Island News
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Public Health Hot Topic | Hantavirus
Addressing community questions and concerns about Hantavirus ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| With recent news stories about a Hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship, many people have questions about what Hantavirus is, how it spreads, and whether they should be concerned. Public health officials want people to know that the overall risk to the public remains very low. As your local public health team, we want to address some of the most frequently asked questions we’re getting.
Port Commissioners to meet on Monday
||| FROM CHIP LONG for PORT OF ORCAS ||| The Port of Orcas Board of Commissioners will hold a Regular Meeting on Monday, May 18th at 4:00 p.m. online via Zoom and in-person at the airport terminal conference room. Access and agenda information can be found at portoforcas.com.
Friday Harbor Film Fest | Explorers & adventures feature, The Last Dive
Best of Fest screens free on May 22 ||| FROM ELLEN ROBERTS for FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Series continues with another powerful, inspiring documentary, The Last Dive, which will be shown Friday, May 22 at 7 PM at the San Juan Island Library and Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. A pre-recorded interview with director Cody Sheehy will follow the screening. Free and open to the public, no ticket or RSVP is required. […]
WA Legislators introduce bipartisan bill to expand funding for local drug task forces to combat opioids
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Dan Newhouse (WA-04) introduced the End Fentanyl Trafficking with Local Task Forces Act to establish a dedicated federal funding stream to help multi-jurisdictional drug task forces combat opioid trafficking in Washington state and across the country. The bill’s introduction coincides with National Police Week, celebrated from May 11th through May 17th to rec
On tap at Senior Center | Climbing beyond the summit
||| FROM LYNNETTE WOOD ||| All my life, I’ve been driven by goals. But not achieving a goal is very different from failing. Three years ago, at age 70, I took up rock climbing—and in doing so, I began learning far more than how to scale a wall. Like learning to cook, every burned dish or strange flavor reveals something new. A setback isn’t a dead end; it’s a direction to a new path. Setbacks are a sign you’re stretching […]
Notice of upcoming joint Town Council / Port of Friday Harbor meeting
||| FROM TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council and the Port of Friday Harbor Commissioners will hold a special joint meeting on May 21, 2026, from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. The special meeting will take place in Council Chambers located at 60 Second Street. For more information, contact the Town Clerk at clerk@fridayharbor.org.
OrcasFest music festival returns to Eastsound
||| FROM REEB WILLMS for ORCASFEST ||| OrcasFest is a new music festival held in Eastsound May 28-30, 2026. OrcasFest is in its second year and is a celebration of music and community started by Reeb Willms and Orcas Island born musicians Caleb Klauder and Tashi Litch. These three touring musicians hatched a plan to bring the world class music that they encounter out on the road back home to Orcas Island to be experienced by locals and visitors. They wanted to create a […]
Latest happenings from The Exchange
||| FROM ORCAS RECYCLING/THE EXCHANGE ||| Home Composting Classes are Back Join us at The Orcas Grange on 5/22 or 5/23 and learn how to compost at home and keep food scraps, garden, and yard materials out of the waste stream. Tickets are $75 each and include: (1) 82 gallon FreeGarden® EARTH compost bin with a locking lid, harvesting door, rodent-proof bottom screen, and anchoring pins ($150.00+ value) and one instructional class on: Fri, May 22nd (5–6:30pm) or Sat, May […]
Community-hosted candlelight vigil scheduled for Ella & David
Friday, May 15th—7:30 pm ||| FROM FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY ||| 7:30—Gather AT VILLAGE GREEN. Write a thought, memory, or blessing for Ella & David to be offered during the vigil. 8:30—Ceremony with music performed by Grace McCune 8:45—Lighting of the candles 9:11—A shared moment of silence for Ella & David Organized by friends and community members
Land Bank May 2026 meeting, agenda
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY CONSERVATION LAND BANK ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, May 15. The meeting is scheduled from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Mullis Community Senior Center, Friday Harbor, WA. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes Zoom meeting link) and meeting materials.
OPALCO receives conditional use permit for Decatur Island solar expansion project
||| FROM KRISTA BOUCHEY for OPALCO ||| On Tuesday, May 12, OPALCO was notified that they were granted the Conditional Use Permit for the Decatur Island Solar Expansion Project. The Decatur Island Solar Expansion project is a proposed ~1.6 MW AC Community Solar project. It’s adjacent to OPALCO’s substation and the current Community Solar project that was installed in 2017. In March 2025, OPALCO acquired property on Decatur Island to expand utility-scale community solar. Since then, OPALCO has und
No jurors needed for May 18-22
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: MAY 18-22, 2026 All jurors summonsed for the Jury Period beginning Monday May 18th through Friday May 22nd, 2026 are excused. Thank you.
