Here’s a thought…
“I am so convinced of the advantages of looking at mankind instead of reading about them, and of the bitter effects of staying at home with all the narrow prejudices of an islander, that I think there should be a law amongst us to set our young men abroad for a term among the few allies our wars have left us.”
LORD BYRON
Robust year ahead for Orcas Center
Role Out to preview 2025-26 season ||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Meet the staff of the Orcas Center, pictured above, during the Role Out. As the leaves turn and kids return to school, so begins the launch of Orcas Center’s 2025-26 season. Anyone interested in the
OCS students launch discount card fundraiser for Hawaii mission trip
||| FROM STAFF AT ORCAS CHRISTIAN SCHOOL ||| Orcas Christian School will serve others abroad this school year with a trip to Hawaii during spring break, and students are taking a unique approach to raising money for the cause while also encouraging islanders to support local businesses. Participating businesses include
2025 Orcas Island pickleball tournament results
$10,000 raised and winners all around ||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for ROTARY PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT ||| In its eighth year at Buck Park, the Orcas Island Rotary Pickleball Tournament raised $10,000 for the Orcas community. Tournament Director Keith Light said, “Pickleball is more than sport – it’s about community. Our Orcas
Letter to Editor | Waldron cats in need of home
||| FROM MILES BATTLES ||| I’m a high school volunteer at Orcas APS. There are seven cats up for adoption rescued from a feral colony on Waldron Island: Thistle, Poppy, Bramble, Foxglove, Anise, Hazel, and Cedar. They’ve been at the shelter for some months, but somehow haven’t been adopted. I
No jurors needed for September 22 – October 3
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: SEPTEMBER 22 - OCTOBER 3, 2025 All jurors summoned for the two week jury period beginning Monday September 22nd through Friday October 3rd are excused. Jurors called for the week of September 29th through October 3rd need to call or check online
Save your spot at the Exchange SWAP meet this Saturday
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING, THE EXCHANGE ||| Got stuff you want to sell but don’t want to mess with a garage sale? Don’t bother! Just load up your car or truck and bring it to the “Exchange at The Grange” Swap Meet this Saturday, Sept. 20, 10am to 4pm, at
San Juan Islands Museum of Art announces fall exhibits
||| FROM BARBARA MARRETT for SJI MUSEUM OF ART ||| The San Juan Islands Museum of Art’s Fall Exhibits pay tribute to the world above and below with three distinct exhibits in the Museum’s three galleries, September 26 – December 1, www.SJIMA.org Kelp! Reverberations - Atrium Gallery Josie Iselin, Betsy
Buy it, move it | This home on port property could be yours
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| Offers are being accepted for a home located at 197 Aviator Drive, Eastsound, WA 98245, currently Port of Orcas property. Importantly, a condition of the sale is the home must be moved off Port of Orcas property within 120 days of
It isn’t always a boat for Oil Spill Association
||| FROM BILL SYMES and ELAINA THOMPSON for ISLANDS' OIL SPILL ASSOCIATION ||| When Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) kicks into gear, the cause usually involves a boat: fuel emitted from a sunken vessel, spilled diesel at a fuel dock, lube oil dumped in the water,… IOSA exists to protect
Land Bank monthly meeting Sept. 19
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold a regular monthly meeting on September 19 , 2025 from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the San Juan Island Grange, located at
LWVSJ Observer Corps | County Council September 8, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| The Marine Resources Committee (MRC) will comment on the Opalco Tidal Energy Project application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC). The project is early in the feasibility study stage, so project information is limited. The county will seek to
No-charge noxious weed disposal available through Sept. 30
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Noxious Weed Control Program works with the local transfer stations to accept noxious weed debris at no charge. The last day for free disposal will be September 30, 2025 – so don’t delay! Many islanders have been hard at
Guest Opinion | The brain error in AI tutor for schools and education
||| FROM DAVID STEPHEN ||| The [September 1, 2025] Labor Day was a question of what should become of education, if AI can operate intelligence, to do aspects of productive work? What is the missing piece to learn for the future, in the era of AI? How much potential do
Guest Opinion | OPALCO owes us more options for meeting electricity demand
||| FROM ARTHUR WINER ||| While I respect the intelligence and technical strengths of OPALCO’s Board members and the executive leadership, I’ve been troubled in recent years by a logical contradiction in OPALCO’s energy policies. On the one hand promoting and subsidizing the “electrification of everything” while at the same
Orcas Island Farmers Market fall announcements
||| FROM ERICA LYONS for ORCAS ISLAND FARMERS MARKET ||| As we transition into the Fall Season, the Orcas Island Farmers Market has big announcements. Coming up on our calendar is our annual Harvest Festival on the Village Green. Saturday, September 27th will be our last outdoor Farmers Market before we shift
Orcas Center call for artists | ‘Movement’ community show
||| FROM ORCAS CENTER ||| Installation Day: Wednesday, September 24 | 10:30am – 12pm Art Opening: Friday, September 26 | 5:30pm – 7pm On Display: September 26 – October 21 Artwork Pickup: Wednesday, October 22 | 10:15am – 12pm Orcas Center’s Visual Arts Committee invites the community to participate in
