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
Letter to Editor | Paulsen for Council
||| FROM JULIE BRUNNER ||| I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with Justin since he moved to Orcas Island in 2003 and partnered with OPAL to build the OPAL office campus and Reddick Apartments. Justin is passionate about kids, kid’s athletics, affordable housing, and the islands in
Letter to Editor | Paulsen, O’Day have the qualities I look for in a leader
||| FROM DEBORAH STRASSER ||| When considering the people I want to support in the role of County Council Person here in the islands some of the attributes I look for are: Strong familiarity w/the area; Some long-term acquaintance, friendship, and understanding of the families who call our county home.
Letter to Editor | Renew our Land Bank
||| FROM ED SUIJ ||| Just cutting carbon emissions will not prevent climate breakdown. "Humanity risks catastrophic global heating if it focuses only on decarbonisation at the expense of restoring the natural world," Colombia’s environment minister has said in the lead-up to the world’s key nature summit later this year.
Reminder: You’re invited to attend open house for 2025 Comp Plan update
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to host a series of grocery store information booths and open house events on three islands where the community can learn more about the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) Update, including the new Climate Element development, and provide input.
No school Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
||| FROM BLAKE WILSON for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Dear OISD Student Families, Please be reminded that there will be no school on Wednesday, October 16 and Thursday, October 17 due to fall conferences. If your child has a scheduled appointment during this time, please contact their teacher or counselor for specific arrival instructions. Additionally,
Orcas Center call for ceramics, watercolors artists
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s Visual Arts Committee (VAC) is calling all Orcas artists to showcase your creativity and passion for ceramics and watercolors for the next art exhibit in the Madrona Room on October 25. Community shows are open to ALL island artists, beginning
Protecting whales from ship strikes
||| FROM CBS NEWS ||| In the summer of 2022, I was walking on the beach at Half Moon Bay in California, when I saw the strangest thing approaching on the waves. When it struck the shore and deflated, I knew: it was a dead whale. But it wasn't just any whale.
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
