Here’s a thought…
“Neither the evil nor the good in our history determines who we are. It is what we do now. If we do not say something ourselves about this horror, we allow ourselves to be changed.”
TIMOTHY SNYDER
Microplastics beach clean-up at Eastsound Waterfront Park
Locals and visitors welcome ||| FROM JESSICA ARDIS ||| Join The Exchange on Saturday, August 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Eastsound Waterfront Park for a hands-on effort to tackle microplastics pollution. Volunteers will help remove harmful debris from our shoreline, making Orcas Island cleaner and safer for
We Are Family | All-ages dance with DJ duo Bruce and Parker Pavitt
||| FROM PARKER PAVITT for ORCAS ODD FELLOWS HALL ||| The Odd Fellows Hall welcomes you to the upcoming Family Dance, an all-ages extravaganza featuring dance music from ABBA to Stevie Wonder. We invite the community to join us on Saturday, August 23rd from 7-10pm for an evening of tunes,
Learn about saber-tooth cats at upcoming Library presentation
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| What exactly were saber-tooth cats, and how did they earn their fearsome reputation? Explore the fascinating biology and behavior of these extinct predators—from their enormous canine teeth and powerful jaws to their hunting strategies and social structures. Where did they live?
Resource Center helps parents prepare for the 2025-2026 school year
||| FROM THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| August is here, and a new school year is just around the corner! If you have school-aged kids, the Resource Center has gathered some helpful resources to make the back-to-school transition a little easier. Sports Physicals The Sports Physical Clinic will look
Larsen hosts roundtable with community members on big ugly law Medicaid cuts
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP.RICK LARSEN ||| MUKILTEO, WA – Last week, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) hosted a roundtable with seven Northwest Washington state community members about how the Medicaid cuts in Republicans’ Big Ugly Law will impact their families. You can watch a recording of the roundtable HERE.
Douglas/ Bailer Hill Rd project begins chip seal process August 18
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County’s Public Works Department is pleased to begin chip sealing the Douglas/Bailer Hill Road Improvement Project this August. Beginning Monday, August 18, crews will chip seal Douglas Rd from approximately the Little Road intersection through Bailer Hill Rd up to Ranchos
Up Up Up to deliver a high-flying circus experience on the Green
||| FRO BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is pleased to present Up Up Up, a unique outdoor circus performance featuring aerialists, acrobats, musicians, clowns, and illusionists on Sunday, August 17 at 5pm. This free event is part of Summer Concert Series event presented by Orcas Center, Doe
Letter to Editor | Thanks to all who supported the third annual Qwack Wace
||| FROM LYNNETTE WOOD ||| The third annual rubber duckie “Qwack Wace” was a resounding success, thanks to the generous donations and support from businesses and individuals alike. I would like to thank the following island businesses for sponsoring race ducks: Ace Hardware, Country Corner, Deer Harbor Marina, Dragonfly Coffeehouse,
Correction | Updated link for Comp Plan transport., utilities, housing, facilities inventory, & maps
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The Department of Community Development (DCD) is issuing a correction to update the link to the Planning Commission meeting. The Planning Commission meeting agenda is available HERE (https://sanjuancowa.portal.civicclerk.com/?category_id=31). The links below have also been updated. SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. August 8, 2025 –
LWVSJ Observer Corps | County Council August 4, 2025
||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| During public access an Orcas resident sought a way to share and reserve space at mooring buoys to reduce anchoring. The County Land Bank and private non-profit SJ Preservation Trust explained their different roles and how they collaborate. They have
Meditation and/or Ukulele Kanikipila at Senior Center
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Mindful Tranquility with Julia Summers: Weekly Meditation Sessions Julia Summers leads a weekly meditation group at Orcas Senior Center Tuesdays at 1 p.m. Regardless of prior experience, Julia extends a warm invitation to all, emphasizing inclusivity by operating the sessions on
What if you’re aboard a ferry when a tsunami watch is in effect?
||| BY LIN MCNULTY, theORCASONIAN EDITOR ||| When a recent tsunami alert, following an 8.7 earthquake in Russia, began to show up on our screens on July 29, we were afforded the opportunity to view the progression across the Pacific and calculate potential impact to the Salish Sea. A watch
Call for Artists at Orcas Center | Friends and collaborations
||| FROM BETHANY MARIE for ORCAS CENTER ||| The Visual Arts Committee (VAC) of Orcas Center is excited to announce the next community art show: Friends and Collaborations with Featured Artists Kathleen Youngren, Mary Jane Elgin, and Susan Singleton in the lobby. Installation Day: Thursday, August 21 from 10:30am –
Orcas Senior Center | Experience ‘Portraits in Pencil’ by local artist Mick Stevens
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| This summer, make time to visit the Orcas Senior Center, open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., July 7 through August 30, to explore Portraits in Pencil—a captivating art exhibition featuring the work of longtime Orcas Island resident
Proactive boat recycling saves Washington waterways and resources
||| FROM KGW-TV PORTLAND ||| Twenty-nine vessels were recently removed from the Salish Sea and brought to a Bellingham recycling facility to be broken down as part of a state program aimed at preventing a growing environmental crisis. Hundreds of broken-down, sinking boats are littering Washington's waterways. They often sit
Who wants to go to Seattle?
||| FROM STEVE BERNHEIM ||| Many of us in San Juan County have been unable to secure ferry reservations for a planned trip to the mainland or back. But if you cannot fit your car onto the ferry you want, maybe give public transit a try for your next trip
