Island News
The Moat and the Ferry Run | Imagining public transit for Orcas Island
||| FROM COLIN WILLIAMS ||| Framing Transportation We face real environmental challenges, and transportation is a contributing factor towards the issues we face here on our islands. Transportation can also be a barrier to equity. I believe one of the best ways to address both our environmental issues and equity issues related to transportation is to provide a base level of transportation accessible to everyone. In a spirit of volunteerism and wanting to contribute to the public benefit in my […]
Harry Smith presentation at Odd Fellows Hall
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS HALL ||| A presentation about Harry Smith by Bret Lunsford and Phil Elverum will take place at the Odd Fellows Hall on Wednesday, April 8 at the Odd Fellows Hall at 7:00. Harry Smith was an artist, filmmaker, mystic, and collector who was an important figure in the Beat Generation scene in New York City. Besides his films, Smith is remembered for his influential Anthology of American Folk Music. $5-$10 by donation. To learn more about Harry Smith, […]
Discover Yellow Island with Orcas Garden Club
||| FROM ORCAS GARDEN CLUB ||| REGISTER TODAY Orcas Island Garden Club P.O. Box 452 Eastsound, WA 98245 oigc376@gmail.com www.orcasislandgardenclub.org Orcas Island Garden Club | P. O. Box 452 | Eastsound, WA 98245 US
San Juan County brings mobile passport services to Lopez Island on April 22
Appointments are recommended, so make yours today by calling: 360-378-2163 ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| As a convenience to the Lopez Island community, the San Juan County Clerk’s Office is hosting a “Passport Day” to accept passport applications. Join County staff at the Lopez Island Library on Wednesday, April 22 from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm to process applications for first-time passports and children’s passports. Appointments are recommended, so make yours today by calling 360-378
News Brief | Gray whale, seen 20 miles inland, dies in WA’s Willapa River
||| FROM THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| A young gray whale that amazed and confounded onlookers for days this week after winding up 20 miles inland in a Southwest Washington river has died. The whale first appeared in the North Fork of the Willapa River on April 1. Although whales occasionally wind up in rivers, it’s not common. The young whale was found floating lifeless in the river Saturday. READ FULL ARTICLE
Letter to Editor | The pandemic is not following a script
||| FROM ELISABETH ROBSON ||| One of the most dangerous ideas shaping our response to COVID is also one of the oldest in philosophy. The philosopher Karl Popper called it historicism: the belief that history unfolds according to predictable patterns. It is a comforting idea. If history follows a script, then crises eventually resolve themselves: pandemics come and go, society returns to normal, and humanity adapts. Popper argued that this belief is wrong. History does not move along a predetermi
Letter to Editor | Passing San Juan County’s levy lid lift is critical to aging well in the islands
||| FROM JAMI MITCHELL ||| Please understand that I am writing this letter as a private citizen, not as part of my work or in any way affiliated with my employer. It is important to me to personally express my strong support for the upcoming San Juan County general fund levy lid lift because it directly impacts our ability to age well in the islands we love. As a full-time islander for 24 years, I believe this measure is vital […]
News Brief | Study finds isolated killer whale populations depend on social interaction for survival
||| FROM AZ ANIMALS ||| A group of well-studied orcas known as Southern Resident orcas are endangered and face multiple threats to survival. New research shows they interact more with other populations than expected and this could help or hurt them in different ways Shared habitats can lead to competition for food but, if they interbreed, can provide needed genetic diversity. Protecting them requires international cooperation to address the issues that affect them. READ FULL ARTICLE
Edge of the Salish Sea | Art, poetry, science walk and workshops
Saturday, April 18th, 10-3 at Parish Hall, 218 Main, Eastsound Exploring Life on the Edge – Waterfront Beach Walk, 10am ||| FROM EARTH DAY ART & NATURE ||| Enjoy some of the year’s first daytime low tides on a guided beach walk with Tina Whitman, Senior Science Director with Friends of the San Juans. Observe and identify local species and habitats that thrive at the intersection of land and sea, learn how our shorelines support the regional marine ecosystem and […]
Free drawing workshop coming up for our islanders
||| FROM AYN GAILEY for ROAM ||| Because of the remote nature of our location, our artists are at a disadvantage when it comes to studying art and improving their technique and skills. That’s why bringing a figure drawing workshop to Orcas can make such a big impact. The ROAM Art Trail, starting next week, will include a free 2-day Figure Drawing Class with Juliette Aristides, an internationally respected painter, author, and co-founder of the Classical Atelier at the Gage […]
New OARS Program offers support for island residents in recovery
||| FROM RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM || The Orcas Community Resource Center (OCRC) is launching the Opioid Addiction Recovery Support (OARS) Program, a new initiative designed to help San Juan County residents stay stable while focusing on their treatment journey. Recovery often requires more than treatment alone. For many individuals and families, everyday challenges—like paying rent, keeping the lights on, or getting to appointments—can become barriers to healing. The OARS Program was
Meeting Recap | Next steps for Odlin County Park facility upgrades
Staff shared why the department is pursuing this project, why the existing site was chosen, how project funds are separate from the County’s general fund and not funded by property taxes, and addressed questions/concerns from attendees ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Parks, Recreation, & Fair Department hosted a community meeting for Lopez Islanders to provide feedback on plans to construct a new facility for the County Parks operation on Lopez Island. The meeting
