2017: What a Year, Far and Near

— by Margie Doyle —

As the tumultuous year 2017 comes to an end, one of our pleasures is to look back on events as they happened. Our core belief is You can make a difference, and our reports, opinions and comments bear this out.

Here for your pleasure is a look back, for auld lang syne. Before we give a monthly update of stories, we list with pride the new generation of leaders for our island and county community; and then list three major stories that have had ongoing impact in 2017 and will carry forward into the new year, 2018.

Finally, if you’d like to look further, our website has two easy ways to research our history: the “Search” panel at the upper right-hand corner of the site, OrcasIssues.com; and the “Post Archives”  panel in the middle of the left-hand “sidebar” on the site. Happy travels through our recent history!

New generation of leaders

• Funhouse’s Maureen Moran
• Senior Center’s Sara Boyle: https://theorcasonian.com/passing-torch-sara-boyle-new-lead-orcas-senior-center/
• History Museum’s Brittney Haruska
• Orcas Center’s Brian Kemp
• Fire and Rescue Dept’s Scott Williams: https://theorcasonian.com/passing-torch-scott-williams-completes-first-year-fire-chief/
• Community Church’s Brian Moss: https://theorcasonian.com/passing-torch-brian-moss-leads-community-church/
• Public school district board has three new members: https://theorcasonian.com/mostly-new-school-board-coming-november/

Other big stories:
The perilous condition of the Orca population

• Orca starvation: https://theorcasonian.com/tribes-sue-uscg-failure-protect-orca/
• Orca plight: https://theorcasonian.com/canada-study-ship-noise-effects-orcas-haro-strait/
• Orcas heading to extinction? https://theorcasonian.com/currently-critically-endangered-orca-population-heads-toward-extinction/
• Friends of the San Juans file appeal to shoreline master program approval: https://theorcasonian.com/friends-san-juans-appeals-shoreline-master-program-state-board/

The march towards an updated County Comprehensive Plan, starting with Vision Statements

• Comp Plan vision statements, 1994 and 2017: https://theorcasonian.com/guest-opinion-wildness-preservation-world/
• Comp plan review documents ready: https://theorcasonian.com/2036-comprehensive-plan-update-documents-available-review/
• Eastsound Vision Statement work: https://theorcasonian.com/important-future-eastsound/
• Results of Visioning Process released to the community https://theorcasonian.com/eastsound-vision-2035-released-community-input/
• Orcas Islanders undertake Visioning exercises: https://theorcasonian.com/orcas-islanders-turn-comp-plan-vision/
• Beyond the Eastsound Vision Survey: https://theorcasonian.com/guest-opinion-beyond-eastsound-vision-survey/
•  Eastsound Planners use Vision Survey to set priorities:  https://theorcasonian.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=56807&action=edit

January — 12 pages of posts

• Man with gun apprehended by county sheriff’s deputies on Olga Rd https://theorcasonian.com/olga-road-closed-due-man-gun/
• Sheriff’s office and Afghan War vet help resolve situation: https://theorcasonian.com/editorial-sheriffs-office-professionally-handled-potentially-deadly-incident/
• Women’s marches in Eastsound  https://theorcasonian.com/local-women-marching-orders/  and https://theorcasonian.com/orcas-step-worldwide-marches/ Friday Harbor  https://theorcasonian.com/letter-home-friday-harbor-womens-march/, Port Townsend  https://theorcasonian.com/editorial-morning-women-march-make-difference/ Seattle, https://theorcasonian.com/49705-2/  Washington DC https://theorcasonian.com/orcas-women-children-march-across-country-saturday/

February — 13 pages of posts

• State Senator Kevin Ranker meets with county citizens to discuss what’s next following the 2016 Presidential election https://theorcasonian.com/senator-ranker-meets-orcas-community/
• Orcas Women’s Coalition rises, forms immigration and other focus groups: https://theorcasonian.com/orcas-womens-coalition-sets-initiatives-action/
• School $8 million levy fails: https://theorcasonian.com/official-school-bond-fails-three-votes/

March — 15 pages of posts

• Cherry Point Coal Terminal Expansion Stopped:  https://theorcasonian.com/developers-withdraw-cherry-point-coal-terminal-applications-ending-project/
• Two new Fire and Rescue Commissioners https://theorcasonian.com/meet-new-fire-commissioners/

