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
Last chance to enter raffle: OPALCO to host solar town hall on Sept. 20
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| OPALCO’s series of Island Way workshops concludes with a Solar Town Hall via Zoom on September 20 at 5 P.m. The Solar Town Hall will
San Juan County Fire Districts: It’s now OK to have a recreational fire
||| FROM CHUCK DALLDORF for SAN JUAN COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT ||| With changing weather conditions, as of Friday September 10, 2021, the San Juan County Fire Districts are allowing recreational fires including charcoal, wood burning,
Two new Asian giant hornet sightings confirmed in Whatcom County
The new sightings were in the same general area the WSDA found Asian giant hornet nests in 2020 and 2021 ||| FROM KING5 NEWS ||| WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Two new Asian giant hornet sightings
Tree protections? Planning for growth? Your help is needed by Sept. 14
||| FROM R. BRENT LYLES for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| It's time to spring into action! On the morning of Tuesday, September 14, the County Council will hold a hearing on the 2021
Camas Club sprouts a new website for island backyard restorationists
||| FROM SHAUN HUBBARD for CAMAS CLUB ||| The recently formed Camas Club has launched a website created for and by islanders to connect with other backyard habitat enthusiasts. It is a place where native
It takes a village to clean an island
||| FROM HEATHER WALLACE ||| The Great Islands Clean-up is back! In honor of National Public Lands Day, come join your fellow islanders for the 2021 Fall Great Islands Clean-up on September 25. This year’s
Center for Whale Research encounters J Pod out in Boundary Pass
||| FROM THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Date: 05-Sep-21 Sequence: 1 Encounter Number: 63 Enc Start Time: 15:26 Enc End Time: 17:56 Vessel: Orcinus Observers: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss, Charli Grimes Pods or ecotype:
Nationally-recognized gardener/author coming to speak at library
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Garden Club welcomes Karen Chapman on a virtual (Zoom) presentation called Touchstones: a journey of healing and discovery on Wednesday September 15, 2021 at 10:30
Guest Opinion | 2021 Docket request (build-out analysis)
||| FROM JANET ALDERTON ||| I understand that trying to fulfill this docket request would consume vast amounts of staff time and attention, if the goal is to get as close to a perfect analysis
Islands Oil Spill Assoc. offering spill response training this fall
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for ISLANDS OIL SPILL ASSOCIATION ||| The Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) is offering free oil spill response training for interested islanders in October. Sessions will be held on Lopez, Orcas,
Kaleidoscope purchases land for outdoor education on Orcas Island
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for KALEIDOSCOPE FOREST SCHOOL ||| Kaleidoscope, a non-profit preschool and child care center on Orcas Island, recently purchased 7.4 acres of forested land to secure expanded access and permanent space for
Honolulu Airbnbs shut down when pandemic began. Mayor wants to keep it that way
The mayor sees the crackdown on vacation rentals as a tourism control measure. ||| FROM HONOLULU CIVIL BEAT ||| REPRINTED AT REQUEST OF READER When Hawaii tourism came to a halt in 2020, Honolulu residents
Planning Commission recommends aggressive caps on VR permits
||| BY theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER MATTHEW GILBERT ||| The issue of establishing caps on vacation rental permits continues to attract significant public interest, and at the August 20 meeting of the SJC Planning Commission, it
Orcas Island restaurants struggle with more tourists, fewer workers, high cost of living
||| FROM SEATTLE TIMES ||| ORCAS ISLAND — During the peak of this summer’s tourist season, Orcas Island seemed to attract just about everyone — except the workers who make it run. Posted on the
Salish Seeds Project 2021 fall native wildflower sale begins Sept. 10
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SJC LAND BANK ||| The Salish Seeds Project’s popular, twice-annual wildflower sale is happening soon. Reserve plants online September 10 - 17, and pick them up on Saturday, October 2