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
The Exchange Update | March 2026
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING (THE EXCHANGE) Drifting Dock Highlights Growing Microplastic Risk Last month, residents of Orcas Island responded to an incident involving a drifting dock with deteriorating plastic-wrapped styrofoam floats. The floats were breaking
Guest Opinion | Another Eastsound Water essay
||| FROM THOMAS OWENS ||| A Path Forward Eastsound Water’s ongoing turmoil is multi-faceted involving both tense Board-Membership interactions and instability in internal operation. While these two elements of the Association’s crisis are certainly intertwined,
CWR logs encounter with inbound J Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 10:55 AM ObservEnd: 03:00 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: J IDsEncountered: J16, J19, J22, J26, J27, J31,
Kwiaht: Preparing for the next avian flu outbreak
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| The San Juan Islands experienced an outbreak of highly-pathogenic avian flu (H5N1) from mid-November to mid-January. It probably began in lower San Juan Channel, between Cape San Juan
As Alaskan Chinook crisis deepens, Federal Court imposes deadline on overdue endangered species act decision
||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| Today we’re sharing an update on Wild Fish Conservancy’s effort to secure a timely federal decision on the status of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon under
Wind advisory in effect Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Seattle WA 216 PM PDT Tue Mar 10 2026 San Juan County-Foothills and Valleys of the North Cascades- Foothills and Valleys of
Ferry Alert | High winds expected to impact service through Wednesday night
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| All ferry passengers should be prepared for possible service disruptions starting this afternoon through late Wednesday night due to high winds. Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes: With
Public Meeting | Limited deer hunting considered for two Orcas Island preserves
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The public is invited to join the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank (Land Bank), the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and representatives of area treaty
Guest Opinion | Four long-term EWUA employees have left in six months
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| EWUA Turnover: 13 Staff and 6 Board Members gone since 2021 13 staff members have left Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) 7 resigned 5 terminated 1 retired 6 board members
OPALCO candidates announced
Vote in OPALCO's election! Voters eligible to win prizes. ||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| The 2026 OPALCO election opens March 18th! To allow members to meet each candidate and
No Place Like Loam | The myth of pruning
What abandoned orchards reveal about fruit trees, pruning, and the advice we repeat without questioning ||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| The Argument Made Palatable A century ago our island wasn't
You’re invited to OPAL’s Annual Meeting
||| FROM OPAL COMMUNITY LAND TRUST ||| OPAL’s 2026 Annual Meeting, an opportunity to hear updates, celebrate milestones, and connect with the community that makes affordable housing possible on Orcas Island. Thursday, April 23 ·
OPALCO asks to roll back restrictions on Decatur solar site
Plans for a new solar project on Decatur Island in San Juan County have met with yet another complication after new deed restrictions on the proposed site. ||| FROM SALISH CURRENT ||| Orcas Power and
Forest Stewardship course for landowners to start March 23
||| FROM ELSA HAUN for WSU EXTENSION FORESTRY ||| WSU Extension Forestry is offering its Forest Stewardship Coached Planning Course for San Juan County landowners this spring on Mondays, March 23–May 18, 2026. This hybrid
News Brief | The sea is higher than we thought and millions more are at risk, study finds
||| FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ||| Climate change’s rising seas may threaten tens of millions more people than scientists and government planners originally thought because of mistaken research assumptions on how high coastal waters already
