Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Elections office will be testing election tabulation equipment in October
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Elections office will be holding a “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used for the County’s November 7, 2023, General election. The test is scheduled for October 3 at 11:00 a.m. Logic and accuracy testing is a standard
Land Bank Commission to meet tomorrow
||| FROM SJC LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on Friday, September 15, 2023 from 8:30am – 11:15am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the San Juan Island Grange located at 152 First Street
Rep. Debra Lekanoff made a visit to Orcas Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Rep. Debra Lekanoff “You are like my Auntie’s house” said State Representative Debra Lekanoff to a group of 50 community members on Saturday, September 9. “When I was growing up, my Auntie made sure I had everything I needed.
Come see newly restored 1883 Jorgensen barn
||| FROM MICHELLE HASSEBROCK for ORCAS ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUMS ||| The Knapp Family and the Orcas Historical Museums welcome one and all to visit the newly restored 1883 Jorgensen barn on the Knapp Family Farm, located at 343 Buckhorn Road, Saturday, September 23, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Before his
Guest Opinion | This is what happens when challenges hit our Orcas community
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| Thank you for this honor. I am deeply appreciative. Community Leadership is a team sport and I thank the Orcas Island Community Foundation staff, Board, volunteers, donors, nonprofit peers, and neighbors who contribute to making Orcas a healthy and thriving
Ocean scientists concerned over uptick of whale deaths on Northeast coasts
||| FROM ABC NEWS ||| There's been a common sight on Northeast beaches this summer: an alarming rise in whale carcasses washing in from the Atlantic Ocean. Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned over the number of dead whales, an animal that provides a lens into the general condition of the
Leave it to Beavers | Library discussion: Science of making a wetland
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| Join WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife’s Furbearer Biologist, Shawn Behling, in a discussion and presentation to deepen your understanding and appreciation for beavers in our local ecosystems. Leave it to Beavers: The Science of Making a Wetland presentation will be held
Letter to Editor | Are our tourism and growth policies dysfunctional?
||| FROM MICHAEL JOHNSON ||| "There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." -Margaret Wheatley The unanswered questions repeatedly asked over the years by concerned citizens regarding how much tourism and how much growth can our environment, our natural resources, and our social well-being stand are
Fall COVID-19 Booster Vaccines: What we know now
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| When the public health emergency declaration ended on May 11, 2023, that marked the shift in the COVID-19 response from a public health response effort to a privatized medical management model. The 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine was approved on Sept. 11, 2023, by the Federal Drug
Port to hold community conversation on airport noise abatement tomorrow
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for PORT OF ORCAS ||| NOTICE OF QUORUM The Port of Orcas will host a community conversation on Noise Abatement on Wednesday, September 13th between 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. at the Eastsound Airport Terminal building. While there is potential for a quorum of Board of Commissioners, no
Tarot readings now available at Healing Arts Center
||| FROM NIK SCHULZ for HEALING ARTS CENTER ||| The Healing Arts Center is excited to announce the arrival of our newest member, Tarot practitioner Nik Schulz. Nik has been studying the Tarot since 2010 and has been offering readings professionally since 2021. He believes that the Tarot connects us with
Emmy Award winning journalist to investigate root causes of critically endangered Southern Resident Orcas continuing decline
||| FROM SHARON GRACE for SRKW CHINOOK SALMON INITIATIVE ||| Los Angeles, CA.||| Despite protections from the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the population of Southern Resident Orcas continues to decline – now at 75. Lack of chinook salmon, the orcas’ primary prey, limits the Southern
Update on Eastsound Water Users proposed bylaws and approval process
||| FROM EASTSOUND WATER USERS ASSOCIATION ||| To all EWUA Members, Your Board of Directors have reviewed the Bylaws for the Association this year with your (the member’s) legal counsel, and has updated them to be in compliance with new laws and industry standards. An updated version of this revised
Upcoming Whale Museum summer lecture series will also be on Zoom
A picture of health: trends in body condition, growth and pregnancies of endangered Southern Resident killer whales from non-invasive drone photogrammetry ||| FROM TATE THOMPSON for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| Join us at The Whale Museum on September 28 at 7 p.m. for a lecture presented by Dr. John Durban and
Larsen encourages NW students to compete in 2023 Congressional App Challenge
Challenge Open To All Middle and High School Students Who Live or Attend School in Washington’s Second District ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) is encouraging all middle and high school students who live in or attend school in Washington’s Second Congressional District to
SJC Destination Management Plan seeks “balance”
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER ||| At long last, the county has put the finishing touches on the “San Juan Islands Destination Management Plan” (DMP), an ambitious effort to make “sustainable tourism” a centerpiece of island life. Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN
