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
Fall back together: Join the Great Islands Clean-Up on October 4
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| “I can’t think of a more rewarding way to spend a Saturday afternoon,” said Katie Johnson, San Juan County Marine Project Coordinator. She’s referring to the Great Islands
Now Available | Best available science & GAP analysis for critical areas ordinance update
The County's goal is to adopt an updated CAO by March of 2026. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to as the Critical
Center for Whale Research | An update on J36
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| On September 12, 2025, researchers at CWR, along with our colleagues at SR3 and SeaDoc Society, documented 26-year-old female southern resident J36 carrying a dead female calf. Sadly,
It isn’t always a boat for Oil Spill Association
||| FROM BILL SYMES and ELAINA THOMPSON for ISLANDS' OIL SPILL ASSOCIATION ||| When Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) kicks into gear, the cause usually involves a boat: fuel emitted from a sunken vessel, spilled
Land Bank monthly meeting Sept. 19
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on September 19 , 2025 from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also
No-charge noxious weed disposal available through Sept. 30
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Noxious Weed Control Program works with the local transfer stations to accept noxious weed debris at no charge. The last day for free disposal
Guest Opinion | OPALCO owes us more options for meeting electricity demand
||| FROM ARTHUR WINER ||| While I respect the intelligence and technical strengths of OPALCO’s Board members and the executive leadership, I’ve been troubled in recent years by a logical contradiction in OPALCO’s energy policies.
No Place Like Loam | A chestnut is true generational wealth
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| In history, entire cultures were built under canopies. Greek philosophers walked beneath plane trees, giving birth to the very idea of public life. Medieval Europe gathered
News Brief | This 21 year old says he has found answer to waste
||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| "Unfortunately, plastic waste is a massive problem. According to Statista, there are "360 million metric tons per year." Originally reported by THE COOL DOWN "While some were skeptical of
Conservation advocates serve Notice of Intent to Sue over feds continued failure to protect Wild Salmon, Steelhead, and Orcas from harmful Columbia River hatcheries
||| FROM EMMA HALVORSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) and The Conservation Angler (TCA) have announced their intent to sue the federal government for failing to protect threatened wild salmon, steelhead,
News Brief | We’re losing our honeybees
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| "The recent decline in bee populations is concerning not only for beekeepers but for researchers as well." Originally reported by KOMO NEWS "Honey bee colonies in Washington are declining at
CWR | The loss of J36’s calf
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| It is with heavy hearts that we share that late in the morning on September 12th, several sources alerted our team to apparent sightings of a southern resident
Guest Opinion | Resilience or overreach?
Why OPALCO’s “Essential Public Facilities” Push Deserves Public Scrutiny ||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| San Juan County’s comprehensive plan is at a crossroads. OPALCO has proposed language that would designate its major energy projects as
Encounter #54 • Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:20 PM ObservEnd: 03:55 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Taylor Redmond Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T75B, T75B2, T75B3,
Land managers convene for shoreline resiliency
||| FROM ELISE COPE for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| With more miles of marine shoreline than any other county in the lower 48, San Juan County’s land managers are well-positioned to lead in
