Here’s a thought…
“It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment.”
ANSEL ADAMS
News Brief | Orcas are drowning in noise
Turn down the volume to turn up orca survival ||| FROM GEORGIA STRAIGHT ALLIANCE ||| The frequency of sound emitted depends on a vessel’s engine type, propeller design, speed and distance from wildlife. The temperature and salinity of the water can also impact underwater noise. All these factors make noise
Letter to Editor | Questions for OPALCO Board
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| Krista, Thank you for taking these questions for the Feb 10 online board meeting: Solar Panels for Bailer Hill What was the total cost of the solar panels purchased for the Bailer Hill project? When were they purchased, and who authorized the expenditure prior to securing full
Orcas Island Public Library hosts Movie Night Bingo at Emmanuel
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Public Library invites the community to a fun and interactive Movie Night Bingo on Friday, February 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Episcopal Parish Hall. Participants will watch the beloved romantic comedy Notting Hill while playing bingo
Wednesdays at Emmanuel | Meditation at noon, letter writing at 1pm
||| FROM NANCY REAS ||| Hello Orcas Island, since November 2023 I have been leading a silent meditation at Emmanuel Episcopal Church on Wednesdays from 12-1 pm for the purpose of holding in our hearts the people of war-torn countries, such as Gaza, Ukraine, and South Sudan. It is unstructured
WSF prepares for Seahawks parade onslaught on Wednesday
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| We've been working together with regional transit agencies to support hundreds of thousands, possibly a million people, expected to converge in downtown Seattle for the Seahawks parade Wednesday. If you are traveling on ferries tomorrow, Wednesday, Feb. 11: Before you go, please make a plan: Travel early and review your transit
UPDATE | OIFR child passenger safety technician training date change
||| FROM BECCA MCDOWELL for ORCAS FIRE & RESCUE ||| After feedback, we have chosen to push back the dates for the CPST course until May. The in-person course dates will be May 6-8 rather than February 18-20 to allow local organizations more time to plan their staffing such that
In Memoriam | Richard Shattuck Lee,1937 – 2026
||| FROM MARY WEBER ||| Richard Shattuck Lee Richard Shattuck Lee of Anacortes, Washington, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, in LaGrande, Oregon. Rich was born December 29, 1937, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Nelson Borland Lee and Mary Flagg. Though he grew up in Woodstock, Vermont, he
No Place Like Loam | Defiance as stewardship and self-reliance: Growing perennial vegetables
||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| My grandparents’ three acre garden was a closed system. Nothing essential came in from the outside. Seed stayed. Tubers stayed. Crowns stayed. Fertility cycled through animals, compost, and time. During the war, what left the garden left as food. There
County recognizes MLK Day of Service, 100th anniversary of Black History Month
San Juan County’s history has been shaped by Black and African Americans who have fiercely and courageously engaged in service, leadership, and business over the years. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is proud to recognize the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. During the February
Dog licenses now renewable online
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Auditor’s office is introducing a new way to purchase a dog license – online! You can use the online system if you are purchasing a license for a new dog, or to renew an existing license, and paying via
The AI boom is so huge it’s causing shortages everywhere else
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| Five leading public AI companies are collectively on track to spend about $700 billion this year on big-ticket projects, as they splurge on building and outfitting data centers stuffed with powerful computer chips to turbocharge AI calculations. But critics worry that the up-front costs
Grannie’s Attic | A treasure hunt awaits
Time to donate, reserve a booth, volunteer ||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Mark your calendar for the exciting return of Grannie’s Attic at Orcas Senior Center on Saturday, April 18! This community-favorite event is better than ever, featuring artisan booths alongside household items, vintage finds, tools,
News Brief | Are killer whales trying to share food with people?
||| FROM GOOD GOOD GOOD ||| Among their own whale circles, they have long shared their prey with one another, but a new study has recorded wild orcas were spotted trying to share their food with human beings. Wild whales have been documented approaching humans on their own, dropping a
See what’s ongoing at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Create comfort with fidget quilts Join Brenda Bacon at Orcas Senior Center for a creative Fidget Quilt workshop on Wednesday, February 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. This hands-on session is designed to guide participants in crafting small, tactile quilts that
Guest Opinion | We currently enjoy 90% renewable, 100% carbon free energy – what is OPALCO doing?
OPALCO leadership, years of financial mismanagement, and entrenched tenure ||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| I am writing as a concerned OPALCO member to directly question the Board President, the entire Board of Directors, and the General Manager regarding the co-op's persistent pursuit of costly and questionable initiatives, including microgrid installations
Letter to Editor | Put a stop to this trash
||| FROM KIM SECUNDA ||| Below is a photo of Ruralite magazine trash clogging up the post office. Literally all three cans overflowing. Stop it. Have opt in only or electronic magazine. This has to stop. Put it on the agenda and please advertise more broadly, and sooner before a town
