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
OPALCO Board passes 2024 budget and rates
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| The 2024 OPALCO annual budget was approved at the November 16 th board meeting including a 6% rate increase for all members. This works out
We’re under a Flood Watch through Thursday
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| Flood Watch National Weather Service Seattle WA 346 AM PST Sun Dec 3 2023 Heavy rain along with rising snow levels Monday into Tuesday will lead to rapidly rising
Derelict structures removed to make way for wildlife
||| FROM ELISE COPE for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| As part of ongoing efforts to safeguard critical eelgrass meadows and Pacific herring spawning grounds, Friends of the San Juans (Friends) recently spearheaded the
Another weather advisory; this time for wind gusts
||| NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Seattle WA 1023 AM PST Fri Dec 1 2023 San Juan County-Western Whatcom County-Western Skagit County- Lower Chehalis Valley Area-Western Strait of Juan
Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible
||| FROM WEATHER.GOV ||| Areal Flood Watch Description * What, Flooding Caused by Excessive Rainfall is Possible. * Where, Portions of Northwest and West Central washington, Including the Following Counties, in Northwest washington, Clallam, Grays
Larsen: Bipartisan PIPES Act makes Northwest Washington safer
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), the lead Democrat on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, announced the introduction of a bipartisan bill to improve pipeline
Faroe Islands farmers charge a fee to access beauty spots as visitor numbers soar
A tourism boom to the North Atlantic islands, fuelled by social media, has resulted in some landowners taking measures to get a share of the revenues ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| The first snows have
Guest Opinion | Why is San Juan County not talking about Ecological Overshoot? Part 2
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| Ecological overshoot is not a topic I hear the citizens of San Juan County discussing often. So, to help kickstart such conversations, I am hosting three online events about ecological
Port of Orcas working to reduce airplane noise
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| Orcas Island Airport plays a vital role in connecting people and supporting the local economy. However, the noise generated by aircraft operations can have a significant
Coast Guard partners with local agencies to respond to sinking vessel in West Sound
||| FROM U.S. COAST GUARD SECTOR PUGET SOUND ||| SEATTLE — Crews from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, Washington Department of Ecology, and the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) responded to the sinking of the
Check out this Immersive Salish Sea Education program
||| FROM AYN GAILEY ||| Kids and adults who feel more connected to the Salish Sea are more likely to protect it. That's why we are asking islanders to support our OICF GIVEORCAS project: Immersive
Steller sea lions top list of Alaska marine mammals killed by human activities
||| FROM KUCB.COM ||| Encounters with humans from 2017 to 2021 killed hundreds of Steller sea lions and other marine mammals that swim in Alaska waters, along with dozens of Alaska whales, according to a
Orca sink yet another boat in the Mediterranean
Straight of Gibraltar orca have sunk another boat – but are they seeking revenge, or just having fun? ||| FROM DIVE MAGAZINE ||| Orcas have sunk a fourth boat in the Mediterranean Sea after the
Clearing for Safety: Upcoming OPALCO tree trimming projects
||| FROM ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO has several right-of-way clearing projects happening the coming months throughout San Juan County. Right-of-way clearing helps manage trees and vegetation near power lines and is critical
Orcas orchards’ hidden treasures
||| FROM MADRONA MURPHY for KWIAHT||| From the 1860s until the 1920s, the San Juan Islands were the center of apple production in the Pacific Northwest. Hundreds of acres on Orcas were planted with apples,