Island News
Local headlines from around the San Juans
Port to use $650k grant to pave Jensen’s and Shipyard Cove’s driveways
LWVSJ Observer Corps: Friday Harbor Port Commission, September 25, 2026 A new lease was approved for San Juan Canvas with all terms remaining identical with the previous agreement and with a five-year extension. A new lease was approved for San Juan Air’s Hangar 80 (Units A & B) with all terms remaining the same except […]
New analysis reveals major increase in vessel traffic through the Salish Sea
Submitted by the Friends of the San Juans.
Civic engagement goes beyond the ballot box | Letter
During the course of my campaign for County Council, I have had countless conversations with people across the islands and have learned a great deal about their concerns. These conversations have given form to how I will, as councilmember, approach the budget.
David B. Williams comes to Orcas Island for ‘In the Range of Fire and Ice’
Submitted by the Orcas Island Public Library.
Expert speakers highlight sustainable gardening at October workshop series
Submitted by the Master Gardeners.
Washington lawmakers, colleagues demand transparency after U.S. Forest Service coordinates with ICE on public lands
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen (D, WA-02), Emily Randall (D, WA-06), Kim Schrier, M.D. (D, WA-08), Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), Jared Huffman (D, CA-02), Ranking Member of the House Natural Resources Committee, Adriano Espaillat (D, NY-13), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Andrea Salinas (D, OR-06), Adam Smith (D, WA-09), Val Hoyle (D, OR-04), Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10), Suzanne Bonamici (D, OR-01), and P
Cindy Wolf – Guest Opinion: Beheading the Department of Environmental Stewardship
In the State of Washington, responsibility falls on the local and Tribal governments to execute Salmon habitat conservation and restoration projects, which is a focused way of saying projects addressing marine health in general. This mission dovetails nicely with the clean water utility function of keeping pollution out of the stormwater and surface water. The solid […]
Islands’ Oil Spill Association utilizes eyes in the sky
||| FROM BILL SYMES and ELAINA THOMPSON || Wednesday morning, September 16, was glorious in Deer Harbor: bright sunshine glinting on the water, color from early-turning leaves, light breeze out of the north, pleasant temperatures. In short, a perfect day for…an oil spill response drill! Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA) trains monthly throughout San Juan County. On this mid-September morning, IOSA Deputy Director Rick Winings supervised eight Tier One (response-trained) volunteers from Orcas
Guest Opinion | Open letter to County Council
Beheading the Department of Environmental Stewardship In the State of Washington, responsibility falls on the local and Tribal governments to execute Salmon habitat conservation and restoration projects, which is a focused way of saying projects addressing marine health in general. This mission dovetails nicely with the clean water utility function of keeping pollution out of the stormwater and surface water. The solid waste utility is also clearly a part of attempting
Burn permits now local on Orcas Island
Orcas Island Fire and Rescue (OIFR) will begin issuing burn permits for Orcas Island. Permits will be available starting October 12, 2026, if weather and conditions allow. The process is online. Apply and pay at orcasfire.org. The site also has burn safety rules and requirements. You may also come to Station 21 at 45 Lavender Lane to purchase in-person. Please note this is a new process and application portal […]
Guest Opinion | Permanent, until inconvenient
OPALCO bought land with a recorded Native Growth Area covenant and open-space protections intended to preserve a wildlife corridor. Its solar project conflicted with those restrictions. San Juan County has now approved moving the open-space designation to accommodate the project. The protections dated to 2012. OPALCO bought the property in 2025. Apparently, the forest was in the wrong place. And what project warrants this accommodation? A solar expansion approaching $6 m
Forester’s Notes | Times are tough
The excellent adventure of the Extension Forestry Program has become a bit of a bogus journey of late. We have been hit with significant budget cuts. A few months ago, we lost 40% of our state funding. On the county side of things, San Juan County has now joined Skagit County in withdrawing all support for Extension Forestry education programs, so education resources are dwindling in the North Sound […]
News Brief | Kelvin wave may bring sustained high sea levels on WA coast
Expected to hit California in days, lifting sea levels by a half-foot or more and lingering for months a giant pulse of warm water, known as a Kelvin wave, is surging toward the West Coast. It doesn’t present a severe threat to Washington yet, but the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be monitoring it with caution in October. It’s nothing like a tsunami or a regular wave crashing on the beach. Instead, it […]
Library to feature art of Shawna Marie Franklin
Shawna Marie Franklin will be October’s featured artist at the Orcas Island Library. Her monoprints and paintings will be displayed in a show entitled Being with Kelp: Ongoing. The subject began as an artistic endeavor when Shawna’s kayaking career ended in 2019, and continues today. Shawna has found in Bull Kelp a subject of great beauty and design options, a metaphor for her love of the ocean and a means to […]
Plain talk on the budget
During the course of my campaign for County Council, I have had countless conversations with people across the islands and have learned a great deal about their concerns. These conversations have given form to how I will, as councilmember, approach the budget. In April, 60.67% of San Juan County voters rejected the county’s levy lid lift. The message was clear: residents are not looking to pay more in property […]
Joint statement of Governor Bob Ferguson and Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller on west coast oil pipeline
OLYMPIA — Governor Bob Ferguson and Washington Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller offer the folllowing joint statement regarding the Oct. 1 decision by the Canadian Major Projects Office to list the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a “Project of National Interest”: “We are disappointed in the decision today by the Government of Canada to list the proposed oil pipeline as a project of national interest. The classification puts the project on a [
What seeds have you sown?: A harvest festival rooted in reflection
Orcas Islanders gathered at the fifth annual Family Tides Farm & Northwest Indian College Fall Festival on Sept. 20 to celebrate with friends and contemplate their own harvest over the past year.
All San Juan County beaches closed to recreational shellfish harvesting
Due to high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison, all beaches are closed until further notice As of Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has closed recreational shellfish harvesting in San Juan County due to unsafe levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP). This closure includes all species of molluscan shellfish including clams, geoduck, scallops, mussels, oysters, and snails. PSP and other biotoxins are pois
Guest Column by Jennifer Swanson
During the course of my campaign for County Council, I have had countless conversations with people across the islands and have learned a great deal about their concerns. These conversations have given form to how I will, as councilmember, approach the budget. In April, 60.67% of San Juan County voters rejected the county’s levy lid […]
October artist at the Orcas Library
Submitted by the Orcas Public Library.
Mount Constitution volunteers recognized with statewide award
By Hilary Clark
Due to high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison, all San Juan County beaches are closed until further notice.
Due to high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison, all beaches are closed until further notice.As of Wednesday, September 30, 2026, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has closed recreational shellfish harvesting in San Juan County due to unsafe levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP). This closure includes all species of molluscan shellfish including clams, […]
October 3: Sea Change Summit
October 3 | 5 pm | Brickworks | San Juan Island Friday Harbor UW Labs HL is hosting two amazing speakers on October 3, 2026 as part of a special, public event they’re calling the Sea Change Summit. At the event, Rick Spinrad, the NOAA administrator from 2021-2025, and UW professor Alex Gagnon about the […]
Oil spill at Friday Harbor Marina parking lot
Port of Friday Harbor Press Release : Tuesday September 29, 2026, at approximately 1:00 PM, the Port of Friday Harbor staff was transferring used motor oil and bilge water mix from a double hulled storage vessel to a transfer tote for recycling. During movement of the tote, the drain valve broke off and released approximately […]