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
San Juan Islands consider annual tourism fee for residents, visitors
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| What is the price you would pay for paradise? For many cities, counties and countries across the world, a tourism fee is a sufficient starting sum. As travel has
Lawsuit launched to stop Bering Sea trawl nets from killing orcas
Largest U.S. fishery violating environmental laws, harming marine mammals ||| FROM THE CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY ||| ANCHORAGE, Alaska— The Center for Biological Diversity filed a formal notice today of its intent to sue the National Marine Fisheries
Regenerate Cascadia presentations coming up
||| FROM REGENERATE CASCADIA ||| On October 30, 2023, Joe Brewer and Penny Heiple, Design Pathway for Regenerating Earth will be joining the Cascadia Bioregional Activation Tour organized by Clare Attwell and Brandon Letsinger for
‘No normal seasons any more’: seed farmers struggle amid the climate crisis
||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER Floods, freezes and heatwaves threaten seed production as farmers scramble to produce strains that resist climate chaos Once upon a not-so-distant time, the growing
Creosote pilings removed from Jackson Beach, improving habitat, shoreline
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County and the Marine Resources Committee is pleased to announce the successful removal of the derelict pier at Jackson Beach. This October, 117 creosote pilings were
County and WSF complete Orcas Ferry Terminal Updates, paving the way for greater accessibility
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The latest phase of accessibility improvements at the Orcas Ferry Landing is now complete. The project added ADA-compliant parking spaces, updated stormwater infrastructure, provided additional sidewalks and pavement
Feds OK natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest
||| FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS ||| PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday approved the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest over the protest of environmental groups and top officials in West Coast
The oldest Puget Sound orca: L25 may be approaching 100
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| She is still out there: cruising miles uncounted, leading her family to fish. L25 is the world’s oldest known living wild orca, the uncontested reigning matriarch of the southern
Garden Club reminds us that Fall is definitely here
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Hello everyone! Fall is definitely here as our gardens breathe a sigh of relief with cooler temperatures and the return of rain. Leaves are changing colors, the moss
Why won’t Greenpeace admit that wind turbines may be killing whales?
||| FROM MATTRIDLEY.CO.UK ||| Who cares about whales? Whales might be dying because of sonar surveying, but Greenpeace simply ignores the science that doesn’t suit it. So far last year, 71 whales have washed up
‘They just come, take a nice selfie … and leave.’ Overtourism returns, but cities are fighting back
||| FROM CNBC ||| REPOST AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER From overtourism to no tourism — and back again. Many cities have come full circle to worrying about too many tourists rather than too few.
Partial solar eclipse
||| FROM JOHN FLEISHER ||| John Fleisher, from West Sound Observatory, was able to capture this morning's partial solar eclipse in a stunning photograph.
Killarney becomes first Irish town to ban single-use coffee cups
‘It was a plague’: A blanket ‘bring or buy’ reusable scheme has been introduced in the town, which was getting through 23,000 cups a week ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN || at request of Orcasonian reader
Large Snake River toxic algal bloom hasn’t happened before
||| FROM KNKX NPR.ORG ||| POSTED AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER From the air above Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River, a green sheen spreads out over the water. “There was a pretty extensive
Fall 2023 Great Islands Clean-up successfully removes 1,800lbs of litter
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| In an inspiring display of community unity and environmental stewardship, 164 dedicated volunteers came together to participate in the Fall Great Islands Clean-up on Orcas, San Juan, Shaw,
