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
Boaters encouraged to ‘Be Whale Wise’ for Orca Action Month
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| After what felt like a very long winter, Puget Sound residents are excited to get out on the water and enjoy the beauty of our region. June is
Commerce awards $4 million to make community buildings more energy efficient
Projects save taxpayer dollars by retrofitting schools, hospitals and municipal facilities and upgrading heating, cooling and lighting systems to reduce energy consumption. ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ||| OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State
Larsen, Payne: Investment in green ferries steers U.S. toward cleaner transportation future
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Donald Payne (NJ-10) introduced legislation to make it easier for ferry systems to invest in cleaner and greener ferries and combat climate change.
Annual evaluation of shellfish growing areas yields good news for some, concern for others
||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA - The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) continues to evaluate the conditions in and around Washington’s shellfish harvesting areas and make growing area classification changes. This year,
Concerned about jet noise over San Juans? Join this upcoming ZOOM gathering
Wednesday, May 26, 6:30 p.m. ||| FROM SUSAN SHANNON for SOUND DEFENSE ALLIANCE ||| Join a ZOOM gathering with fellow islanders to discuss the noise generated by Growler jets on Wednesday, May 26, at 6:30
Inslee signs historic climate change legislative package
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE ||| Gov. Jay Inslee signed a historic climate change legislative package [Monday] during a three-stop tour through King County. The governor signed the Climate Commitment Act, environmental
County Council considers options for vacation rental caps
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| On May 18, Director of Community Development Erika Shook gave council members four options for establishing countywide and/or island-specific caps on vacation rental permits (excluding Friday Harbor).
Guest Opinion | Greenwashing San Juan County
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| Today I received in my inbox an email from OPALCO extolling an affordable energy future powered by renewables and carried by electric vehicles. We get pictures of solar panels and
RE Sources to honor 2021 Environmental Heroes in evening of powerful stories
The nonprofit’s virtual celebration and benefit on June 9 will recognize three NW Washington Environmental Heroes and will also feature State Rep. Debra Lekanoff and WA State Poet Laureate Rena Priest ||| FROM JAY KOSA
San Juan County Land Bank meeting & agenda for May 2021
Monthly meeting on May 21, 8:30 a.m. via Zoom ||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| A Land Bank team tackled Lopez’s Weeks Wetland Preserve for the Great Islands Cleanup
Letter to Editor | Urge county to create a “Truth in Planning” document and public buildout analysis
||| FROM NATALIE MENACHO ||| Hey Islander! I hope this little San Juan County love note finds you reveling in the verdant opulence of springtime. We all moved here for the love of our
Bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced in Congress to protect Washington orca and other marine mammals
||| FROM THE SUBURBAN TIMES ||| Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10) introduced bipartisan legislation along with Representatives Stephanie Murphy, (FL-7), and Brian Mast (FL-18) to protect marine mammals like orca, dolphins, seals, and whales. H.R.2848, the
Fabled yacht Norwester goes adrift in Salish Sea
||| FROM SAN JUAN ISLANDER.COM ||| The demise of the 89-year-old 70-ft wooden hulled Norwester is still playing out three weeks after she was grounded on a reef in the San Juan Islands. The yacht went
WA governor, senators say ‘not so fast’ to Snake River dams removal plan
||| FROM SEATTLE TIMES ||| Washington state’s U.S. senators and its governor have joined forces against a proposal from U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Lower Snake River and
Next Meeting of the Minds: Forage fishes and the beach
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Meeting of the Minds – “Forage Fishes and the Beach: The Role of Local Shorelines in Marine Ecosystem Recovery” brought to you on Zoom by Orcas