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
ORS/The Exchange and SJC Environmental Stewardship host upcoming hazardous waste roundup event
Residents are invited to safely dispose of household chemicals at October 3rd collection event on Orcas ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Department of Environmental Stewardship and ORS/The Exchange are hosting
New analysis reveals major increase in vessel traffic through the Salish Sea
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| A new analysis by Friends of the San Juans shows that ocean-going vessel traffic in the Salish Sea is projected to increase by nearly
Orcas Island Food Bank announces new interim Executive Director
||| FROM CALI BAGBY for ORCAS ISLAND FOOD BANK ||| As the Orcas Island Food Bank continues to work to serve our clients and the community in the best way possible, the Food Bank Board
Test your earthquake preparedness on October 15
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEPT. OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| While earthquakes in the islands are rare, San Juan County is smack in the middle of some of the highest risk quake
Kwiaht launches arsenic testing and action project
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| Islands conservation laboratory Kwiaht is seeking participants in a study of the extent of arsenic contamination in island wells, and actions to reduce adverse health effects Islanders may
The Exchange Update | September 2026
||| FROM THE EXCHANGE ORCAS RECYCLING SERVICES ||| Secure Your Load for Safer Roads As we head into the Fall Great Islands Cleanup, we’d like to remind everyone to properly secure trash in or on
Great Islands Cleanup and Hazardous Waste events
||| FROM HEATHER WALLACE for EXCHANGE ORCAS ||| Meet at the Eastsound Village Green at 10am for the 2026 Fall Great Islands Cleanup on Saturday, September 26th. (Additional opportunities starting September 19th (visit www.exchangeorcas.org/next-gicu for more
Meeting tonight | EWUA’s recurring governance problem
EWUA’s Board meets tonight, September 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Orcas Fire Hall ||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON ||| EWUA’s Board meets tonight, September 15, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Orcas Fire Hall.
Larsen applauds $4.2 Million for local salmon passage restoration
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF. U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) is awarding $4.2 million to the Skagit River
Land Bank to hold monthly meeting
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, September 18. The meeting is scheduled from 8:30am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will
Larsen statement on joint U.S.-Canada oil spill response exercise
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, released the following statement: “On September 1, my staff observed a joint
Expert speakers highlight sustainable gardening at October workshop series
The San Juan County WSU Master Gardeners' online Garden Workshop series includes four live lunchtime Zoom presentations this October ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As climate conditions continue to challenge gardeners across the
Have a garden question? Last Orcas Master Gardener event for 2026
Saturday September 12th at the Market Garden Nursery! Last “Ask a Master Gardener“ for 2026 ||| FROM JULIA TURNEY and JAY LUCAS for ORCAS MASTER GARDENERS ||| Do you have a question about your soil, have
The Island Gardener – September 2026
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Leadership Smoothie Welcome to a brand new season with the garden club! Once again, we are mixing things up! The newsletter will have some familiar favorite series coming
Larsen joins 167 lawmakers demanding Trump administration halt its Roadless Rule rollback
||| FROM U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined a bipartisan coalition of 167 Members of Congress last Friday in urging the Trump administration to abandon its proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule, a longstanding
