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
San Juan County community alert | Wildfire danger
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| As summer continues, fire risk increases. While a bit cooler than normal, this summer has been drier and windier than usual (though there is a
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Now at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM CAITIE BLETHEN for WSU EXTENSION SAN JUAN COUNTY ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking
San Juan County celebrates plastic free July
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| “Even just committing to one action helps,” urged Katie Johnson, Marine Project Coordinator for San Juan County. She’s referring to Plastic Free July, a challenge that encourages millions
Effective immediately, San Juan County’s fire danger is upgraded to VERY HIGH
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| At this level recreational, residential, or commercial fires are not allowed, including charcoal. This means that campfires, even in a fire ring or bowl that is no more
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
Now at the Market Garden Nursery ||| FROM JULIA TURNEY for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting
Conservation groups sue over aquaculture pollution of Columbia River
||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| Portland, OR – [Earlier this month], Center for Food Safety (CFS) and Wild Fish Conservancy (WFC) filed a lawsuit against Pacific Seafood Aquaculture, LLC, for multiple violations of the Clean
Legal settlement reached for Endangered Species Act decision deadline for Olympic Peninsula Steelhead
||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| EDMONDS, Wash.— The Conservation Angler and Wild Fish Conservancy reached a settlement agreement with NOAA Fisheries establishing a deadline requiring the agency to issue its long-overdue finding
The Exchange update | July 2025
||| FROM THE EXCHANGE ||| Art Scholarship Winner: Sintia Cruz Hernandez Congratulations to Sintia Cruz Hernandez - the winner of this year’s Exchange
An important update to OIGC Member’s Book Club
Please note: article released on Tuesday, July 15 about the OIGC Member's Book Club should have included reference to partnership with the Orcas Island Public Library for the Light Eaters event. ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND
San Juan County officially rejoins NWCAA
||| FROM NORTHWEST CLEAN AIR AGENCY ||| San Juan County is again part of the Northwest Clean Air Agency after action taken July 10 by the agency’s Board of Directors. Island, San Juan, Skagit, and
Could giving this pod of dolphins the same legal rights as humans help keep them safe?
With a bottlenose population threatened by fishing gear, boats and pollution, campaigners on South Korea’s Jeju island are lobbying to extend legal status to the vulnerable cetaceans ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| It is a
Scientists use cutting-edge satellite technology to reveal dangers whales face on daily basis | ‘A growing concern’
||| FROM MSN.COM ||| A comprehensive, high-tech satellite map exposed the daily dangers whales face — and they're caused by humans. What's happening? With satellites, photo identification, and indigenous knowledge, over 50 research institutions around
As state heats up, Weather Service warns wildfire smoke headed to Whatcom County
||| FROM BELLINGHAM HERALD ||| Bellingham and Whatcom County residents could be seeing the first wildfire smoke of summer Monday night as most of Washington bakes in an extended heat wave. A heat advisory in
Columbia Basin’s salmon are in hot water, literally, says report from Save Our Wild Salmon
Fish face a ‘triple threat’ in the Columbia River: Rising temperatures, stagnant water and toxic algae ||| FROM THE COLUMBIAN ||| Environmental group Save Our Wild Salmon released its first Columbia River Hot Water Report
Washington State Ferries launches largest hybrid-electric ferry in North America
||| FROM MY NORTHWEST.COM ||| Washington State Ferries took delivery of its first hybrid-electric ferry. The Wenatchee, already one of the largest boats in the fleet, is now the most technologically advanced ferry in the
