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
Guest Opinion | Concerns about the Rosario Tidal Energy Project
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| On Friday, March 28, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) sent out notifications that OPALCO has applied for a draft license application for their Rosario Strait Tidal Energy Project; OPALCO posted
Earth Day Month in the San Juans
||| FROM EARTH DAY ORCAS & FRIENDS ||| We are delighted to share news that several local community collaboratives are hosting month-long learning, making, and celebration events in the San Juan Islands. Each island has
Public invited to comment on WDFW recommendation to protect rare butterfly species
||| FROM TAYLOR COTTEN for FISH & WILDLIFE ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public input on a draft status report for the island marble butterfly that includes
Legal tools for farm succession: Securing your farm’s future
Free Virtual Workshop – April 9, 2025, 12:00–1:00 PM ||| FROM REBECCA MOORE for WSU EXTENSION | SAN JUAN COUNTY ||| San Juan County farmers can gain essential legal insights for farm succession planning by
The Whale Museum opens registration for its 2025 Gear Up Workshop
||| FROM CONOR AGNEW for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum has opened public registration for its 2025 Gear Up workshop! This year’s virtual workshop will take place on April 17 from 10:00 AM
OPALCO files draft license application with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO filed a Draft License Application with the Federal Regulatory Commission (FERC) today for a 10-year pilot project license for OPALCO’s proposed Rosario Strait
New orca calf born to descendant of whale once captured and held by SeaWorld
||| FROM KING-TV SEATTLE ||| A new orca calf spotted in the Puget Sound last week is part of the family of the last killer whale captured in United States waters. The new Bigg's, or
Microplastics may be stoking antibiotic resistance: Study
||| FROM THE HILL ||| The microscopic shards of plastic found in every corner of the planet may be exacerbating antibiotic resistance, a new study has found. Bacteria exposed to these ubiquitous fragments, known as
Land Bank to sell a portion of Frazer Homestead Preserve to National Park Service
To more fully tell the story of the Pig War ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During this week’s meeting, Council held a public hearing and spent time with Conservation Land Bank staff reviewing
Space advertising could outshine the stars—unless it’s banned first
||| FROM SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ||| Imagine stepping outside to stargaze on a clear summer night, only to see no stars but rather the garish glow of advertisements streaming across the sky. This seemingly science-fictional scenario
The Exchange Update: March 2025
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| How “Tiny Orcas Island” is Helping Change the World Former ORS/The Exchange Board Member, Toby Cooper, recently wrote an article published by the Salish Current on how the city
Governor Ferguson throws environmentalists under the bus
||| FROM OLYMPIC PENINSULA ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS ||| Governor Ferguson has had his first major controversy, over a relatively little known agency called the Fish and Wildlife Commission. While this commission is small and not well
2025 will be an above average year for Columbia River salmon, says NOAA report
||| FROM THE COLUMBIAN ||| The number of salmon returning to the Columbia and Snake rivers this year is expected to beat the 10-year average return. That’s according to a new report from the National
The Whale Museum welcomes new executive director
||| FROM CONOR AGNEW for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| Mike and Jeanne Kuperberg The Whale Museum is pleased to welcome Dr. Mike Kuperberg as our new executive director. Dr. Kuperberg will be bringing
Get ready for Orca Action Month 2025
||| FROM REIN ATTEMANN for WASHINGTON CONSERVATION ACTION ||| It’s that time again! June is Orca Action Month in the Pacific Northwest, and the Orca Salmon Alliance is looking forward to all kinds of activities
