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
News Brief | 23 Gray whale deaths on Washington shores since March
||| FROM MY NORTHWEST ||| Changes in the food supply on the whales’ Arctic feeding grounds are leading to a lack of food. Cascadia Research Collective said the public can help by protecting alternate feeding
Grow Your Own Food program cultivates skills and community in 2026
||| FROM CAITIE BLETHEN for WSU EXTENSION SAN JUAN COUNTY ||| The 2026 Grow Your Own Food program helped local residents turn curiosity into confidence, equipping participants with practical skills to grow their own food
CWR logs two encounters with Bigg’s
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 01:31 PM ObservEnd: 01:44 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T124A, T124A6, T124A7 LocationDescr:
News Brief | Eastern North Pacific malnourished gray whales in ‘serious trouble’
||| FROM INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS ||| From San Francisco Bay to the Oregon coast to Washington’s Puget Sound, the die-off has occurred all along the gray whale’s annual West Coast migration route. It’s a 10,000
News Brief | The Wilderness Act is the most ambitious land protection law in American history
||| FROM THE WILDLIFE NEWS ||| The Wilderness Law is under attack, and the people attacking it are counting on you not knowing what you stand to lose. The Wilderness Act of 1964 created the National
Opening Soon | Opportunity to apply for lodging tax annual grant program
LTAC funds support a variety of projects related to tourism events, infrastructure, and services ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to announce the 2026 Lodging Tax Grant Applications will
No Place Like Loam | The ghost in the orchard
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| The Cannon The men who came to Salem, Iowa that June night in 1848 brought a cannon. Not a metaphor. A cannon. Small, wheeled, loaded,
News Brief | Southern Resident Killer Whales are running out of time
||| FROM IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS ||| Southern Resident killer whales are a distinct, tightly bonded population of orcas who live and travel through the Salish Sea. With only about 74 individuals remaining, they are
Cracks in the lower Snake River dams
||| FROM LINWOOD LAUGHY ||| Cracks in the four lower Snake River dams? Not literally, but metaphorically weakening and widening. Over the past five years, according to Army Corps of Engineers’ data, these dams combined
EWUA members call for third-party review amid workplace, leadership concerns
||| FROM SAM GAILEY, SPECIAL REPORT TO THE ORCASONIAN ||| The Eastsound Water Users Association held a listening session this week as the organization continues to face internal disputes, leadership concerns, labor-related tensions, and questions
Letter to Editor | Thanks to community partner during 2026 Firewise event
||| FROM CHIEF NOEL MONIN for SAN JUAN ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| San Juan Island Fire & Rescue wants to commend a Firewise Community partner - the Roche Harbor Neighborhood Association - and many
Taking Action Together | Communitywide climate survey to guide climate action
Your input guided the first steps—now help us build the next phase of the Climate Action Plan. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to
All 6 certified Eastsound Water operators speak out
||| FROM ALL SIX EASTSOUND WATER USER OPERATORS ||| First of all, we want to express to the membership how seriously we take our commitment to providing safe drinking water to our island community. One
An open letter to the EWUA board members
||| FROM EASTSOUND STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE ||| At the recent Board meeting on May 19th, over 75 members attended and delivered a clear and urgent request through public comment and applause: We need a 3rd party
Orcas Island Garden Club grows plants, friendships
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Over the years, our club has grown into something truly special by focusing on cultivating friendships and genuine connections. It’s amazing how much the club has grown, too.
