Here’s a thought…
“When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.”
ALANIS OBOMSAWIN
Worship Outloud is back
||| FROM ALICIA WIGFIELD for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY CHURCH ||| Get ready, OICC! Worship OUTLOUD is back, and you do NOT want to miss this night. Come worship. Come sing. Come bring a friend. Come expecting God to move! August 28, 2026 7:00 PM Orcas Island Community Church This is
San Juan County Conservation Land Bank farmland property proposed for sale
The Conservation Land Bank seeks a buyer who wants to continue the agricultural heritage of a 40-acre property on San Juan Island ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank is currently under contract to purchase the 122-acre property at 652 Halvorsen Road on
Ingman is grateful for election landslide & ready for work ahead
||| FROM KATHERINE BRYANT INGMAN FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY COUNCIL ||| Following the certification of the primary, I want to thank every voter across San Juan County who took the time to participate in this election. San Juan County continues to show what engaged, active citizenship looks like, and I'm
Jurors excused for August 24-28
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: AUGUST 24-28, 2026 All jurors summonsed for Jury Duty beginning Monday August 24th through Friday August 28th 2026 are excused. Thank you.
Forests in potential danger as Trump admin scraps roadless rule
||| FROM NEWSWEEK ||| The Trump administration has taken a major step toward repealing one of the most significant federal forest conservation policies in the United States, arguing the decades-old rule has hindered efforts to reduce wildfire risk and manage national forests. Only about 5 percent of inventoried roadless areas
Gardening with mushrooms in the PNW Garden Club presentation
JOIN US AT 9:30 AM (just before the program) for social time, and feel free to bring something for the Sharing Table ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, when we welcome Alex Winstead to share helpful advice for
News Brief | Saving old trees might save lives
||| FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ||| Many cities across the country, including New York, have been planting trees in neighborhoods where cooling shade has been sparse because of neglect in decades past. But a new study has found that simply adding trees is not enough: To get the most from
Orcas Island Jazz Festival is back for a new season
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| From Brazilian rhythms and contemporary jazz to New Orleans soul and an all-star festival finale, the Orcas Island Jazz Festival brings acclaimed musicians from around the region and beyond to the heart of Orcas Island. Whether you’re a lifelong jazz fan
Understanding Alzheimer’s | A conversation with Dr. Robert Rubey
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| What do we actually know about Alzheimer's disease, and how has our understanding changed over time? Join us at Orcas Senior Center on Wednesday, September 9 at 1:00 p.m. for a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Robert Rubey, a retired psychiatrist whose
Rep. Larsen | No family should have to navigate the immigration system alone
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| The Administration's immigration enforcement agenda is tearing families apart, creating fear throughout our communities, and harming our local economy. That is why I visited the ICE holding facility in Ferndale to conduct congressional oversight and get answers for the people
News Brief | Judge rules WA utility can take land for data center power lines
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Grant County Public Utility District filed a lawsuit to condemn parts of their properties last year because their land sits in the path of a planned transmission line designed to carry more electricity to Quincy, Washington’s de facto data center hub. An attorney for
School District paving progresses across campus
||| FROM ERIC WEBB for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT ||| We are excited to share another positive update on the progress of our summer campus improvement projects! Our second full day of asphalt paving concluded on Friday, bringing the total amount of asphalt delivered and placed to 667 tons of
CWR Encounter with Biggs
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Encounter Report ObservBegin: 02:36 PM ObservEnd: 03:44 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss Other Observers: Charli Grimes, Lily King, Rachel John, Aspen Kendrick-Cisneros Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T35A, T35A1, T35A1A, T35A2, T35A3, T38A, T38A2, T38A3 LocationDescr: San Juan Channel and President
SJC Land Bank meets on Friday
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, August 21. 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
Town to hold special meeting with County Council
||| FROM TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council and San Juan County Council will hold a special joint meeting on August 20, 2026, from 9:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m. The special meeting will take place in San Juan County’s Legislative Hearing Room located at 55
Has theOrcasonian outgrown its britches?
It may seem so...but you can help. We just need new britches. ||| BY LIN MCNULTY, EDITOR ||| A recent notification from theOrcasonian's webhost has rocked our reality. BlueHost has advised us that we need to upgrade our hosting due to our online presence exceeding our ability to maintain our
