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
Potential flood impacts to I-5 and Hwy 20
Important update for islanders. Please help spread the word. ||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SJC DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| Island residents and businesses who are planning on mainland travel this week should be aware
Holiday greetings from Garden Club
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| I will begin with the Nice List, knowing that this must be a very long list because gardens and gardeners bring so much joy to so many people!
Now, it’s just rain, rain, rain; and then flooding
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Seattle WA 131 AM PST Mon Dec 8 2025 San Juan County-Cascades of Whatcom and Skagit Counties- Cascades of Snohomish and Northern King
Protect What Makes Orcas Island Home: Support the Salish Sea Dome Project
||| FROM AYN GAILEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Friends of the San Juans has joined this year’s OICF GiveOrcas campaign with a project designed to spark wonder, deepen local knowledge, protect the Salish Sea, and empower the
CRW logs two encounters with two eco-types
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Two Encounters with Two Eco-Types! Encounter #71 • Bigg's killer whales T36/T36Bs + T137s • November 9, 2025 ObservBegin: 09:16 AM ObservEnd: 09:20 AM Vessel: KCB III
No Place Like Loam | The last apple standing, Part 1
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO-WOLF ||| I walk a lot on this island, and this is my favorite time of year to do it. Why? Because walking now is an act of
Running on Empty | What copper teaches us about the limits of ‘clean energy’
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| We live in a moment when the word renewable has taken on a near-mythic glow. The story goes like this: if we electrify everything—cars, heating, ferries, industry—and generate that electricity
Flood watch posted by National Weather Service through Friday afternoon
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Flood Watch National Weather Service Seattle WA 506 AM PST Sun Dec 7 2025 A series of wet weather systems moving across the region will increase the threat of
News Brief | Artificial intelligence technology is ‘changing every sector of society’
||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| At its current rate of growth, 26-48.5 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent will fill the atmosphere, and 731 million to 1.125 billion cubic meters of water will be
Coastal flood advisory
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Seattle WA 1006 AM PST Sat Dec 6 2025 San Juan County-Lowlands of Western Whatcom County- Lowlands of Western Skagit and Northwestern Snohomish
‘Counting Orca’ free screening from Center for Whale Research
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| We’re excited to invite you to a FREE global virtual screening of 'Counting Orca’ on December 10th! To make the event accessible to viewers around the world, we’re
Letter to Editor | Regarding OPALCO rate hike
||| FROM ALLAN ROSATO and DARCEY MILLER ||| We are writing out of concern regarding OPALCO’s recently-announced plan to raise the fixed monthly service access charge for residential members. While this may appear to simplify
Coastal flood advisory in effect from 4am to 10am Saturday
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Coastal Hazard Message National Weather Service Seattle WA 145 PM PST Thu Dec 4 2025 San Juan County-Lowlands of Western Whatcom County- Lowlands of Western Skagit and Northwestern Snohomish
Step aside, Olga Red Gravenstein! The next generation of unique Orcas Island apples is ready for takeoff!
Novel Apples for Orcas! ||| FROM RUSSELL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| For the past five years, Kwiaht botanist Madrona Murphy has been relocating, mapping, and sampling fruits and (for genetic analysis) leaves from orchards planted
OPALCO launches opt-in Renewable Energy Survey to gather member input
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is inviting all members to participate in a newly launched Renewable Energy Survey designed to gather community insight on
