Here’s a thought…
“No one, I mean no one, has the right to sit in judgment of who’s American enough.”
MICHELLE OBAMA
LWVSJ Observer Corps*: County Council April 21, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| During public comment the president of the San Juan Building Association spoke of improving the past adversarial relationship with the Department of Community Development. In addition to identifying and fixing problems, he wanted to acknowledge what is going right and
Free Wildfire Readiness event – May 10 – 1-3pm
May is National Wildfire Preparedness Month ||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Please join Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR), the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and San Juan Islands Conservation District for a Wildfire Readiness event on May 10 from 1-3pm at the
Due Next Week | Real and personal property taxes due April 30
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Treasurer, Rhonda Pederson, would like to remind county property owners that the first half of property taxes and personal property taxes are due and payable to the San Juan County Treasurer on or before April 30, 2025. Find information regarding
Loyalty to the Earth | There is no room for more
If there is a lot, we take a lot; if there is a little, we take it all. — Lyle Lewis, Racing to Extinction ||| LOYALTY TO THE EARTH by ELISABETH ROBSON ||| We are captives of a story. This story tells us that more is better. More energy, more extraction,
Conservation Land Bank opens Watmough Head trail on Lopez Island
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Saturday, May 3, join commissioners and staff from the Land Bank and Bureau of Land Management as we celebrate opening the new trail from Watmough Bay to Watmough Head. The ¾ mile hike to the point at Watmough Head is rich with scenic
Fleabag from National Theatre Live at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center brings Fleabag, the acclaimed one-woman show written and performed by the extraordinary Phoebe Waller-Bridge to the big screen on Wednesday, April 30 at 7pm as part of National Theatre Live’s digital programming, providing an unparalleled cinematic and theatrical experience. Fleabag
Orcas Island Film Festival presents the Spring Mini Fest
||| FROM DONNA LASLO for ORCAS ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL ||| The Orcas Island Film Festival (OIFF) is thrilled to announce the return of its Spring Mini Fest happening April 25–27, 2025 at the Sea View Theatre. This intimate fest features eight hand picked films—a mix of powerful documentaries and compelling feature films from
State budget cuts could slash Puget Sound’s passenger ferry service
||| FROM THE URBANIST ||| As the Washington State House and Senate work toward a compromise two-year transportation budget ahead of the final day of the legislative session on April 27, the future of a key mobility option for many Puget Sound residents is fully up in the air. State
Orcas Island Garden Club awards grants to two local non-profit groups
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Garden Club awards grants to anyone with projects which support the mission of our club: to stimulate knowledge and love of gardening, cooperate in the protection and conservation of nature, and assist in the beautification of the community. The grant
Counting clams kicks off this year’s Indian Island program
||| FROM RUSSEL BARSH for KWAIHT ||| This year’s clam survey by Kwiaht scientists and local volunteers will take place between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm on Tuesday April 29, and noon and 2:00 pm on Wednesday April 30, on Eastsound’s beach below the county park. Kwiaht encourages islanders to
Monthly hearing services at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Stacie Nordrum, Au.D., CCC-A, from Island Hearing Healthcare, provides hearing care at Orcas Senior Center every first Thursday of the month. To secure your slot, it is advisable to schedule your appointment well in advance, as availability fills up rapidly. The
How the Trump administration’s interpretation of one word—‘Harm’—could gut habitat protections for Endangered Species
“This administration’s greed and contempt for imperiled wildlife know no bounds.” — Noah Greenwald, Center for Biological Diversity ||| FROM INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS ||| The Trump administration proposed a new rule Wednesday that would rescind widespread habitat protections for species protected under the Endangered Species Act, a landmark law enacted
Dive into education and plastic pollution at this year’s Great Islands Clean Up
Participate in the Great Nurdle Hunt ||| FROM JESS NEWLEY for GREAT ISLANDS CLEAN UP ||| The Great Islands Clean Up is just around the corner! On Saturday, April 26, communities across San Juan County will unite to pick up litter and marine debris from roadsides, beaches, and public lands.
Airhawks Flying Club soars higher
||| FROM ROBERT WAUNCH for AIRHAWKS FLYING CLUB ||| The Airhawks Flying Club continues to spread its wings. We have added a second Beachcraft ‘Sundowner’ named Katie. The aircraft was generously donated by Orcas residents Jack and Robin Becker. With the increasing demand from new students plus existing Club pilots
Art, creativity, flexibility in upcoming classes at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Discover Gentle Flexibility: A Balance Class Inspired by the Feldenkrais Method Join Andrea Preiss, a seasoned Feldenkrais practitioner and therapeutic eurythmist, for a relaxing movement class at Orcas Senior Center, Tuesdays at 11 a.m. (no class May 20, May 27, and
Learn about this PNW UFO encounter from 1947
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| On August 1, 1947, the tragic crash of a B-25 bomber in Washington State triggered an FBI investigation of “The Maury Island Incident”—an infamous Northwest UFO sighting, and history’s first alleged encounter with the so-called “Men in Black.” The FBI’s records
