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
‘Nothing left’ | Irish whale-watching company closes amid ‘overfishing’
Sprat fishing has disrupted the food chain and diverted humpback, minke and fin whales as well as dolphins ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| A whale-watching company has abandoned tours off Ireland’s southern Atlantic coast and
Groundwater is rapidly declining in the Colorado River Basin, satellite data show
||| FROM L.A. TIMES ||| New research based on satellite data shows the depletion of groundwater in the Colorado River Basin far exceeds losses from the river’s reservoirs. Scientists say overpumping is leading to alarmingly
‘It’s devastating’ | Skagit River summer-fall Chinook population expected to hit 15-year low
With Chinook continuing to slide toward extinction, tribes of the Skagit Valley say more than ever, Seattle needs to stop blocking salmon with its Skagit River dams. ||| FROM KING-TV SEATTLE ||| SKAGIT COUNTY, Wash.
Help stop invasive marine crabs: Join a molt search training
||| FROM ELISE COPE for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Friends of the San Juans invites you to help protect the Salish Sea’s marine ecosystem by learning how to identify and report European green
New Garden Club member opportunity | Book Club
OIGC Member's Book Club Sunday, June 8, 5 p.m. at the Orcas Public Library ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Calling all garden lovers and book enthusiasts! We are excited to announce the launch
Un-bee-lievable | 250 million bees escape after semi spills load in Whatcom County
||| FROM KOMO-TV SEATTLE ||| A buzzworthy story is unfolding in Whatcom County, where 250 million bees have escaped after a semi-truck carrying boxes of the insects lost part of its load. The Whatcom County
OPALCO explores solar expansion on Decatur Island
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO is looking to build local renewable power generation to offset potential power shortfalls due to the lack of needed energy supply from the
Washington Gov. Ferguson signs packaging EPR law
Washington is now the seventh U.S. state with a packaging EPR law. ||| FROM WASTE DIVE ||| Gov. Bob Ferguson signed SB 5284 into law on Saturday, the culmination of years of advocacy to get
Hawaiʻi makes history as first state to charge tourists to save environment
A Hawaiʻi vacation will cost you more in the near future thanks to a new “green fee” that the governor signed into law today. ||| FROM HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT ||| Hawaiʻi has officially become the
Have a garden question? Ask an Orcas Master Gardener
||| FROM JULIA TURNEY and JAY LUCAS for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have a problem with your fruit tree, or are thinking about starting a garden? Is
How we pushed the Columbia, the great river of the West, to its limit
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Shaped by fire and ice, the Columbia River and its landscape have been forever changing. Cataclysmic shifts of nature — massive eruptions, moving oceans and grinding tectonic plates —
The Exchange Update | May 2025
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| Elementary School Tours ORS/The Exchange Twenty-seven 3rd graders from the Orcas Island Elementary School recently toured ORS/The Exchange to learn more about recycling and zero waste initiatives. Read the
First humpback whale calf of the summer spotted north of San Juan Island this week
||| FROM KING-TV SEATTLE ||| The first humpback calf of the whale watching season was spotted in the Salish Sea earlier this week. The baby, which is thought to be between four to five months
Expensive electricity and bankruptcies | Does Germany need to go back to nuclear power?
Germany's new minister of economy wants more natural gas power stations and electricity subsidies. But is that enough to boost the economy? ||| FROM EURO NEWS ||| Once a world market leader, today, Germany is
Wildfire Awareness Month | Tips to prepare
||| FROM ANGIE REQUENA for DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ||| Home Hardening (Low-Cost): Clean gutters and roofs – Remove dry leaves, pine needles, and debris regularly. Install metal mesh on vents – Use 1/8” mesh
