Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
In Memoriam | John Marshall Louton, 1942 – 2023
||| FROM BETSY LOUTON ||| John Marshall Louton died peacefully surrounded by his family on January 19, 2023. John was born on September 4, 1942, in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Woodstock. He attended Ohio State University and ultimately received his PhD in Chinese Philosophy from the University of Washington.
Earthrise | Extreme Rain
||| EARTHRISE BY JAY KIMBALL ||| Buckets of rain Buckets of tears Got all them buckets comin' out of my ears ~ Bob Dylan I woke up to the roar of extreme rain pelting the metal roof of my home. The overflowing gutters released sheets of water, slapping on the
February water supply outlook report for Washington
||| FROM NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE ||| After the very encouraging snowstorms in December, January flatlined, receiving only 63% of normal total mountain precipitation for the month. The state received several resuscitative events that represented hope. However most carried little precipitation with warm temperatures that hampered true to normal snow
County Council proclaims Southern Resident Killer Whales culturally important to San Juans
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| We were not the first in the state of Washington, but San Juan County Council has passed a Proclamation urging our State and Federal governments to deepen their commitment to restoring the bounty of the Salish Sea. The proclamation was unanimously approved near
Spring GiveOrcas campaign is just around the corner
||| FROM HILARY CANTY for ORCAS COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Spring GiveOrcas Campaign is starting to roll. The application is posted on our website and Grants Manager Ed Andrews is at the ready to answer any questions. This is our 10th year running the GiveOrcas campaigns. What a remarkable journey it has been.
Center for Whale Research-led study garners hundreds of media reports, reaches millions worldwide
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| A new research study by the Center for Whale Research (CWR) and the United Kingdom universities of Exeter, York, and Cambridge has shown that “providing care to weaned sons reduces female killer whales’ reproductive output.” In other words, caring for a son lessens a
Orca moms pay a high price to feed large adult sons
A maternal preference for sons in a group of killer whales that swim off the Pacific Northwest may contribute to its endangered status ||| FROM NEW YORK TIMES ||| A fully grown male orca is one of the planet’s fiercest hunters. He’s a wily, streamlined torpedo who can weigh as
What is the Seattle social housing initiative?
Seattle voters have until Tuesday, Feb. 14 to vote on the social housing initiative, I-135 ||| FROM KUOW/NPR SEATTLE ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF theORCASONIAN READER If you live in Seattle and are registered to vote, you got a ballot in the mail for the Feb. 14 election. When you
11th annual SJI Ag Summit in-person on San Juan Island
||| FROM KELSEY GREEN for AGRICULTURAL SUMMIT ||| The 11th Annual San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit is taking place in-person on San Juan Island March 3 & 4, 2023. Event highlights include: Friday “Summit Hub” at Brickworks Event Center, where folks can gather, see friends and find resources, with four
Sun Days on Orcas | The dreaded EMS call
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDIE KULPER ||| I always wondered if I'd get the call. I always felt that statistically, the odds were high. My husband bikes these roads every single day, and it's something I usually have to put out of my head, given that there are
Midnight Mutterings | Life With Rose and Molly
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| The Tabby Sisters, from the bucket of kittens, are six months old now and are huge. While they weigh only about seven pounds each, they are lanky and can stretch to two and a half feet in an effort to get closer to
Calling fiber artists for upcoming Orcas Center show in March
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s Visual Arts Committee (VAC) is seeking fiber artists for the next Community Art Show this March! Textile and Fiber Arts Drop off your art on Wednesday, March 1 from 10:15am -12pm and join us for the artist reception on Friday,
Orcas Aviation pilot logs his 1,000th Mercy Flight
||| FROM ROBERT WAUNCH for ORCAS AVIATION ASSOCIATION ||| A significant milestone was reached the morning of January 9 th as Gil Blinn flew his 1,000th Mercy Flight. The Orcas Aviation Association (OAA) and the Orcas Island community he serves congratulates Gil on this remarkable achievement assisting his community. An
A collection of short plays is coming to Orcas Center Black Box
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Join us for the first Black Box Production of 2023 at Orcas Center: The Lonely Plays, written by Seattle playwright Heidi Heimarck, directed by Ellen Graham and starring an all-local cast. The Lonely Plays is a collection of short plays curated with
Sheriff’s Report | February 1 – 8, 2023
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 23-000691 Welfare Check 09:46:24 02/01/23 Deputies responded to a report of a suicidal individual on the west side of San Juan Island. The report was unfounded. 23-000705 Assault - Aggravated 16:46:51 02/01/23 Deputies responded to a reported assault with
Lovelett bills to update Growth Management Act heard in Senate committee
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE DEMOCRATS ||| OLYMPIA - Two bills sponsored by Sen. Liz Lovelett (D-Anacortes) to reform the Washington state Growth Management Act (GMA) were heard in the Senate Local Government, Land Use & Tribal Affairs Committee this week. Senate Bill 5203 would establish a new climate change and resiliency goal in the
