Here’s a thought…
“The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.”
ROBERT LYND
News Brief | WSF making changes to handle thousands of FIFA World Cup riders
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| Hundreds of thousands of soccer fans from around the world are headed to Seattle for the FIFA World Cup in June and July - and many of those visitors will want to ride our state’s iconic ferries. This new crush of riders will come on
GoFundMe account for family of West Beach fatal crash victim
|||FROM JEFF PLATT ||| Antonia Valenzuela's family is identifying her as the woman who died the other day in the fatal crash in West Beach on Orcas Island. Her family is now asking for help transporting Antonia's body to Mexico for burial. They are also asking for help covering family travel
Odlin County Park to celebrate 100 years as a public park
You’re invited to a series of free events at the park to celebrate the centennial! ||| FROM SAN JUAN DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Parks and Fair Department is planning a handful of events this summer to mark the centennial celebration at Odlin County Park. On
In Memoriam | Catherine Ann Ledingham Pederson, 1932 – 2026
||| FROM JENNY PEDERSON ||| Catherine Ann Ledingham Pederson, age 93, of Eastsound, Washington, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2026. Catherine cared deeply about family and community, and got great pleasure in sharing her many talents. She loved beauty and wildlife on Orcas Island and greeted people with her
Earth Day celebrations all week in the islands
||| FROM EARTH DAY ORCAS ||| Nature, Peace, Arts, & Song The week is full of ways to honor the Earth and strengthen our values for stewardship, peace, and compassion for all life. Come celebrate in Community! Save your seat for The Sacred Covenant on Sat. the 25th at 2pm,
Enter | Town is sponsoring Poetry Gardens contest
||| FROM JULIE GREENE for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| San Juan County residents of all ages are encouraged to submit your best original poems to the 2026 POETRY GARDENS CONTEST. Winning entries will be displayed in the town’s four Poetry Gardens! Deadline for submission: July 31, 2026. Guidelines for
Health Care District Board to meet on Wednesday
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, April 22nd 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
News Brief | Lyrid meteor shower to peak Tuesday night, with better views than usual
||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| This year's Lyrid meteor shower is getting a boost thanks to a dim crescent moon. Skywatchers could see 10 to 20 shooting stars per hour soar across the spring sky, according to NASA, when the fiery display peaks Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The show
Guest Opinion | Regarding the stand-off between OPALCO and the people who actually live on Decatur
||| FROM SHANNON MATTILA ||| I just read that Clara Park, OPALCO’s attorney, stated that "Decatur Island residents are for the solar expansion” ..that is completely false. Someone is creating a false narrative to support their own agenda. Decatur Island residents are definitively opposed to this project. It has been stated repeatedly, loudly
Larsen encourages constituents to get their money back from Trump’s illegal tariffs
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U .S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “Northwest Washington businesses will now have the chance to get the money Trump taxed from them in the form of his illegal tariffs. “The tariffs have damaged businesses and driven up costs for hard-working families. These refunds force the Trump administration to
There’s No Place Like Loam | Summer pruning
||| THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| The Thirty Percent Rule There’s a number that floats around pruning advice. Thirty percent. If you prune, you know exactly what it means. It’s the answer people reach for when they ask, how much of the tree can I remove?
Earth Day 2026 | Protecting our home planet
Our Blue Marble is our one and only Home Planet ||| FROM MARCY MONTGOMERY for EYE OF THE WHALE ARTS ||| Earth Day, Orcas Style is a vibrant nature, arts and science celebration with something for everyone, and for all ages. In celebrating the wonders of the Salish Sea and
Orcas Garden Club president’s message
||| FROM ROBIN SULLIVAN for ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| I have officially been a gardener for almost three years now. Long enough to feel confident, but not quite long enough to stop Googling, “what is this?” Like many of you, my husband Allen and I began this journey when we
San Juan Climate Convergence strengthens county-wide resilience, partnerships
||| FROM CHOM GREACEN for MADRONA INSTITUTE ||| Climate resilience work touches every corner of island life including how we power our homes, move through our community, steward our forests and waters, and grow our food. Dozens of organizations across San Juan County are doing this work but there has
Sheriff’s Office getting a new home on Lopez
||| FROM SHERIFF ERIC PETER for SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE |||
CWR logs another Biggs encounter
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 01:50 PM ObservEnd: 03:03 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T90, T90B, T90C, and T90D LocationDescr: San Juan Channel EncSummary: The T90s had been making the rounds in the
