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
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
Garden Club | Learn from expert farmer, Lori Ann David
JOIN US AT 9:30 AM (just before the program) for social time, and feel free to bring something for the Sharing Table! ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on
Center for Whale Research is hiring for a new role
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| We are seeking an Outreach, Education and Community Relations Lead to oversee education strategy, support community relationship building, and manage and maintain our Education Center as a vibrant
Beaverton Marsh Preserve stewardship and management plan draft now open for public comment
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is seeking public input on its recently completed Draft Stewardship and Management Plan (SMP) for Beaverton Marsh Preserve on San Juan
OPAL announces first new single-family home construction in 16 years
||| FROM RUSTY DIGGS for OPAL ||| As president of OPAL’s board of trustees, I am excited to announce $1,875,000 in new funding — $1,075,000 from the San Juan County Home Fund and $800,000 from
Larsen | My statement on Iran
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Over the weekend, President Trump announced the start of massive and ongoing military operations against Iran. I joined Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the New
