Here’s a thought…
“The politician wants men to know how to die courageously; the poet wants men to live courageously.”
SALVATORE QUASIMODO
Beaverton Marsh Trail Update II | Open House September 2
Plans for the grant-funded project to develop a structure across the marsh are complete ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Conservation Land Bank staff and Commissioners are ready to share the *final* design for the Beaverton Marsh Trail! Please join us on Wednesday, September 2, from 5pm to 6:30pm,
News Brief | ‘Roadless Rule’ repeal would affect 2M acres of Washington forest land
||| FROM KING-TV SEATTLE ||| The Trump Administration is paving the way to increase logging and road construction in national forests, including two million acres of land in Washington alone, in a move that would strip away a 25-year-old rule aimed at keeping those forests pristine. Tom Uniack, executive director
2026 Fall Native Wildflower Sale
Don’t miss this opportunity to purchase locally grown wildflowers native to San Juan County ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Mark your calendar for the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank’s Fall Native Wildflower Sale. Buyers can reserve plants online September 13 - 19 and pick them up on
Library seeks input from caregivers, seniors with disabilities
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Public Library is inviting community members age 60 and older who live with a disability—as well as caregivers of older adults with disabilities—to a free community forum this Thursday, August 27, at 6 p.m. The library recently received grant funding to
K Pod back in the Salish Sea
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 09:48 AM ObservEnd: 11:30 AM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Navi Zwart, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros, Henry Moreau-Smith Pods: K IDsEncountered: K12, K14, K16, K20, K22, K27, K33, K35, K36, K37, K38, K42, K43, K45, and
Orcas Clinic new providers meet & greet September 22, 2026
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Island Primary Care - Orcas clinic has welcomed two new Providers over the past six months, Cameron Fralick, PA-C, and Paula Whitmire, MD. In order for community members to meet these new providers outside of clinic appointments, Orcas Island Health Care District
2027 preliminary budget to be presented to Council at August 25th meeting
San Juan County Auditor’s Office will present the 2027 preliminary budget which includes $3.7 million in potential modifications identified ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Auditor will present a preliminary balanced budget for fiscal year 2027 to the County Council on August 25. This is
General Mojo’s to play final Orcas Center summer concert on Aug. 30
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center has presented its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound, all summer long. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates
Larsen releases statement on collapse of U.S.-Canada talks to prevent Trump’s pointless new tariffs
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: "These new tariffs aren't leverage over Canada. They're yet another way that the Trump administration is raising your prices and sabotaging the American economy. “Across over a hundred
Garden Club Presentation | Gardening with mushrooms
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, when we welcome Alex Winstead to share helpful advice for Gardening with Mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest. Though often misunderstood, mushrooms can be fantastic companions to your garden or landscaping plan.
I’m Not the Church Lady | You are here
You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are ||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| You are here ... There’s something wonderfully obvious about it—and yet spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, we violate this principle constantly. We want to know: What should I do?
Washington State Department of Commerce federal grants workshop
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Learn how to build stronger grant applications at this free, informative, and interactive workshop provided by the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Federal Funds Grant Writing Assistance Program (FFGWAP) and cohosted by the Orcas Island Community Foundation and the Economic Development
News Brief | Marine biologists finally found what scares orcas
And it makes no sense ||| FROM APEX PALEO |||
Art Show opening on Friday, August 28 | Peter Carlson, “Me Here You There”
||| FROM MARJORIE TAYLOR for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces the opening of a new show featuring recent paintings and prints of Peter Carlson on August 28, 5:30 to 7:00 entitled “Me Here You There." Carlson is a narrative painter who creates imagery grounded
Questions and commitments
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Earlier this week, at our National Nonprofit Day program, Eric Liu spoke about the role and importance of civic culture. He shared how it is rooted in community, on the ground, with groups of 5, 10, or 20 people showing
