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
Forester’s Notes | Times are tough
||| FROM KEVIN W. ZOBRIST, WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY FORESTRY PROFESSOR ||| The excellent adventure of the Extension Forestry Program has become a bit of a bogus journey of late. We have been hit with significant
News Brief | Kelvin wave may bring sustained high sea levels on WA coast
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Expected to hit California in days, lifting sea levels by a half-foot or more and lingering for months a giant pulse of warm water, known as a Kelvin wave,
Joint statement of Governor Bob Ferguson and Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller on west coast oil pipeline
||| FROM WASHINGTON GOVERNOR BOB FERGUSON ||| OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller offer the folllowing joint statement regarding the Oct. 1 decision by the Canadian Major Projects
All San Juan County beaches closed to recreational shellfish harvesting
Due to high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison, all beaches are closed until further notice ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As of Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH)
Our first wind advisory of the season
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Wind Advisory Tue 2:00 AM - Tue 2:00 PM WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 AM TO 2 PM PDT TUESDAY WHAT South wind 20 to 30 mph
CWR encounter with Biggs Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 07:48 AM ObservEnd: 08:40 AM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Other Observers: Gary Sutton, Tasli Shaw, Mollie Alexandra Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered:
ORS/The Exchange and SJC Environmental Stewardship host upcoming hazardous waste roundup event
Residents are invited to safely dispose of household chemicals at October 3rd collection event on Orcas ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Department of Environmental Stewardship and ORS/The Exchange are hosting
New analysis reveals major increase in vessel traffic through the Salish Sea
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| A new analysis by Friends of the San Juans shows that ocean-going vessel traffic in the Salish Sea is projected to increase by nearly
Orcas Island Food Bank announces new interim Executive Director
||| FROM CALI BAGBY for ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| As the Orcas Island Food Bank continues to work to serve our clients and the community in the best way possible, the Food Bank Board
Test your earthquake preparedness on October 15
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEPT. OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| While earthquakes in the islands are rare, San Juan County is smack in the middle of some of the highest risk quake
Kwiaht launches arsenic testing and action project
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| Islands conservation laboratory Kwiaht is seeking participants in a study of the extent of arsenic contamination in island wells, and actions to reduce adverse health effects Islanders may
The Exchange Update | September 2026
||| FROM THE EXCHANGE ORCAS RECYCLING SERVICES ||| Secure Your Load for Safer Roads As we head into the Fall Great Islands Cleanup, we’d like to remind everyone to properly secure trash in or on
Great Islands Cleanup and Hazardous Waste events
||| FROM HEATHER WALLACE for EXCHANGE ORCAS ||| Meet at the Eastsound Village Green at 10am for the 2026 Fall Great Islands Cleanup on Saturday, September 26th. (Additional opportunities starting September 19th (visit www.exchangeorcas.org/next-gicu for more
Meeting tonight | EWUA’s recurring governance problem
EWUA’s Board meets tonight, September 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Orcas Fire Hall ||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| EWUA’s Board meets tonight, September 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Orcas Fire Hall.
Larsen applauds $4.2 Million for local salmon passage restoration
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF. U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) is awarding $4.2 million to the Skagit River
