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
OIHCD’s 2026 Strategic Planning Process | Charting the District’s vision
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Following our levy commitment in 2025, Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) leadership spent a day earlier in 2026 working through a long-range strategic vision of the District’s role on Orcas. The visioning session looked out as far as 2050, along with
Champions of the Golden Valley film to play in Friday Harbor, Lopez, Shaw Islands
||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS & KAREN PALMER for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival welcomes Shaw Islanders to the Best of the Fest program! This Explorers & Adventures film screens free of charge on Friday, August 21 at 7 PM, simultaneously at the San Juan Island Library in
CWR Encounter #56 | J, K, and L Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 08:32 AM ObservEnd: 09:30 AM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Other Observers: Taylor Redmond Pods: J, K, L IDsEncountered: K12, K14, K16, K20, K22, K27, K33, K35, K36, K37, K38, K42, K43, K45, and K47 along
Auditor seeks volunteers to write opposing statements in Voting Guide for November ballot measures
Volunteers are needed to write opposing statements for Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District and Port of Lopez ballot measures ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Auditor, Natasha Warmenhoven, is seeking people interested in writing an argument against the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District and Port of
San Juan County Board of Health calls for restoration of public health funding
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| At its June meeting, San Juan County Board of Health moved to send a letter to state legislators urging action to restore funding for Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) in the next legislative session. This letter is a response to the funding cut
Washington’s ferry system in the middle of one of the largest transitions in its history
Can today's boats last long enough for tomorrow's to arrive? ||| FROM KOMO-TV SEATTLE ||| The current WSF fleet reflects decades of underinvestment in vessel construction, according to ferry leaders. Construction recently began on the Wishkah, one of three new hybrid-electric ferries scheduled to enter service between 2030 and 2032.
San Juan County begins search for next local health officer
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County announced at the last Board of Health meeting that Dr. Amy Harley will conclude her service as the Local Health Officer for San Juan County at the end of her current contract in 2027. Dr. Harley has served as the
2026 Wooden Boat Rendezvous coming to Deer Harbor
||| FROM WARD FAY, JIM WAITE and BILL SYMES for WOODEN BOAT SOCIETY OF THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS ||| The Wooden Boat Society of the San Juan Islands will host this year’s Wooden Boat Rendezvous at Deer Harbor Marina, Orcas Island, on Tuesday September 8. The annual Rendezvous is a
CWR Encounter #55 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 04:22 PM ObservEnd: 04:36 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson, Joe Zelwietro Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T069E LocationDescr: Seabird Rocks EncSummary: Upon departing the T041s and aiming for “home”, Mark and Joe were pleasantly surprised to happen
Public Hearing continued on proposed Ordinance No. 1841 | New regulations for short term rentals
||| FROM DENICE KULSETH for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| The Friday Harbor Town Council is accepting public testimony on proposed Ordinance No. 1841, which would establish new regulations for accommodations of 30 days or less. The proposed regulations would apply to hotels, bed and breakfasts, vacation rentals, and other
Compass Health to purchase county building in Friday Harbor, continuing long-term services locally
State funding and a decades-long county partnership secure the building's future ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Compass Health, a community-based healthcare agency supporting youths and adults, is purchasing the building it has been leasing long-term from San Juan County located at 520 Spring Street in Friday Harbor, thanks to
I’m not the church lady | Living inside a world that mistakes appearance for essence
||| I'M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| Can I continue being who I am when being who I am doesn’t produce the response I so hope for? Only once, that I can remember as a child, did I have the experience of another human being seeing me—straight
CWR Encounter #54 | Bigg’s Killer Whales
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 03:45 PM ObservEnd: 04:11 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson, Joe Zelwietro Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T041,T041A,T041A2,T041A3,T041A4 LocationDescr: Pachena Point EncSummary: After an already successful survey day along the outer coast, one half of the research team
CWR encounter #53 • Northern Resident Killer Whales C and G Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 11:45 AM ObservEnd: 12:55 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson, Joe Zelwietro Pods: Northern Resident IDsEncountered: C6 matriline: C8, C22, C27 G31 matriline: G31, G54, G103, G84, G96, G131 G34 matriline: G70, G71, G89, G98 with calf G62
Be sure to visit County Fair’s Ag tent
||| FROM REBECCA MOORE for SAN JUAN COUNTY EXTENSION ||| Curious about where your food comes from? Wondering what organizations support local farms, gardens, and food security? Looking for fun, hands-on activities for the whole family? The Ag Tent in the Green Village at the San Juan County Fair, August
Working together to feed our island communities
||| FROM THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| Island communities know that the best solutions happen when we work together. That spirit of collaboration was recognized this month as the Orcas Community Resource Center was awarded a $150,000 grant from the North Sound Accountable Community of Health (ACH) to lead
