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 Santa Anas’ by Joan Didion
||| BY JOAN DIDION ||| There is something uneasy in the Los Angeles air this afternoon, some unnatural stillness, some tension. What it means is that tonight a Santa Ana will begin to blow, a
Washington State bans net-pen aquaculture
||| FROM NATIONALFISHERMEN.COM ||| Commercial finfish pen aquaculture appears finished in Washington State, after the Board of Natural Resources voted Jan. 7 to ban the industry. The vote was a victory for Washington State’s Commissioner
Why local power generation is important | Part 1 of 3
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| OPALCO has been providing reliable power to the islands since 1937. Electricity is an essential and critical component to the modern-day lifestyles powering our hospitals,
Gas pains
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| As of Aug. 10, 2023, it cost $4.056 for regular gasoline in Idaho, according to AAA. In Washington, regular gasoline cost is $5.017. That’s a price difference of
New year brings new vessel distance regulations for Southern Resident Killer Whales
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As of January 1, 2025, new distance regulations are in effect to better protect the highly endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW) in Washington State waters. Boaters are now
New public zone map aims to enhance accuracy of weather warnings in western Washington
||| FROM KOMO TV ||| When severe weather hits western Washington, where you live can make a big difference in the impact to you and your family. To give a more accurate and more detailed
Community Meeting Reminder: Bayhead Creek culvert repair project on Killebrew Lake Rd.
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is hosting a community meeting on Thursday, January 9, at the Orcas Landing to discuss the replacement of the culvert on Bayhead Creek under Killebrew Lake
Renewables won’t save us from climate catastrophe, experts warn; what will?
||| FROM MONGABAY.COM ||| Demand for renewable energy, particularly solar panels, is growing at an exponential rate. But the shift to solar, wind, EVs and other sustainable tech solutions has sparked an environmentally destructive mining
Early bird registration now open for 2025 San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit
||| FROM REBECCA MOORE for WSU EXTENSION ||| Early Bird Registration is now open for the 13th Annual San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit, taking place on February 28 and March 1, 2025, on beautiful Lopez
Tahlequah mourns loss of another calf as Center for Whale Research confirms death of J61
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| SEATTLE (KOMO) — The Center for Whale Research said they've received information that as of Wednesday, J35, also commonly referred to as Tahlequah, has been seen carrying the body of the recently
Garden Club to present ‘Where Have All the Insects Gone?’
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, January 15th when we welcome Linda Gilkeson to speak about how global insect populations have crashed over the last
Researchers believe mother orca known for grieving 2018 newborn’s death has lost another calf
||| FROM PEOPLE.COM ||| Tahlequah, the killer whale who carried her dead calf and swam with him for 17 days in 2018, has likely suffered another loss. Per The Seattle Times, researchers believe the mother orca's newborn calf,
Proposed ferry speed limits to protect whales ‘devastating’ to Nantucket economy
||| FROM MASS LIVE ||| Strict vessel speed restrictions proposed to protect right whales in Nantucket Sound would be devastating to the island’s economy and way of life if implemented, Steamship Authority board member Rob
Guest Opinion | A wish for my community in 2025
||| BY ELISABETH ROBSON ||| Growth and Overshoot Growth, the basis of our local and the global economy, will not continue much longer. There are many intersecting reasons for this, but all can be described
These undersea tunnels connect remote islands halfway between Iceland and Scotland
||| FROM CNN.COM ||| In the Faroe Islands, wild, unpredictable weather — fierce winds and rain, and thick fog that settles like a curtain — can sometimes make travel by car or ferry problematic. No