Encounter #30 • Bigg’s T23s in Haro Strait
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 11:37 AM ObservEnd: 01:48 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T23, T23D, T23D3, T23D4, T23D5, and T23D6 LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: Michael and Dave were working in the office when they heard reports that T23 and the T23Ds were right across the way and heading northwest on the Canadian side of Haro Strait. Since these were Bigg’s we didn’t see very […
Celebrate Student Artists | Exhibit at Orcas Center
||| FROM D.N. KINSEY for ART FOR ORCAS KIDS ||| During the month of May, Art for Orcas Kids celebrates Arts Education Month with the Annual Student Art Exhibit at the Orcas Center. Thank you to all who joined us for the exhibit opening and a special thank you to the VAC volunteers who helped set up the exhibit – Julia Summers, Sarah Crigger, Carol Ann Anderson, Marjorie Taylor, Bethany Marie and Julie Rusby plus all the organization provided by Amber Taylor, Leon Rosenblatt […]
Rep. Larsen | Child care costs now rival rent or mortgage payments
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Coming off of Mother’s Day weekend, I am thinking about how we can better support working families during this affordability crisis. Right now, working families are being pushed to the brink by the rising cost of child care. In communities across Northwest Washington and around the country, parents are struggling to afford safe, reliable care while balancing jobs, bills, and everyday expenses. In many cases, child care costs now rival […]
OIFR graduates 21 new firefighters – one of the largest in department history
||| FROM BEN LUNA for ORCAS ISLAND FIRE & RESCUE ||| Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) held its 2026 Fire Academy Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, May 9th at Station 21 in Eastsound. The ceremony was standing room only, with more than 150 friends and family members in attendance. Families traveled from across the country to witness the milestone, including Deputy Fire Chief Charles Hall of Hebron, Maine, who attended to see his son Dan Hall receive his certification, and […]
News Brief | Photographing whales when something you can only see once in a lifetime happens
||| FROM WONDERBOT ANIMALS |||
News Brief | A water doom loop is coming
||| FROM NEW YORK TIMES ||| Ecologists warn that in just 25 years, more than 70 percent of the Southwestern needle leaf evergreen forests, which include ponderosa pines, may be replaced by grass in what might qualify as the first significant post-climate change landscape in America. Lands that are no longer covered by snow also absorb more heat from the sun, drying them out and leaving them more vulnerable to large wildfires. Given the ponderosa’s striking reputation for resilience, it’s […]
Orcas Island Health Care District sponsoring Orcas Island Caregiver Project
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| OIHCD is excited to support the Orcas Island Caregiver Project, a community initiative working to strengthen professional caregivers and connect them with island families. During the collaboration of the Orcas “Out of Clinic Care” workgroup in Summer of 2025, caregiver support was identified as a high priority area of need for our community. The “Out of Clinic Care” workgroup, which brought together San Juan County Senior Services, the Orcas Communi
GiveOrcas | Let’s grow something together
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for GIVEORCAS.COM ||| Today is the day! Since 2013, the Orcas Island community has come together to contribute an impressive $3 million during Spring GiveOrcas. You’ve invested in preserving historic community buildings, made sure seniors have plenty of activities to connect, brought artistic visions to life for all to enjoy, unlocked access to outdoor education, ensured no family goes without nourishing food and hygiene supplies, supported the development of affordable
OIFR urges community action on wildfire prevention
||| FROM FIRE CHIEF CHAD KIMPLE ||| In recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month, Orcas Island Fire & Rescue (OIFR) is encouraging residents to take proactive steps now to reduce wildfire risk and protect homes, neighborhoods, and the island as a whole ahead of the summer fire season. Wildfire prevention starts at home. OIFR is asking all community members to assess their properties and take simple, effective measures such as clearing defensible space, removing flammable materials near structures,
Letter to Editor | The crisis at Eastsound Water Users Association
||| FROM CONCERNED CITIZENS LISTED BELOW ||| If you are one of the 70% of Orcas Island residents who receives water from Eastsound, Doe Bay, Rosario, and Olga water users associations, you depend on the experienced water system operators of the Eastsound Water User Association (EWUA) who operate all of these water systems. EWUA water operators are the dedicated, highly trained and certified professionals who work behind the scenes treating and delivering safe drinking water 24/7, 365 days a year
Letter to Editor | Congratulations to new OPALCO board members
||| FROM RICH GOODHART ||| It is easy to congratulate the two new OPALCO Board members this year — Congratulations Lauras! Both have backgrounds with strong qualifications and I’m sure will do an outstanding job, along with the existing five board voices. If I have any advice, it is through the lens of a co-op member: listen (sometimes even ideas that may seem unworkable have a useful thread of insight), research (there is a whole world looking for solutions to […]