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
County Council to finally rule on capping vacation rental permits
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| After three years of passionate public comment, Planning Commission debate, and County Council smoke signals, the idea of setting caps on the number of vacation rental permits
Washington water supply outlook report for April
||| FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE ||| General Outlook What happened to our miracle March and La Nina, you may ask? Well, the warm dry trend from January and February continued through March. There were
Coming up: A four-season cottage garden presentation in the San Juan Islands
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Margaret Payne On Wednesday, April 20, at 10:30 am, the Orcas Island and Lopez Island Garden Clubs’ virtual (zoom) meeting will feature Margaret Payne presenting A
Local Earth Day Climate Committee to launch on Earth Day eve
||| FROM ANGELA BRODERICK for SJC DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ||| On April 22nd, an expected 1 billion people around the world will take action to protect our planet in observance of Earth Day. On
San Juan, Orcas fire crews remain on the scene of downtown Friday Harbor fire
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| UPDATE: KING5 News coverage: San Juan Island and Orcas Island fire and rescue crews are working to put out a large commercial fire in downtown Friday Harbor that began Thursday
State Parks Clean Vessel Act Grant Program funds $700,000 in new pumpout and floating restroom projects
Recreational boat pumpout facilities expand across the state ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE PARKS ||| OLYMPIA – April 5, 2022 – Recreational boaters in Washington waters will have an easier time disposing of vessel sewage thanks
High Wind Warning arrives on the scene for tonight, tomorrow
||| FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ||| * What, for the Wind Advisory, South winds 15 to 25 MPH With Gusts Up to 35 MPH. for the High Wind Warning, South winds 35 to 45 MPH
Judge rules against Navy SEAL training at Washington State Parks
||| FROM KUOW ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER The Navy SEALs won’t be able to use Washington State Parks as training grounds. A judge on Friday ruled against an earlier decision to allow
The Great Islands Clean-up is back in person
||| FROM PETE MOE for EXCHANGE ORCAS ||| Come join your fellow islanders for the 2022 Spring Great Islands Clean-up on Saturday, April 23, 2022 between 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Grabbers, gloves, bags and
Council still on deck for climate change
||| BY STAFF REPORTER SHIN BREEM ||| “It’s all hands on deck,” said one County official as the County Council unveiled its long-awaited first draft of a proposed series of priorities to address possible approaches
Bill to conserve Washington kelp and eelgrass forests signed into law
||| FROM WA STATE SENATE DEMOCRATS ||| OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee today signed legislation to conserve and restore the plants that are foundational to the state’s marine ecosystems. Senate Bill 5619, known as the
Save now! Pay later! OPALCO’s Switch It Up program expands
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| OPALCO members can now finance up $100,000 (per membership) in efficiency upgrades for their home or business. Projects that qualify include home heating units
EPA grants $52 million to Washington for drinking water, wastewater infrastructure improvements
State estimates $253.5 million available for wastewater, $22 million for drinking water ||| FROM U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ||| SEATTLE -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it will help fund Washington’s $22 million plan
How can we better prepare for natural hazards on our coasts? Inter-organizational collaboration to assist local efforts may be key
A newly completed project lays the foundation for a team to help Washington’s coastal communities be better prepared for floods, erosion and other coastal hazards ||| FROM WASHINGTON SEA GRANT ||| Floods. Erosion. Sea level
Guest Opinion | Lower Snake River dam removal has two sides
||| FROM TOM OWENS ||| Removing the Snake River dams is a tough decision. It has two sides. Like many other issues we face, there are merits to both arguments. Hopefully, before final decisions and