April — 14 pages of posts

• Rosario Resort rebuilds marina with 30 new docks  https://theorcasonian.com/new-docks-now-open-rosario/
• UW Medicine announced as new director of operations at Orcas Medical Center: https://theorcasonian.com/uw-medicine-manage-orcas-island-primary-care-clinic/

May — 12 pages of posts

• Black bear visits Orcas Island:  https://theorcasonian.com/black-bear-continues-orcas-island-wanderings/
• International flights between San Juan Island and Vancouver Island begin:  https://theorcasonian.com/can-now-fly-direct-british-columbia-friday-harbor/

June  — 13 pages of posts

• Karl Kruger is the first to paddleboard solo from Port Townsend WA to Ketchikan Alaska in the Race to Alaska:  https://theorcasonian.com/orcas-man-paddles-way-alaska-alone-standup-paddleboard/
• Library opens expanded building, the Henigson Family Wing:  https://theorcasonian.com/library-opens-expansion-orcas/
• New ferry, Chimacum, joins the WSF fleet:  https://theorcasonian.com/new-ferry-joins-wsf-fleet/

July — 11 pages of posts

• Ten-digit dialing required — that wasn’t so hard was it?  https://theorcasonian.com/tomorrow-dial-ten-digits/
• Immigrants’ rights initiative sent to County Council: https://theorcasonian.com/immigrationpetition/
• Orcas Landing is reconfigured for better parking, loading and beach access:  https://theorcasonian.com/county-wsf-show-off-new-orcas-landing/

August — 11 pages of posts

• Islanders speak out in favor of immigrant rights protection and urge county to pass related ordinance: https://theorcasonian.com/people-heard-immigration-initiative-public-comment/
• Seaview neighborhood opposes fuel tank siting: https://theorcasonian.com/seaview-neighborhood-protests-propane-tank/
• County launches new public comment tool on website: https://theorcasonian.com/county-launches-public-comment-map-tool/
• Farmed Atlantic salmon spill from an imploded net holding 305,000 fish at a Cooke Aquaculture fish farm near Cypress Island: https://theorcasonian.com/state-agencies-initiate-incident-command-address-atlantic-salmon-net-pen-escape/
  and  https://theorcasonian.com/senator-ranker-file-bill-ban-atlantic-salmon-farming/

September — 11 pages of posts

• OPALCO replaces critical submarine cable between Lopez and San Juan Islands after years of preparation: https://theorcasonian.com/opalco-sea-replacing-submarine-cable/
• UW Medicine Opens Practice at Orcas Medical Clinic: https://theorcasonian.com/report-community-first-day-uw-medicine-clinic/
• Town Hall introduces UW Medicine to Orcas Island: https://theorcasonian.com/islanders-expected-en-masse-uw-medicine-meeting-2/
• New Off-leash dog park opens east of Buck Park: https://theorcasonian.com/new-orcas-off-leash-area-opening-friday/

October — 13  pages of posts

• Orcas Fire and Rescue teams spend hours rescuing hiker and her injured dog in Moran State Park, their training and compassion come to the fore: https://theorcasonian.com/letter-editor-blessed-folks-care/  and: https://theorcasonian.com/oifr-wraps-eight-hour-rescue/
• Orcas Montessori School receives $436,000 federal block grant to expand facilities: https://theorcasonian.com/county-montessori-awarded-hud-block-grant/

November —  10 pages of posts

• School bond and levy approved by voters: https://theorcasonian.com/letter-editor-heartfelt-thank-schools-superintendent/
• New Exchange opens on county-leased Orcas Waste Transfer site: https://theorcasonian.com/sneak-peek-exchange/
  and  https://theorcasonian.com/lets-call-green-friday-reopening-exchange/
• New Park and Ride parking lot eases congestion near Orcas Ferry Landing: https://theorcasonian.com/park-ride-rural-character-eases-ferry-commutes/
• Thanksgiving weekend sees lengthy power outages: https://theorcasonian.com/opalco-linemen-work-dark-dark-bring-back-light/

December —  9 pages of posts

• Progress towards establishing a Public Hospital Taxing District to support Orcas clinics underway with Town Hall meetings: https://theorcasonian.com/public-hospital-districts-done/  and: https://theorcasonian.com/town-hall-hospital-district-draws-throngs-islanders/
• Emergency air transport/ambulance services off-island revisted: https://theorcasonian.com/letter-editor-types-air-ambulance-insurance-worth/
• OPAL’s efforts to bring affordable rental housing to Orcas receives heartfelt “widow’s mite” gift: https://theorcasonian.com/opal-gets-gift-brita-brahce/