Here’s a thought…
“The competition between Nature and the economy is deep and broad.
In the short term, the economy usually wins. In the long term …?”
BILL APPEL
News Brief | Did you feel one of the 18 earthquakes this morning?
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| An active swarm of earthquakes has been detected far offshore of Washington state, but experts say it is not a threat to people on land in the Pacific Northwest. The
Letter to Editor | Proposed blubber detoxification technique for female killer whales
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| One of the biggest threats to endangered Southern Resident killer whale calves (and others worldwide) is exposure to man-made toxins such as PCBs, PFAS ("forever chemicals"), and other persistent pollutants.
News Brief | The ocean is no longer pure: Scientists find human chemistry woven into the seas
||| FROM THE DAILY MAVERICK ||| If an alien civilisation arrived on Earth and dipped a probe into the ocean, what would it find? These substances are no longer just contaminants drifting through the water.
Larsen welcomes major disaster declaration for NW Washington, urges fast relief for flood-hit families, communities
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, WA – Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) today welcomed the Major Disaster Declaration for Washington state following the severe storms and flooding that hit the state
Conservation Land Bank Commission travels to Orcas Island for upcoming April 17 Meeting
The meeting will be held at the Orcas Island Fire Station ||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its regularly scheduled April
San Juan Preservation Trust seeks executive assistant to support growing conservation mission
||| FROM CHARLOTTE CHEVALIER for SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST ||| The San Juan Preservation Trust (SJPT) is seeking a full-time executive Assistant (EA) to support its Executive Director (ED) as the organization enters a new
News Brief | Seven dead gray whales signal trouble in Washington waters
||| FROM KREM-TV SPOKANE ||| In the waters near La Conner, one gray whale is still alive. This time of year typically marks the beginning of gray whale strandings in Washington. But in 2026, the
SeaDoc Society hires new scientist, expanding its impact
||| FROM JUSTIN COX for SEADOC SOCIETY ||| The SeaDoc Society has hired a new full-time veterinary translational scientist, who will join the team on Orcas Island starting this summer. Dr. Michelle Barbieri Lino
Is this the secret bunker being built under the new ballroom?
||| FROM THE UNITED FRONT |||
50 years of Orca Survey | A letter to our community
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Fifty years ago today, in the waters of the Salish Sea, a young scientist named Dr. Ken Balcomb had his first encounter with the Southern Resident killer whales.
OPALCO member appreciation event will celebrate local power
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for OPALCO ||| Get ready for the OPALCO Annual Member Festival on May 8 at 3 pm., when Lopez Center for Community and the Arts will be transformed into a hub
Earthrise | The Strait of Hormuz and San Juan County’s Energy Moment
Stopping the burn is a marathon, not a sprint ||| EARTHRISE BY JAY KIMBALL ||| As war rages in the Strait of Hormuz, one wonders if we are watching an important nail in the coffin
OPAL Community Land Trust annual meeting coming up April 23
Guest Speaker: Raymond Faber on modular building ||| FROM QASIM ALI DINO for OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| OPAL Community Land Trust warmly invites all community members to attend its 2026 Annual Meeting on Thursday,
The Arrogant Ape: A Review
"What if cooperation were the means by which evolutionary 'success' was measured and achieved, or qualities like longevity, resilience, and the ability to sustain thriving interspecies communities?" ||| A BOOK REVIEW by ELISABETH ROBSON |||
Discover Yellow Island with Orcas Garden Club
||| FROM ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| REGISTER TODAY Orcas Island Garden Club P.O. Box 452 Eastsound, WA 98245 oigc376@gmail.com www.orcasislandgardenclub.org Orcas Island Garden Club | P. O. Box 452 | Eastsound,