Here’s a thought…
“America is and always has been an argument — it’s an experiment.”
DAVID W. BLIGHT
Latest happenings from The Exchange
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| Home Composting Classes are Back Join us at The Orcas Grange on 5/22 or 5/23 and learn how to compost at home and keep food scraps, garden, and yard materials out of the waste stream. Tickets are $75 each and include: (1) 82 gallon
Community-hosted candlelight vigil scheduled for Ella & David
Friday, May 15th—7:30 pm ||| FROM FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY ||| 7:30—Gather AT VILLAGE GREEN. Write a thought, memory, or blessing for Ella & David to be offered during the vigil. 8:30—Ceremony with music performed by Grace McCune 8:45—Lighting of the candles 9:11—A shared moment of silence for Ella & David Organized
Land Bank May 2026 meeting, agenda
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, May 15. The meeting is scheduled from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Mullis Community Senior Center, Friday Harbor,
OPALCO receives conditional use permit for Decatur Island solar expansion project
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for OPALCO ||| On Tuesday, May 12, OPALCO was notified that they were granted the Conditional Use Permit for the Decatur Island Solar Expansion Project. The Decatur Island Solar Expansion project is a proposed ~1.6 MW AC Community Solar project. It’s adjacent to OPALCO’s substation and
No jurors needed for May 18-22
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: MAY 18-22, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday May 18th through Friday May 22nd, 2026 are excused. Thank you.
Encounter #30 • Bigg’s T23s in Haro Strait
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 11:37 AM ObservEnd: 01:48 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T23, T23D, T23D3, T23D4, T23D5, and T23D6 LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: Michael and Dave were working in the office when they
Celebrate Student Artists | Exhibit at Orcas Center
||| FROM D.N. KINSEY for ART FOR ORCAS KIDS ||| During the month of May, Art for Orcas Kids celebrates Arts Education Month with the Annual Student Art Exhibit at the Orcas Center. Thank you to all who joined us for the exhibit opening and a special thank you to the VAC volunteers
Rep. Larsen | Child care costs now rival rent or mortgage payments
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Coming off of Mother's Day weekend, I am thinking about how we can better support working families during this affordability crisis. Right now, working families are being pushed to the brink by the rising cost of child care. In communities
OIFR graduates 21 new firefighters – one of the largest in department history
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) held its 2026 Fire Academy Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, May 9th at Station 21 in Eastsound. The ceremony was standing room only, with more than 150 friends and family members in attendance. Families
News Brief | Photographing whales when something you can only see once in a lifetime happens
||| FROM WONDERBOT ANIMALS |||
News Brief | A water doom loop is coming
||| FROM NEW YORK TIMES ||| Ecologists warn that in just 25 years, more than 70 percent of the Southwestern needle leaf evergreen forests, which include ponderosa pines, may be replaced by grass in what might qualify as the first significant post-climate change landscape in America. Lands that are no
Orcas Island Health Care District sponsoring Orcas Island Caregiver Project
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| OIHCD is excited to support the Orcas Island Caregiver Project, a community initiative working to strengthen professional caregivers and connect them with island families. During the collaboration of the Orcas “Out of Clinic Care” workgroup in Summer of 2025, caregiver support was
GiveOrcas | Let’s grow something together
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for GIVEORCAS.COM ||| Today is the day! Since 2013, the Orcas Island community has come together to contribute an impressive $3 million during Spring GiveOrcas. You’ve invested in preserving historic community buildings, made sure seniors have plenty of activities to connect, brought artistic visions to life
OIFR urges community action on wildfire prevention
||| FROM FIRE CHIEF CHAD KIMPLE ||| In recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) is encouraging residents to take proactive steps now to reduce wildfire risk and protect homes, neighborhoods, and the island as a whole ahead of the summer fire season. Wildfire prevention starts
Letter to Editor | The crisis at Eastsound Water Users Association
||| FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS LISTED BELOW ||| If you are one of the 70% of Orcas Island residents who receives water from Eastsound, Doe Bay, Rosario, and Olga water users associations, you depend on the experienced water system operators of the Eastsound Water User Association (EWUA) who operate all of
Letter to Editor | Congratulations to new OPALCO board members
||| FROM RICH GOODHART ||| It is easy to congratulate the two new OPALCO Board members this year — Congratulations Lauras! Both have backgrounds with strong qualifications and I’m sure will do an outstanding job, along with the existing five board voices. If I have any advice, it is through
