Here’s a thought…
“We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon.”
KONRAD ADENAUER
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
Look what’s coming up at Orcas Center
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| THIS WEEKEND AT ORCAS CENTER Due to COVID Precautions, the following guidelines will be followed for all events at Orcas Center until further notice: Advance ticket sales only: There will be no box office attendant prior to the performance Proof of vaccination
Poetry | About It
ABOUT IT By Geffrey Davis Despite losing the dining table to it for weeks, our family stays with the puzzle, teetering plates upon knees before the television and then returning to the soft symphony of shifting the oneness of a cardboard shape into the satisfied oneness of another, over and over,
Island Health’s upcoming classes
||| FROM RACHEL LAMBERT for ISLAND HEALTH ||| Island Health offers online childbirth education class series Island Health is offering a four-week online class series designed to prepare parents-to-be for the arrival of their new baby. Classes are Tuesdays from 6:30–9:00 p.m. starting March 1 and are taught by Teri Shilling,
Joan Roulac’s Tai Chi is returning to Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Joan Roulac Quiet the mind and strengthen the body with Joan Roulac’s Ease Please four-week Qigong series. These 15-minute sessions will gently loosen muscles, strengthen immunity, build balance, and increase energy. Series begins either Wednesday, February 2 at 9
Sun Days on Orcas | Communing
||| SUN DAYS ON ORCAS by EDEE KULPER ||| We’ve come to the time of year when I start thinking, ‘What are we doing here?’ The place is a ghost town except for the market, and the lack of sun has become this palpable frustration that Vitamin D capsules just
San Juan County is all in on the Northern Heights Apartments on Orcas
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| On Tuesday January 25 the County Council agreed to award additional funding from the Home Fund to the Northern Heights apartments project bringing the County’s total financial commitment up to $1,112,300; the maximum allowed by the County’s policies. The County prioritizes preserving affordable
Three separate attacks are the first confirmed blue whale deaths by killer whales
Australian researchers report the first documented killing of an adult blue whale by orcas ||| FROM COSMOS MAGAZINE ||| Researchers have discovered the first-ever record of killer whales hunting and killing the largest animal on earth – an adult blue whale. In late March 2019, annual whale and dolphin research
OPALCO answers the question: Why is my OPALCO bill so high this month?
Cold Temps, BPA Demand Charges and 4% Rate Increase ||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE ||| There was a perfect storm of compounding factors that made our power bills very high this month. The power bills in January include power usage during a prolonged cold snap
Advocates for open government sue San Juan County to open public records
||| FROM SALISH CURRENT ||| The public’s right to access government documents and the government’s power to keep certain information private are at loggerheads in San Juan County. The Washington Coalition for Open Government (WashCOG), a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy group, sued San Juan County last week for violating the Public
Help our Lions Clubs aid Whatcom County in flood disaster recovery
||| FROM STEVE SCHAEFER for ORCAS LIONS CLUB ||| Last November, historic flooding occurred in nearby Whatcom County. Particularly hard hit were the communities of Sumas, Nooksack and Everson. Media coverage was relatively short-lived but the impact on those who lived and worked in this area will continue for many months.
