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
Honolulu Airbnbs shut down when pandemic began. Mayor wants to keep it that way
The mayor sees the crackdown on vacation rentals as a tourism control measure. ||| FROM HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT ||| REPRINTED AT REQUEST OF READER When Hawaii tourism came to a halt in 2020, Honolulu residents
Planning Commission recommends aggressive caps on VR permits
||| BY theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER MATTHEW GILBERT ||| The issue of establishing caps on vacation rental permits continues to attract significant public interest, and at the August 20 meeting of the SJC Planning Commission, it
Orcas Island restaurants struggle with more tourists, fewer workers, high cost of living
||| FROM SEATTLE TIMES ||| ORCAS ISLAND — During the peak of this summer’s tourist season, Orcas Island seemed to attract just about everyone — except the workers who make it run. Posted on the
Salish Seeds Project 2021 fall native wildflower sale begins Sept. 10
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SJC LAND BANK ||| The Salish Seeds Project’s popular, twice-annual wildflower sale is happening soon. Reserve plants online September 10 - 17, and pick them up on Saturday, October 2
Inslee signs onto letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer supporting climate action
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| In case you missed it: Gov. Jay Inslee today joined nine other governors to send a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. The
Black-tail deer hunting season opens September 1 at Lopez Hill, Mount Grant Preserves
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| Make some room in your freezer – deer hunting is open for early and general seasons only at Lopez Hill and Mount Grant Preserves. Specific
County sends Prune Alley project out for bids today
Construction start date Spring 2022 ||| FROM JESSE DOUGLAS-SEITZ FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS ||| The project includes pedestrian and accessibility improvements, transportation infrastructure, storm drain infrastructure, water quality improvements, landscaping, lighting, and consideration
A startup Is turning houses into corporations; neighbors are fighting back
||| FROM NPR.ORG ||| On a sleepy cul-de-sac amid the bucolic vineyards and grassy hills of California's Sonoma Valley, a $4 million house has become the epicenter of a summer-long spat between angry neighbors and
What’s the deal with Orca and peanut head?
Peanut head: What is it, when does it happen, and what are the causes? CONTENT WARNING: Contains photographs of severely emaciated killer whales. Several weeks ago, K21, the oldest male killer whale (orca) in the
Upcoming workshop | Solar opportunities/considerations for NW WA farmland
||| FROM KATE MIKULAK for WSU EXTENSION OFFICE ||| Solar on Farmland- Opportunities and Considerations in NW WA When: Thursday, Sept 23, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. Where: Online via Zoom Registration: Free! Click here to register: https://bit.ly/farmlandsolar
Orcas Island Fire wants to know, is your property “FireWise”?
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire and Rescue is pleased to announce a joint focus with our community on the National Fire Protection Association’s FireWise USA program.
Latest from Lekanoff | COVID-19 Q&A, economic recovery, and the Green Amendment
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. DEBRA LEKANOFF ||| Happy Fantastic Friday! Thank you for your continued diligence as we continue to navigate the rise in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths here in our communities.
An open letter to Airbnb: The pitchforks are coming
||| FROM SURVIVING TOMORROW ||| Dear founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, board members Angela Ahrendts, Ken Chenault, Belinda Johnson, Jeff Jordan, Alfred Lin, and Ann Mather, and all investors, hosts, and guests; I write to you today in the hope that
‘Murder hornet’ nest cut from tree in Washington state; 1,500 developing insects found inside
||| FROM GEEKWIRE ||| Another Asian giant hornet nest has been removed from a tree in Washington as the state’s Department of Agriculture tries to stay a step ahead of the invasive pest sometimes called
Master Gardeners on hand Wednesday to answer your pesky plant problems
||| FROM DIANNE MACONDRAY for SJC MASTER GARDENERS ||| The Master Gardeners of San Juan County will be collecting diseased plant samples and answering garden questions in front of Driftwood Nursery in Eastsound on Wednesday,
