Here’s a thought…
“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon.”
KONRAD ADENAUER
Firehouse Fracas | Ongoing situation at OIFR requires townhall meeting to answer questions
||| FROM MIA KARTIGANER, SPECIAL TO theORCASONIAN ||| I want to apologize. I volunteered to take on the arduous task of looking into what has been happening at Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) without any formal training as a journalist. I didn’t understand at the outset how multifaceted this
EDC and WSBDC offer Financial Discipline workshop
||| FROM GAIL SCHNEE for SJC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) has partnered with the Washington Small Business Development Center (WSBDC) to offer a free workshop on financial discipline on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. The workshop will introduce
Washington Sea Grant and Puget Sound Partnership contribute nearly $2.5 Million to fund research in coastal Washington
Nine projects have been selected through a competitive request for proposals process ||| FROM WASHINGTON SEA GRANT ||| Seattle - Washington Sea Grant (WSG) announced today over $2 million in funding for nine new marine research projects in 2022 and a new research partnership with the Puget Sound Partnership contributing $432,000.
Draft plan for Maritime Washington NHA open for public comment
||| FROM ALEXANDRA GRADWOHL for WASHINGTON TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION ||| SEATTLE. After 18 months of input and collaboration from across the region, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to share draft plans for the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area. The draft Management Plan charts the course ahead
Application period now open for new County Climate, Sustainability Advisory Committee
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is currently seeking qualified applicants for positions on the new Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee. The committee will advise on policy, projects, and priorities, to help harness the momentum of County work and support its climate action plan. The goal
Free COVID at-home test kits available now on your island
||| FROM BRENDAN COWAN for DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ||| San Juan County Health and Community Services is making more than 5,000 at-home COVID test kits available to islanders at no charge. Thanks to the support of the local non-profits and businesses listed below, kits will be available for pick
10th annual San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit coming up in March
March 4th & 5th, 2022 Virtual and in-person on Lopez Island ||| FROM KRISTEN AMIM for WSU SAN JUAN COUNTY EXTENSION ||| Join us for this year's San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit March 4 and 5, 2022! This is the tenth anniversary of the Summit, and our theme is Building
Pediatric vaccinations, additional doses added to DOH’s data dashboard
Added data paints a clearer picture of vaccine distribution across Washington ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has added additional vaccination data to the state’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard to include vaccination rates for children ages 5 through 11 and people who received additional
EDC’s Datapalooza! is back – a statistics and demographics event for San Juan County
||| FROM VICTORIA COMPTON for ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| Need more data and information to make knowledgeable decisions about your business or as a community legislator or leader? Join the Economic Development Council of San Juan County (EDC) for their fifth annual Datapalooza! event, 1.5 hours of in-depth data and
State re-opens COVID-19 test portal after successful January launch
Rapid antigen tests can be ordered and shipped directly to Washington households at no-cost ||| FROM STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ||| OLYMPIA –The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) is re-opening a statewide portal that allows people to order COVID-19 rapid tests online, then have them shipped to their doorsteps. For
Tourism ‘Management’ Plan is officially underway
||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, ORCASONIAN OP/ED REPORTER ||| On January 24, Kendra Smith, SJC Director of Environmental Stewardship, briefed the County Council on the long-awaited launch of the “Sustainable Tourism Management Plan” process. It’s goal: “To deliver a balanced approach and plan of action to tourism that meets the needs
Island Way Workshops: OPALCO wants you (to be prepared)
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| We are on the cusp of a major energy shift. Weather patterns are hitting both extremes due to climate change; legislative mandates to remove fossil fuels require development of new renewable resources; the race to electrify heating and transportation
EDC, WSBDC is offering a financial discipline workshop
||| FROM GAIL SCHNEE for SAN JUAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL ||| The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) has partnered with the Washington Small Business Development Center (WSBDC) to offer a free workshop on financial discipline on Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 1 p.m. via Zoom. The workshop will
Orcas Center to welcome Locarno to Center Stage
Sunday, February 6 at 2 p.m. ||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Locarno is an energetic and enthusiastic mix of Mexican, Cuban, Folk, Funk, and North American music featuring JUNO Award winning musician Tom Landa on jaranas and guitars, Kalissa Landa on violin, Robin Layne on marimba, congas
Agenda now available for Tuesday’s Health District meeting
||| FROM TOM EVERSOLE, ACTING SUPERINTENDENT FOR ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| The Agenda and Materials (Board Packet) for the Orcas Island Health Care District February 1, 2022 Regular Board Meeting are now posted. You can access the agenda and meeting materials on the District’s website: Meeting Documents –
Washington Sea Grant receives funding to support restorative aquaculture
||| FROM WASHINGTON SEA GRANT ||| SEATTLE — From tribal fishermen exercising their treaty fishing rights to oyster farmers in south Puget Sound, seafood harvesting and aquaculture are vital to Pacific Northwest culture and commerce. However, forces including climate change, ocean acidification and coastal development threaten these sources of sustenance
