||| FROM ISLAND STEWARDS |||
| It’s that time of year again—when locals refresh ferry schedules like they’re tracking stocks and abandon all hope of parking in town. Even the grass has thrown in the towel, shifting from lush green to golden brown. Don’t hate me, but I’ve had my phone turned off. I stepped back, turning off autopilot, needing to view our island home from afar. I took time to touch the grass, breathe deeply of sea air, hug moss-laden trees, and savor flowers whose fragrances slowly melted into the bittersweet scent of burnt caramel as the summer heat took hold.
The Fourth of July brought fireworks, debates, and a prolonged sense of civic confusion. In Eastsound, lines of cars wrapped around the village core, and locals could be seen circling like buzzards, eventually giving up and heading home. Ironically, joining the parade became the quickest and least crowded way to get through town. Yet, amidst the chaos, true celebration emerged quietly—in the staff members who thoughtfully cleared paths for our most vulnerable neighbors. It wasn’t patriotic fervor but genuine community care that defined the month. That’s July for you. |
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| Sure enough, the familiar swell of ferry frustrations rolled in again—and with it, Governor Bob Ferguson. During his community meeting on Orcas Island, he emphasized the importance of improving ferry reliability and staffing, echoing what islanders have known and felt deeply for years: our transportation system isn’t just convenience, it’s our lifeline.
90,000 is a big number—so big we rarely see this many daily riders across our ferry system. In fact, since 2019, we’ve only surpassed this milestone five times, with the most recent being just last week. Remarkably, four of these busy days have occurred this year alone. To put it into perspective, Disneyland maxes out at around 85,000 visitors, yet we’re moving even more people across our waters and into our fragile island ecosystem so visitors can glimpse how it feels to be surrounded by protected nature. Island Stewards is working up a transportation-use survey designed to better understand how people actually move across these islands—and how they’d prefer to travel. We’re collaborating with FORPT and meeting with National RTAP this week to advance transit advocacy, so stay tuned for the next public meeting. While we haven’t quite mastered teleportation (yet), we are committed to making transportation on and between the islands more equitable and far less stressful. |
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| Meanwhile, in the fields, dryness has set in, pushing plants that usually retreat in August into early dormancy. Some of the delicate plants have quietly let go, while more aggressive species like hemlock and tansy are thriving. The county has even asked for extra hands to manage their spread, but most of our community is already stretched thin tending gardens, managing visitors, and handling all the unseen work that keeps our island running. Amid this tiredness, Island Stewards has been busy establishing a 130’x130′ community garden complete with a 20’x36′ hoophouse, providing a space for growth, learning, and resilience.
Resilience isn’t just a buzzword. August is another busy month—one where we showcase what it truly means to be island strong, preparing ourselves and our community for the quieter months ahead. It’s a critical time to reconnect with essential skills like food preservation, resource organization, and practical disaster planning that doesn’t depend on functioning cell towers. Planning doesn’t mean promising miracles, just shade, snacks, and the comfort of knowing we’re preparing together rather than reacting alone. Communities like ours face the challenge of balancing natural beauty and growing popularity without losing affordability or local character. Island Stewards is committed to thoughtful, proactive solutions—ensuring growth is sustainable and inclusive. While we can’t control every visitor or climate change itself, we can thoughtfully steward our resources and strengthen our community resilience Thank you for being part of this effort to preserve and protect our fragile way of life. PS: Do you have at least a week’s supply of food? We have been trying some companies out, and so far here are the top picks: https://mountainhouse.com/ https://www.legacyfoodstorage. Amenity Trap -How high-amenity communities can avoid being loved to death: https://headwaterseconomics. |
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Nice writing & pix to ease the good messages! Good time for staying home down on the farm and enjoying the summer. Thanks, and enjoy it too!
Our two kids and their families are backpackers like Carla and I were.
When they visited recently I pulled out the hand written menu we developed in 1976 for a 2 week canoe trip through Algonquin Park in Ontario. Listed right at the top was our two dried food sources: Mountain House and Rich Mor. Pretty basic selection in those days!
Real stewardship begins with honesty. It would be great if we could stop pretending like tourism is anything but an exploitative industry that benefits a handful of wealthy islanders while making the summers here intolerable for everyone else.
Let’s demonstrate a serious commitment to stewardship by talking about some real solutions to hit the brakes on growth instead of writing evocative poetry about how badly we’re managing this problem. A few examples: a building moratorium and square footage limits, a permit system and visitation limits for non-residents, priority ferry access for full-time residents, and tax hikes for vacation rentals that don’t go right back into the tourism marketing fund (LTAC).
Thanks David. You’re spot on. Please reach out to me or island stewards
Where is the location of your community garden? How can locals participate?
Yes, the tansy ragwort is really thriving this year. I’ve never seen anywhere near this much along roadsides. For those who do not recognize it, tansy is the 2-3 foot tall stalks with the head of bright yellow flowers. We try to keep it out of View Haven Estates, pulling it out and disposing of it at the dump in black bags whenever raises its ugly head. People need to do likewise all across the island with this invasive species, or it will take over and push out native flora. I hear it’s poisonous to livestock.