Here’s a thought…
“Deep breath. Deep breath. The air is free. You can take as many as you want.”
BUDDHIST MONK
Free virtual book launch event for ‘The Evolution of Cetacean Societies’
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| We’re excited to invite you to a FREE virtual event for the book launch of The Evolution of Cetacean Societies: Uncovering the Social Complexity of Whales and Dolphins. On Saturday, February 7th, we’re hosting an online webinar so viewers around the world can
County discusses upcoming road maintenance on Shaw Island
The County plans to undertake standard road maintenance throughout the spring of 2026, including clearing ditches, cleaning and replacing culverts, and managing roadside vegetation. This will set the stage for chip sealing Shaw roads in 2027. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| To kick off the new year, San Juan
Spring schedule reservations to be available February 10
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Vehicle reservations for the spring 2026 schedule (March 22 through June 13) will be available at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10. We’ve moved out the reservations release by two weeks to finalize the spring schedule. To ensure a smooth and fair experience during this
Experience the soulful sounds of Stephanie Anne Johnson coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Pacific Northwest Americana songwriter and performer Stephanie Anne Johnson’s (they/them) voice is like a prayer. It’s the kind of sound that makes you feel renewed, refreshed, and in love with the higher spirits of the planet. It’s a sound you can
Free Friday Harbor Film Fest Best of the Fest Documentary series starts
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Join us for a powerful evening of documentary film and conversation! Friday Harbor Film Festival’s 2026 Best of the Fest Series kicks off with a free double feature screening of Checkpoint Zoo, winner of the 2025 FHFF Audience Choice Award
OPALCO survey results are In
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO has been engaging the co-op membership in the realities facing the energy world. Things are changing due to climate impacts, carbon reduction legislation, and the transition to renewable energy. As our regional energy supply reaches capacity, utilities throughout
Island Primary Care-Orcas hiring for two positions
||| FROM ISLAND PRIMARY CARE - ORCAS ||| Island Health is currently recruiting for two positions at Island Primary Care - Orcas. The two positions being hired for are one Medical Assistant position and one Patient Appointments Coordinator position. For more information on the positions, please see the job page listings
Get your Washington State Boating Education Card
||| FROM U .S. COAST GUARD AUXILIARY ||| The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Bellingham and San Juan Islands Flotilla offers boaters four opportunities to take an online, Washington State Basic Boater Education Course. The course is for anyone wishing to learn safe boating skills and qualify for a Boater Education
February 10, 2026, Special Election | Vote! Sign! Send!
The February Special includes a ballot measure for the San Juan Island School District No. 149. The measure is concerning a replacement enrichment levy. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Elections Office has mailed ballots to all voters living in the San Juan Island School
Eastsound Free America Walkout January 20 at 2pm
||| FROM BARBARA NESBET || One year into Trump’s second regime, we face an escalating fascist threat: raids on our communities, troops occupying our cities, attacks on immigrants, families torn apart, mass surveillance, and terror used to keep us silent. It is time for our communities to come together to
Larsen releases statement on Trump’s Greenland comments
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement on Presidents Trump's comments about taking over Greenland: “The Arctic has always been a keen focus of Scandinavian countries, including the Kingdom of Denmark. The President’s latest comments
Tomorrow! Tuesday! Free America Walkout
||| FROM INDIVISIBLE SAN JUANS ||| We are feeling determined and resilient as our resistance grows! Tomorrow, the Free America Walkout starts at 2:00 pm local time. Our Indivisible San Juan Islands Community, YOU, have been showing up, speaking up, and standing up together! United we stand! Tomorrow, we invite everyone to join us
No Place Like Loam | Landscape as orientation
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| We live in a world optimized for movement and starving for position. Everything urges us forward—optimize, scale, accelerate—yet very little helps us answer the first necessary question: where am I right now? When that question goes unanswered, motion becomes noise. Progress
Guest Opinion | EWUA Board to consider road maintenance contribution without policy framework
||| FROM ELISABETH BRITT ||| The Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) board is preparing to vote on a proposal that would commit the association to a $30,000 initial payment and $10,000 annually toward the maintenance of a private road leading to one of its water tanks. The contribution represents approximately
Education Foundation invites you to Annual Grilled Cheese Showdown
||| FROM JANET BROWNELL for ORCAS ISLAND EDUCATION FOUNDATION ||| This family-friendly fundraiser takes place on Thursday, February 11 starting at 5:00pm in the public-school cafeteria. Your admittance entitles you to soup and six grilled cheese sandwich tastings. (Note: each “taste” is a quarter of a sandwich – so you
Winter Spirit week brings fun, school pride to Orcas Christian School
||| FROM ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL STAFF ||| Orcas Christian School (OCS) wrapped up its winter season with a lively, laughter-filled Winter Spirit Week, giving students five days of creative fun and friendly competition. Throughout the week, students participated in themed dress-up days designed to build school spirit and encourage classwide
