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 demise of the Northwest Forest Plan
||| FROM THE WILDLIFE NEWS ||| When is the Northwest Forest Plan no longer the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP)? After the Forest Service has removed the skeleton, meat, and blood, leaving only the dermis. Any
Earth Day parade, workshops and event calendar news
||| FROM EARTH DAY ORCAS ||| Come celebrate Earth Day Orcas – all month long in April. Organizations from across the islands are joining to offer a month of inspiring and educational, fun and creative
Microplastics are messing with photosynthesis in plants
Microplastics can cut a plant’s ability to photosynthesize by up to 12 percent, new research shows ||| FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ||| Microplastics are now a ubiquitous part of our daily physical reality. These minuscule fragments
Are these orcas imitating human speech?
||| FROM THE JOURNAL |||
Beached bird training session
||| FROM COASTAL OBSERVATION AND SEABIRD SURVEY TEAM ||| Join the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), and make a difference for the environment! COASST participants collect monthly data on beached carcasses of marine
Spring cleaning tips for your boat
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As the days grow longer and warmer, San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship is pleased to share a few spring cleaning tips with boat owners. Before jumping
Public meeting on prescribed fire in the San Juan Islands
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| A consortium of organizations is researching prescribed fire as a tool to reduce wildfire fuels in the San Juan Islands. Studies indicate that fire occurred every 6–15
Garden Club launches Project Blossom
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Garden Club is sponsoring a citizen science project called Project Blossom. Orcas has many microclimates that affect the bloom time of flowers. This project will
Full lunar eclipse coming this week
||| FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ||| A total lunar eclipse is happening next week, visible across nearly all of North America and all of South America. It will start late the night of March 13 and continue into
2025 Comp Plan Update | Climate element and draft official map amendments available for review
You’re invited to a virtual drop-in session on March 11 to learn more about the Climate Element. Public comments regarding the draft Climate Element & Official Map amendments can be submitted by March 20. |||
Northwest Clean Air Agency welcomes San Juan County
||| FROM SETH PRESTON for NW CLEAN AIR AGENCY ||| San Juan County will officially rejoin the Northwest Clean Air Agency on July 1. Island, San Juan, Skagit, and Whatcom counties formed the Northwest Air Pollution Authority
San Juan County rejoins the Northwest Clean Air Agency
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to announce that it has rejoined the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) in an effort to better monitor air quality, collect local data,
Trump moves to increase logging in National Forests
The president wants to circumvent environmental regulations to expand timber production, something sought by homebuilders and the construction industry. ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| President Trump has promised to “drill, baby, drill.” Now,
Public Meeting | Land Bank using prescribed fires to manage wildfire risks & restore ecosystems
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| A consortium of organizations is researching prescribed fire as a tool to reduce wildfire fuels in the San Juan Islands. Studies indicate that fire occurred every 6–15 years
Willow cultivation and crafting by Maria Bullock
||| FROM PERRI GIBBONS for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join us on Wednesday, March 19th at the Orcas Center when the Orcas Island Garden Club welcomes Maria Bullock to speak about cultivating willow
