Here’s a thought…
“The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions.”
ROBERT LYND
Canoe Island Music Camp with JP and the OK Rhythm Boys
||| FROM ANITA ORNE ||| Registration is now open for Canoe Island Music Camp 2025! Join JP and the OK Rhythm Boys for a weekend of music and fun on Canoe Island, May 3-4. The trio will offer workshops for guitar, uke, bass, mandolin, fiddle, voice, squap dance, saw, ensemble
New monthly card game at Orcas Senior Center – ‘Karma’
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Starting Thursday, March 13, recent Orcas Senior Center members Mark Ferrari and his mom, Jackie Ferrari, will host a new monthly card game at the center. Karma is a fun, fast-paced, and easy-to-learn game that always brings surprises—no two games end
Call for artists at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee (VAC) of Orcas Center welcomes artists of all genres to participate in the next community show: Art and The Elements, with Featured Artist Peter Olesen in the lobby. Installation Day: Thursday, March 20, 10:15am – 12pm Art Opening:
Time to share your Irish-ness in upcoming parade
||| FROM KAREN KEY ||| On Monday, March 17th EVERYONE is Irish! Wear your green and join your island friends and neighbors for a brief but beloved island event - the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. If you want to bring props, decorate a float, ride in a car -
SJC Monthly News Digest – February 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Prioritizing Accessibility & Connectivity, San Juan County Launches Newsletters & Website Update San Juan County is pleased to announce new ways to stay connected to news and events as well as easier access to online information. Based on feedback from the 2024 Communications Survey,
Me and Anna down in the backyard
||| FROM KEN WOOD ||| On a grey day in early February, while standing quietly in my snowy garden, I was surprised to hear a hummingbird zoom overhead and followed the sound to find a fluffed-up female Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) perched on the tip of a branch of the crabapple
Trump moves to increase logging in National Forests
The president wants to circumvent environmental regulations to expand timber production, something sought by homebuilders and the construction industry. ||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| President Trump has promised to “drill, baby, drill.” Now, he also wants to log. On Saturday, Mr. Trump directed federal agencies to examine ways
Public Meeting | Land Bank using prescribed fires to manage wildfire risks & restore ecosystems
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| A consortium of organizations is researching prescribed fire as a tool to reduce wildfire fuels in the San Juan Islands. Studies indicate that fire occurred every 6–15 years before Euro-American contact, with the Coast Salish people using controlled burns to maintain ecosystems for
Jury duty cancelled for March 3 – 7
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| For the jury period beginning Monday, March 3 through Friday March 7, all jurors are now excused.
He’s back…and there will be the sound of music…
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| Please join Orcas Choral Society Director Bruce Langford at the Orcas Island Public Library as he continues his Quasi-Accurate Description of Music History in March. Bruce throws back the curtain on the Classical and Romantic periods, including the fascinating lives of its
Adrift | Looking for a new home
||| ADRIFT by LIN MCNULTY, ORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| I first set foot on Orcas Island in December 1990 for a company Christmas celebration at Rosario Resort. The environmental consulting firm I worked for terminated my employment shortly after that gathering because they were not impressed with my choice of venue.
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Willow cultivation and crafting by Maria Bullock
||| FROM PERRI GIBBONS for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join us on Wednesday, March 19th at the Orcas Center when the Orcas Island Garden Club welcomes Maria Bullock to speak about cultivating willow for basket weaving. In this presentation Maria will share her experience of cultivating willow
County to test vote counting equipment in March
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Elections office will be holding a “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used for the County’s April 22, 2025, Special election. The test is scheduled for March 18, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Logic and accuracy testing is a
Christopher Peacock named next Executive Director of Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival
||| FROM MARY TAYLOR for ORCAS ISLAND CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (OICMF) is delighted to announce the appointment of Christopher Peacock as its next Executive Director. Peacock will step into the role following the retirement of Anita Orne, who will conclude her tenure in
4.5 magnitude earthquake strikes Orcas Island
||| FROM KOMO-TV NEWS ||| If you felt some shaking while making your Monday morning coffee, you weren't imagining things. People across western Washington felt it, too. At 5:02 a.m., a 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck near the town of Olga on Orcas Island, according to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). The
