Here’s a thought…
“If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need.”
WILLIAM L. MCKNIGHT
After nearly 25 years, federal officials approve a limited Makah whale hunt
||| FROM KNKX NPR ||| The long wait is over. A federal official has given the green light for members of the Makah tribe to resume exercising their treaty right to whaling, based on a request first made in 2005. Their last hunt took place in 1999. With a waiver under the Marine Mammal Protection
LWVSJ Observer Corps: County Council June 11, 2024
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| During public comment a Lopez resident thanked the council for meeting on Lopez and said regarding the new skate park, that rather than spending money on visual elements like colored concrete and an embedded map, he would prefer additional skate features. Transitions
Orcas Senior Center buys building: You can help
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Orcas Senor Center’s (OSC’s) capital campaign is well on its way to raising the $1.5 million needed to achieve full ownership of the building. As the thermometer at Brown Bear reflects, we have raised about $613,000 thus far. We need your
Orcas APS gala
||| FROM KRISTINA SNYDER for ORCAS ANIMAL PROTECTION SOCIETY ||| We invite you to the Love Tails Gala, where compassion meets celebration! Join us on Saturday, July 6 at Orcas Center at 4:30 pm for a paws-itively unforgettable evening dedicated to supporting Orcas Animal Protection Society and the incredible community
Encomium | In Memory of Bill Anders
||| FROM RUSTY SCHWEICKART, APOLLO 9 LUNAR MODULE PILOT ||| Here's a wonderful tribute to Bill Anders from his long-standing Apollo Astronaut buddy, Rusty Schweickart, the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 9 mission. Rusty was visiting Bill here on Orcas Island in 2016 when Bill called to suggest he
Input on Odd Fellows hall kitchen requested
||| FROM CHE BLAINE for ORCAS ODD FELLOWS ||| Our Eastsound Hall has been in use since 1891 and is a vital community space that hosts a myriad of uses including classes, dances, gatherings, food service, and weddings. This year, the Odd Fellows are working to make needed improvements and
Scientists uncover lasting impact of monumental dam removal project
'You can change the marine ecosystem' ||| FROM THE COOL DOWN ||| Scientists studying a dam removal project in Washington state have discovered positive impacts on coastal ecosystems a decade downstream from the project's beginning. According to a report in Hakai Magazine, the 2013 removal of the Glines Canyon Dam on
Welcome to summer season in the garden
||| FROM LAURA WALKER for ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| June just might be my favorite month. No more chilly surprises for foliage or fauna. I can’t wait to wake up on a sunny morning, skip breakfast, grab my cup of Joe and head out to my favorite place, the
Whale Museum Summer Lecture Series opens
||| FROM TATE THOMSON for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum is starting its Summer Lecture Series with A Picture of Health: Southern Resident Killer Whale Photogrammetry Research. Join us on June 20 at 7 p.m. at The Whale Museum for an evening of education with Dr. Holly Fearnbach of
Shaw Island School District job opportunity
||| FROM DEANNA SHANNON for SHAW ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| Shaw Island School District 10 has an opening for a paraeducator (classroom aide) for the 2024-25 school year. Time: 7 hours per day, Monday through Thursday Starting pay: $24 per hour Benefits: health insurance For a job description and application,
Letter to Editor | Stephanie O’Day has experience necessary for County Council
||| FROM MERRI ANN SIMONSON ||| Stephanie O’Day would make an excellent County Council member due to her experience and knowledge gained from working with the County’s planning, permitting, and development departments over the last 33 years. She is very familiar with current functioning of those departments and where
SJC Democrats 2024 primary endorsements
||| FROM DAVID TURNOY for SAN JUAN COUNTY DEMOCRATS ||| After hosting most of the candidates for office this year over the last nine months at our meetings plus receiving detailed questionnaires back from the candidates, here are the endorsements for the August, 2024, primary from the county Democrats: Governor
Earthrise | We need your help!
||| EARTHRISE BY JAY KIMBALL ||| Want to be part of something big? Looking for ways to help the planet? Thinking globally but wanting to act locally? Good news: The county has an online climate action survey you can take right now. Take the survey HERE. County climate survey background
FDA: Shellfish from Oregon, Washington may have paralytic toxin
||| FROM UPI NEWS ||| Seafood lovers should steer clear of shellfish from Oregon and Washington state because of possible contamination with a paralyzing toxin, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned. In an advisory, the FDA told consumers to avoid oysters and bay clams harvested from Netarts and Tillamook
THANK YOU, Orcas Island! GiveOrcas fully funded
||| FROM TERA ANDAYA for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The 2024 Spring GiveOrcas Campaign was fully funded! Every record was broken! More donors, more donations, more participation in game days - all accomplished during a much shorter campaign (GiveOrcas was dropped from 14 to 10 days this year). 957
OPALCO members may be eligible for a $200 bill credit from Washington State
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT ||| Through the Washington Families Clean Energy Credits Grant program, OPALCO residential customers could be eligible for a $200 Bill Credit. This program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, which supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-investment