Midnight Mutterings | Gentleness
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| I don’t have permission to tell this first story from the main character, so I won’t use his name, even though you can likely figure out who he is. I hope he doesn’t mind. A month or so ago I bought a car from someone moving from the island and it came with a few things, one of which I couldn’t identify. It is a black plastic thing maybe 5 by 8 inches […]
Sheriff’s Report | March 26 – 30, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ||| THURSDAY, MARCH 26 26-001668 VIN Inspection 14:36:27 03/26/26 A Deputy on Orcas Island assisted an individual with a VIN inspection. The Deputy met with the individual and the incident was documented. 26-001669 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 14:42:13 03/26/26 A Deputy on Orcas Island responded to suspicious activity in the Killebrew Lake area. After the Deputy spoke to the reporting party and checked the area, it was discovered that multiple vehicle
Island Allies of Indigenous Lifeways supports tribally managed hunting at North Shore Preserve
||| FROM JAIME BEECHUM and CAITLIN LECK ||| In recent public discourse around the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank’s proposal to open up hunting at Turtleback Preserve and North Shore Preserve, there have been opinions articulating the unfair nature of having a two week period for Tribal only hunting, or of having Tribal hunting occur at all. The proposal – sponsored and supported by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, and the Swinomish Tr
2026 ADU lottery application cycle open April 1 – May 30 for San Juan County
A total of eight (8) eligibility slots are available for the 2026 cycle ||| FROM SAN JAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Between April 1 and May 30, the San Juan County Department of Community Development (DCD) will be accepting Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) applications for detached ADU permits proposed outside of urban growth areas and activity centers. ADU lottery applications for determining eligibility must be received no later than May 30, 2026. A total of eight (8) eligibility slots are availab
Guest Opinion | The solar promise that wasn’t
How a small island’s experiment in clean energy became a lesson in what happens when a co-op stops listening to the people it serves ||| FROM ALAN MIZUTA ||| I own a piece of a solar farm. I paid for it. I’m proud of what it was supposed to be. I’m considerably less proud of what it became. The Decatur Island microgrid, OPALCO’s first community solar array, was described to state grant-makers as a future national showcase for equitable community […]
Town & County Councils discuss ferries, affordable housing & more at joint meeting
Town and County Councils will continue to partner on the variety of services residents depend upon ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| This week, the Town of Friday Harbor and San Juan County Councils held a special joint meeting where they discussed tourism and economic development in the islands, ferries and significant legislation, affordable housing projects, and opportunities for collaboration. The meeting lasted approximately three hours, and a recording is available on the Town’s
ROAM | Art & literary pop-ups
Eastsound, April 8–12 ||| FROM AYN GAILEY for HUB FOR ARTS & LITERATURE ON ORCAS (HALO) ||| The Orcas Island Library, HALO (Hub for Arts & Literature on Orcas), artists, and our businesses have teamed up to create a weekend of events that will bring inspiration and foot traffic to beloved Eastsound businesses this April. ROAM is a rare opportunity to view curated work by many of the island’s most remarkable artists—many of whom do not show in the Artist Studio Tour. It’s […]
CWR encounters three families of Bigg’s
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 08:44 AM ObservEnd: 09:16 AM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T036A, T036A2, T036A2A, T036A3, T036A5, T086A1, T086A1B, T124A4, T124A4, T124A1A LocationDescr: Parry Bay EncSummary: Mark received a call at 0733 from a colleague who had just seen a group of killer whales heading west off of Ross Bay on Victoria’s waterfront. He got into motion and made his way to town to mobilize
WSF Weekly Report | 20.1 million customers in 2025; Governor signs ferry bill; summer reservations open Tuesday
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve In 2025 we carried 20.1 million customers, nearly 1 million more than the previous year. That translates to 152,592 sailings. Each one starts and ends at a ferry terminal. Only 22 trips were canceled for terminal-related issues last year. While zero is the goal, 22 is a low number and a testament to our 80 terminal engineering employees. They quietly keep the many moving parts of our […]
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Garden Club presents | History and cultural legacy of pansies and violas
Join us at 9:30 AM (just before the program) for social time, and feel free to bring something for the Sharing Table ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, April 15 when we welcome Brenna Estrada of Three Brothers Blooms to speak about the History and Cultural Legacy of Pansies and Violas followed by a book signing for her book, “Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas” […]
Larsen requests $77 Million for local job-creating infrastructure, public safety
Larsen submits requests for federal funding for 20 projects in FY27 spending bills ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF US. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) has requested $77,113,331 for 20 local projects in the Fiscal Year 2027 spending bills. “This funding will create good-paying local jobs and improve infrastructure, public safety and education in Northwest Washington,” said Rep. Larsen. “I will keep working with local leaders to bring home federal money to suppor