Here’s a thought…
“Old age is no joke, but it can feel like one.”
TAD TOMPKINS
Maximize Your Future | Essential estate planning workshop
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us Wednesday, May 21 at 1 p.m. for a valuable estate planning session led by local attorney Barbara Nesbet, JD, MBA. While contemplating the future can be daunting, addressing it with courage and preparing legal documents in advance is a
San Juan County Conservation Land Bank seeks community input
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Got questions for your Conservation Land Bank? We want to hear from you! We will host a county-wide public meeting on Thursday – May 28th from 6pm - 7:30 pm. We’ll kick off the meeting with brief project updates from Preserve Stewards and
Building the Team | County welcomes new Deputy County Manager and HR Director
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is pleased to welcome a new Deputy County Manager as well as a new Director of Human Resources (HR) to the County’s staff. These new additions will help strengthen the County’s workforce and provide additional capacity in County leadership.
GiveOrcas | Together we thrive
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| When we come together as a community and give what we can, it’s amazing what we can accomplish. Thank you for standing with local nonprofits during this Spring’s GiveOrcas campaign and supporting what makes Orcas Island truly extraordinary. The spirit
On a remote Australian island, the birds are so full of plastic they crunch
Seabirds have been fishing plastic from the ocean and feeding it to their chicks, researchers say. One bird was found to have ingested nearly 800 pieces. ||| FROM WASHINGTON POST ||| On a remote Australian island renowned for its natural beauty, researchers have made a grisly discovery: Seabirds have ingested
WSF Weekly Report | Bids open on new ferries; unlawful passenger conduct; online community meetings next week
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve We need new ferries – 26 according to our Long Range Plan – with a current fleet of 21 vessels. This week, we took a big step closer to getting them. On Monday, we opened bids to
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Welcome to our weekly feature, Occam's Razor, from local artist S.C. Watson.
Inaugural Orcas Island Paddlers Group gathers at Moran State Park
||| FROM DARRELL KIRK for ORCAS ISLAND PADDLERS GROUP ||| WHO: Nearly twenty enthusiastic water lovers gathered for the first-ever meeting of the Orcas Island Paddlers Group on Wednesday evening. Co-organizers Tenar Hall and Darrell Kirk welcomed paddling enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds, including experienced guides and newcomers alike. WHAT: The
San Juan County Courts hold second annual Law Day celebration
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| On May 1, 2025, San Juan County Superior and District Courts invited seventh grade students across the county to participate in their second annual Law Day celebration. Sixty-five students from Friday Harbor and Orcas Island visited the courthouse and participated in a host
OrcasFest | Island-style music and dance ramble coming to Orcas
|||. FROM TASHI LITCH for ORCASFEST ||| OrcasFest is a new roots music festival coming to Orcas Island. This island-born celebration of folk and roots music takes place May 29th - June 1st and opens with a high energy evening square dance with headliner musicians on Thursday, May 29th. Ferry
LWVSJ Observer Corps* | County Council May 12 & 13, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| On May 12, during public comment the OPALCO ED spoke about the importance of siting renewable energy facilities and adequately planning for essential electrical facilities in the utility element of the comp plan. They cancelled the May13 hearing on budget
Jurors excused for May 19 – 23
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: MAY 19-23, 2025 All jurors summonsed for jury duty beginning Monday, May 19th through Friday May 23rd, are excused. Thank you.
A*OK needs your support to bring art to kids
||| FROM THE A*OK TEAM ||| We’re in the final stretch of the GiveOrcas Spring Campaign, and Art for Orcas Kids needs your help to raise the last $7,150 to meet our goal of $12,500—enough to fund two 20-week elementary art classes next school year. Every gift goes directly toward:
Last day to GiveOrcas for Orcas Library
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY ||| Help us enhance Orcas Public Library as a hub for ALL community members by expanding program accessibility. This project will serve the general public, home-bound seniors, the disabled, non-English speakers and more by creating accessible and diverse programming and supporting
Two orcas ‘at risk of death’ after being kept in abandoned theme park for five months
Their tanks are being overwhelmed by green algae ||| FROM LADBIBLE GROUP ||| A pair of killer whales face a fight for survival after being abandoned at a French Riviera tourist attraction. In January of this year, Marineland of Antibes closed its doors due to declining attendance and increased animal
Hazardous Waste Round-Ups: What Lopez and Orcas residents need to know before drop-off day
Guidelines aim to improve safety and efficiency at Lopez and Orcas collection events ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County has two more spring Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) round-up events in the coming month—vital opportunities to safely dispose of flammable, corrosive, or poisonous materials. The Lopez Island
