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
Orcas Garden Club has a warning about Western Tent Caterpillars this year
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Orcas Garden Club member, Nancy Schafer, has alerted us to the probability of a Western Tent Caterpillar infestation this year. We reached out to WSU Entomology expert, Dr.
Letter to Editor | Just another walk in the park
||| FROM MISHA RAUCHWERGER ||| Another glorious Mother's day in Moran State Park; this time my mother and father were here with us for a special visit that coincided with her 80th birthday. We went
Natural history, wildflowers, more await your participation in Land Bank’s walks
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| Join Conservation Land Bank staff for one of three May walks on Turtleback Mountain Preserve. Enjoy wildflowers, natural history highlights and learn more about
350 volunteers made the spring Great Islands Clean-up a success
||| FROM KATIE FLEMING for SJC ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP ||| Jim McNairy from San Juan Island carries a large piece of Styrofoam he collected from Jakle’s Lagoon. Thank you to the 350 dedicated volunteers
A reminder to remember how to secure your vehicle load
||| FROM HEATHER WALLACE for ORS RECYCLING SERVICES/THE EXCHANGE ||| There are just 3 weeks left in the Secure Your Load for Safer Roads campaign that was launched in April by San Juan County to
2022 SeaDoc Society awards Salish Sea Science Prize to Tina Whitman
The SeaDoc Society awards the prestigious Salish Sea Science Prize every two years ||| FROM SEADOC SOCIETY ||| Shorelines play a vital role in ocean health, but they’re also the areas most susceptible to human
Kwiaht study finds tick population is prevalent on Orcas Island
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWIAHT ||| We are coming to the end of this year’s peak tick “questing” season, when female ticks actively seek new hosts for blood meals to power their growth and
Video shows a new calf in K Pod off Oregon coast, its first calf in more than a decade
'Any new calf is really valuable and really, really great for the population' ||| FROM CBC NEWS ||| Biologists and whale-watching enthusiasts are celebrating what appears to be a new orca calf in a southern resident
Fecal pollution restricts shellfish harvest in some neighboring counties
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has completed the annual water quality evaluation of the state’s commercial shellfish growing areas. Unfortunately, high fecal bacteria levels will
OCPA expanding Orcas community-grown food network
||| FROM MATTHEW GILBERT for ORCAS COMMUNITY PARTICIPATORY AGRICULTURE | Since 2014, Orcas Community Participatory Agriculture (OCPA) has empowered islanders to be the creators of the food that nourishes them. The OCPA team has been
Youth Conservation Corps readies its kids summer program
||| FROM KELSEY KITTLESON for YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS ||| The Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) provides conservation and stewardship summer programs for youth ages 12-18. The 8-week program will run from June 27th-August 18th, Monday-Thursday, providing
SJ Visitors Bureau prepares for annual Travel, Tourism Week
||| FROM AMY NESLER for SAN JUAN ISLANDS VISITORS BUREAU ||| “I can’t control the wind, but I can adjust the sails.” – Ricky Skaggs The 39th annual National Travel and Tourism Week, taking place
Mama deer will no doubt return for that fawn you see
||| FROM SHONA AITKEN for WOLF HOLLOW ||| There may be fewer deer on the San Juans than there were last year, but quite a few fawns will still be born in the next few
State Parks will repair buoys in San Juan Islands, Hood Canal
Boaters should check project schedule before planning overnight trips ||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE PARKS ||| OLYMPIA – April 29, 2022 – Washington State Parks will begin contracted mooring buoy repair work in the San Juan
Draft Turtleback Mountain Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan now open for public comment
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is seeking public input on its recently completed Draft Stewardship and Management Plan (SMP) for Turtleback