Here’s a thought…
“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and the government when it deserves it.”
MARK TWAIN
Watch Thor Hanson’s Garden Club presentation
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| THOR HANSON -- Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid In case you missed this September program or would like to watch it again, the recording of Thor Hanson's September presentation is online and available for viewing. VIEW THOR'S PRESENTATION
New school immunization data shows childhood vaccination rates remain flat
On-time immunization throughout childhood helps protect from diseases ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has updated their school immunization data dashboard to include data from the 2021-2022 school year. The newest data included show that the vaccination rates have remained flat. “Vaccines remain
Want help during Medicare open enrollment?
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER for SHIBA ||| Confused by the ads on TV and the information you get in the mail or from your friends and neighbors? SHIBA volunteers are available to give you free, unbiased information about the choices you have. They can also help you figure out if
How to protect yourself from this wildfire smoke
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Smoke from nearby wildfires has settled over the islands – resulting in unhealthy air quality. San Juan County’s Department of Health and Human Services urges residents to take precautions to protect yourself and family members. “We have three air quality monitors one on
Halloween in Eastsound! Celebrate safely on Monday, October 31
Orcas Island Chamber of Commerce works to safeguard Trick or Treaters on North Beach Road ||| FROM ORCAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ||| Come celebrate Halloween on Monday, October 31 in Eastsound. The Chamber of Commerce wants to make sure we all keep an eye out for little goblins and ghouls
Here’s some really great news – K45 is female!
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| During field work near Swiftsure Bank this August, our colleagues at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) were able to get photographs of K45’s belly, which show that K45 is female! Born this year, K45 is the first new K pod female since 2010.
Scientists call for the ocean to be recognized as a Living Being with inherent rights
||| FROM SCIENCE ALERT ||| The ocean covers most of our planet's surface, accounts for the majority of our oxygen production, and provides a significant amount of resources by way of food, minerals, and energy. Yet our oceans are shockingly underrepresented when it comes to environmental conventions on an international scale. The
Moving forward with commercial composting in San Juan County
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| You may have noticed a buzz surrounding commercial composting in the islands the past few months. That’s because San Juan County’s Solid Waste Program is exploring how to best implement commercial composting in our community. A food composting system was implemented at the
Land Bank’s monthly meeting is October 21
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on October 21, 2022 from 8:30am – 11:55am via Microsoft Teams. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the San Juan County Fairgrounds Office Conference Room
Health Care District will convene special meeting tomorrow
||| FROM KIM KIMPLE for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Agenda and Materials for the October 19, 2022 Special Board Meeting of the Orcas Island Health Care District (OIHCD) was posted October 17. You can access the agenda and meeting materials HERE: Meeting Documents – Orcas Island Health
SJIMA: Turning waste metal, plastics and glass into art
||| FROM DIANE MARTINDALE for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART ||| How do you do this? It’s made of what? Learn the answers to these questions and more at Kevin Christison’s special gallery walk & talk at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA) exhibit on October 28
Update on Lopez Village stormwater improvement project
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County Public Works is pleased to provide the public with updates on the Lopez Village Stormwater Improvement Project. This project began in late September and is expected to finish by early November. Last Week – October 10-15: Crews broke ground on
Private water holders aid Coho Salmon returning to Cascade Creek
||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| For the second time in several years, voluntary donations of critical flow into Cascade Creek helped enable spawning by the last known wild salmon run in the San Juan Islands. On October 17 a temporary donation of flow from
San Juan County receives its first weather station
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Washington State University Extension - San Juan County and the San Juan Preservation Trust are thrilled to announce a new resource for San Juan County residents to monitor the weather. At the end of July, a weather station was installed in San Juan
Letter to Editor | Sheriff Ron Krebs is a long-time islander
||| FROM SUSAN WINGATE ||| I'm Susan Wingate. I’ve lived in Friday Harbor for twenty-five years and I’m voting to re-elect Ron Krebs for San Juan County, WA Sheriff. It was fall 2018 when Bob could still drive. That’s when I first learned that Ron Krebs was more than just a public figure but
Time approaches for Fall flu shot clinic
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| Protect your family from the flu this fall. Island Primary Care – Orcas will be offering flu shot appointments for patients October 28, November 9, and a pediatric clinic on November 11. Clinics are held between 8 AM and
