gardens with fun planned for all ages. As a non-profit, all proceeds
Community art show at Orcas Center | Capturing the Moment
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show -- “Capturing the Moment” – to open on May 29. For this show, the VAC welcomes art that depicts a special moment or fleeting event (e.g., a whale breaching,
Happy Mother’s Day to all the matriarchs of the sea
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Today we’re celebrating all mothers everywhere, especially the matriarchs of the Pacific Northwest. For 50 years, the Center for Whale Research has studied the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. What we've found is remarkable: grandmothers are essential to their family's survival. They know
