Here’s a thought…
“Like the drunk guy at the bar who doesn’t drink.”
LAWRENCE O’DONNELL
Environment Stewardship community-wide climate survey
Your input guided the first steps—now help us build the next phase of the Climate Action Plan ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| San Juan County is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to guide how we respond to climate change while protecting our community and environment. The
CWR encounters Bigg’s killer whales and humpbacks
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 12:39 PM ObservEnd: 01:36 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Other Observers: Rachel John Pods: Bigg's killer whales IDsEncountered: T30A, T30C, T75B, T75B2, T75B3, and T75B4 LocationDescr: Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca/southwest Hein Bank EncSummary:
LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County Council regular meeting, June 9, 2026
||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Council issued a proclamation recognizing June 19th, 2026, as Juneteenth National Independence Day. Public Hearings were held to consider land use reclassification of Bayhead Farm on Shaw (no objections) and to discuss a proposed ordinance (addition to county code) regarding wildlife
Hotdogs, ice cream and community thank you
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us for hotdogs and ice cream on Thursday, July 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center. We are deeply grateful for the generosity and support of our community and donors who have helped make our
While orca and salmon declined, ocean harvests of Puget Sound chinook significantly underestimated for decades
Revised Pacific Salmon Commission data reveal substantially more Puget Sound Chinook were intercepted in ocean fisheries over a twenty-year period, harming local communities and undermining decades of salmon and orca recovery efforts. ||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| PUGET SOUND, WA—Newly revised data released by Canada at
Rick Larsen’s campaign launch event on Orcas Island
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| What: Congressman Rick Larsen’s Campaign is holding a campaign launch event on Orcas Island to formally launch his reelection campaign. Rick is fighting to lower costs, bring investments home to Northwest Washington, hold the administration accountable, combat fentanyl in our
What is the capacity of Nantucket | The question no one wants to, or can’t, answer
During a recent Unscripted conversation, Andy Lowell recalled once being told that “nobody on this planet is qualified to put a capacity on the island of Nantucket.” It was a striking line because it points to a question the island has long circled but rarely asked directly: what is the
Community Survey | Human Services Transportation Plan
Take the survey here! ||| FROM RICHARD URI for FRIENDS OF RURAL TRANSPORTATION ||| We want to know about you and the help you need with transportation. For some individuals that don’t drive or don't have access to a car and require other options to meet their travel needs, finding transportation can be a
Lopez Island Friends meeting speaks out on failures of US Government
A minute of conscience and public witness ||| IRIS GRAVILLE for LOPEZ ISLAND FRIENDS ||| The Lopez Island Friends Meeting (Lopez Island, WA) adopts this minute of conscience at this specific time in our country’s history. As Quakers, we believe that God can be found in each of us. Our
Islanders encouraged to participate in transportation survey
Survey responses and community feedback will help identify transportation needs and support future funding and service planning efforts ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County residents are invited to help shape the future of transportation services through our community survey for the Human Services Transportation Plan (HSTP).
OIPC announces 9th Annual Pickleball Tournament
||| FROM KEITH LIGHT for ORCAS ISLAND PICKLEBALL CLUB ||| The Orcas Island Pickleball Club (OIPC) is excited to announce that the 9th Annual Orcas Island Pickleball Tournament will return to the Buck Park Pickleball and Tennis Courts on August 22nd and 23rd. Saturday will feature Mixed Doubles, and Sunday
Local pilots to compete in Annual Air Race Classic
||| FROM BETHANY CARTER ||| On June 23, 2026, Elizabeth Menozzi and Bethany Carter will take off from East Alton, Illinois to kick off the start of the 49th Annual Air Race Classic. They will compete as Team 8 in a field of 46 teams, flying a 2,743-statute mile route
San Juan County publishes the ‘Budget in Brief’ to summarize the 2026 budget
Rich with graphics, photos, and reduction and expenditure highlights, the Budget in Brief provides an overview of the County’s complex funds. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to publish the 2026 Budget in Brief, posted in tandem with the full 2026 budget book. Rich with graphics, photos, and reduction and expenditure highlights,
Community show | “Color, Texture & Pattern” will be on display from June 26 to July 28
Art intake on June 24, art opening on June 26 ||| FROM ORCAS CENTER VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE ||| The Visual Arts Committee of Orcas Center announces a new community show -- “Color, Texture & Pattern” – to open on June 26. For this show, the VAC welcomes art in which
County issues Pride Month proclamation in recognition of LGBTQIA+ community in the islands
Pride Month is celebrated throughout June to coincide with the gay liberation movement ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| During the May 26 meeting, the County Council issued a proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month in San Juan County. The proclamation, written alongside members of the LGBTQIA+ community, acknowledges that
Monthly training brings oil spill volunteers to Orcas Island Marina
||| FROM BILL SYMES and ELAINA THOMPSON for ISLANDS OIL SPILL ASSOCIATION ||| On the morning of May 13, ten volunteers gathered at Rosario Marina on Orcas Island with a training mission: find a boat leaking diesel into the marina and contain it before it spreads. Time is of the
