Here’s a thought…
“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”
JIM ROHN
Feldenkrais Movement Class
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join Andrea Preiss, a seasoned Feldenkrais practitioner and therapeutic eurythmist, for a relaxing movement class at Orcas Senior Center, Tuesdays at 11 am. Emphasizing a seated position, these subtle exercises rooted in the Feldenkrais Method and eurythmy aim to improve your
Friends of San Juans virtual annual gathering
Loving this place isn't enough—we need to protect it, too! ||| FROM AYN GAILEY for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS ||| Join Friends of the San Juans Tuesday 10/15 at 5 PM (PST) for our 45th annual virtual gathering, a 45-minute virtual report for members of the work they empower in
Collapsing wildlife populations near ‘points of no return’, report warns
As average population falls reach 95% in some regions, experts call for urgent action but insist ‘nature can recover’ ||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| Global wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 73% in 50 years, a new scientific assessment has found, as humans continue to push ecosystems to
Letter to Editor | McVeigh brings dedication, expertise for Council
||| FROM BARRY JACOBSON ||| I am casting my vote for Kari McVeigh for San Juan County Council, and I urge you to do the same. A few months ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kari at lunch with a friend. I hadn't spent time with her before, and
Letter to Editor | McVeigh is an exceptional candidate
||| FROM SENATOR LIZ LOVELETT ||| A very happy election season to the San Juan Islands! I'm writing today to express my support for an exceptional candidate for your County Council, Kari McVeigh. I've had the opportunity to work with Kari for many years after first meeting over our shared
Drop-In Peer Grief Support Group
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us for a supportive, non-judgmental space to process grief and mourning with the Drop-In Peer Grief Support Group at Orcas Senior Center, Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 am beginning October 16. This group is designed to help normalize your feelings,
Animal Justice calls for immediate action to end Marineland’s cycle of neglect and death
||| FROM ANIMAL JUSTICE ||| TORONTO—Animal Justice is calling for prompt action and accountability following the news of yet another whale death at Marineland. As reported by the Canadian Press, a fourth beluga whale has died this year, with provincial records showing 16 beluga deaths and one killer whale death since 2019. “It is
Earth’s wildlife populations have disappeared at a ‘catastrophic’ rate in the past half-century
||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| Earth’s wildlife populations have fallen on average by a “catastrophic” rate of 73 percent in the past half-century, according to a new analysis the World Wildlife Fund released Wednesday. The WWF and the Zoological Society of London track 5,495 species of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals
Clean Water Advisory Committee response to Zylstra Lake dam removal rumors
||| FROM KIMBAL SUNDBERG for SJC CLEAN WATER ADVISORY COMMITTEE ||| I am writing as Chair of the county Clean Water Advisory Committee (CWAC) in response to misinformation on social media purporting Conservation Land Bank (CLB) “plans” to remove the dam creating Zylstra Lake. In summary, CWAC has taken no
Meeting Recap | Public safety in the islands during hunting season
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| This week, San Juan County Council Chair Jane Fuller hosted a community meeting on Lopez Island to discuss public safety measures during the hunting season with Federal, State, and County officials. During the meeting, speakers from the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW),
Letter to Editor | Rick Hughes is truly non-partisan
||| FROM F. MILENE HENLEY ||| Rick Hughes can be a really annoying guy. In my tenure as County Auditor and his as County Council, he had the habit of dropping in on me for a “quick chat,” sometimes at the most inopportune times. But when he was on the
Sheriff’s Report | October 2 – 8, 2024
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 24-006407 Fraud 10:02:17 10/02/24 An Orcas Island Deputy was dispatched to a report of fraudulent activity occurring on Blakely Island. The incident is currently under investigation. 24-006409 Welfare Check 10:37:21 10/02/24 An Orcas Island Deputy was dispatched to a
Researchers concerned after new orca calf observed skinny, struggling to breathe
||| FROM THE CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| L128 Update: New calf L128 was documented by researchers from CWR, SR3, OBI, Wild Orca, NOAA, and SeaDoc Society over multiple days starting on 9/15/2024. CWR did not note anything obviously wrong with either mother or calf based on behavior and gross
Bright lights
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Lindsay Jennings, Orcas Island Community Foundation Wow, what a shining display of auroras last night - I hope you stepped outside to see the northern lights! What a treat! I brought some treats to the public school 6th-grade
Election Security FAQs | Vote early, vote safely
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Elections Office continues participation in National Voter Education Week (October 7-11) by answering common questions about election security. With the 2024 General Election just around the corner, and the heightened focus on the electoral process, your elections team is taking a moment
Update on Conservation Land Bank preserves
||| FROM PETER GUILLOZET, ORCAS PRESERVE STEWARD ||| On behalf of your Conservation Land Bank, I wanted to share some updates about several Orcas preserves. First, we are thrilled to see friends and neighbors enjoying North Shore Preserve. After two years of preparing the property for use, it was a
