Island News
Earth Day Orcas – Join in the fourth annual celebration
Submitted by Eye of the Whale Arts.
SJC requests qualifications from consultants for Human Services Transportation Plan update
Submitted by San Juan County.
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March 31: Humanities Washington Hosts Program Marking 50th Anniversary of End of the Orca Capture Era
SAMA: To Listen coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| “SAMA: To Listen” follows filmmaker Darek Mazzone, composer Peter Culshaw and entrepreneur musician John Goodfellow as they journey through Turkey, Morocco and Malaysia, engaging with musicians, instrument makers, spiritual leaders, and community elders rooted in Sufi traditions. Through intimate conversations and immersive musical experiences, the film explores how music functions as a guide toward emotional clarity, humility and connection. A
Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee seeks youth & San Juan Island members
Apply by May 1st to help steer climate action in San Juan County ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is accepting applications for volunteer three positions on its Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee. District 1 (San Juan, Stuart, Brown, Henry) – 4-year term Youth Representative (age 16-19) – 2-year term The Climate and Sustainability Advisory Committee was established by the San Juan County Council in early 2022 to help steer the County’s climate action work b
Health Care District board to meet
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT BOARD ||| The Orcas Island Health Care District Board will hold a regularly scheduled board meeting on Wednesday, March 25th from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound. The Board Meeting Public Packet is available below. Please see Agenda for Zoom meeting link. Agenda 02. 2026_02_24 OIHCD Claims Payment Request_signed.pdf 03. 2026_03_10 OIHCD Claims Payment Request_signed.pdf 04. 2026_03_24 OIHCD
The Whale Museum opens registration for the 2026 Virtual Gear Up Workshop
||| FROM TRACIE MERRELL for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum has opened registration for the 2026 Gear Up Workshop! This year’s workshop will take place virtually on Thursday, April 30 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and will prepare participants for the field season ahead. This event is open to the public, so anyone with any interest or knowledge level is encouraged to register. The workshop’s theme is: “Caught Up: Fishery Interactions & Entanglement of Marine Mammals.” In […]
Existing vacation rentals in Eastsound & Lopez Village need a provisional use permit by June 25
The permit process is open until June 25, 2026, and can be completed through the mail or in person ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| If you operate a vacation rental in Eastsound Village or Lopez Village, it is a requirement to apply for a provisional use permit to remain compliant with the County code. The permit process is open until June 25, 2026, and can be completed through the mail or in person. Background All pre-existing vacation rentals […]
High winds expected to impact WSF service through Tuesday evening
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| All ferry passengers should be prepared for possible service disruptions through Tuesday evening due to high winds. Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes: With stronger winds in the north, we expect these routes to be most impacted by severe weather. This could include delays and cancellations. All routes: Passengers can expect a bumpy ride due to choppy waters. As a safety precaution, we may ask drivers to park farther back from
Audition notice: An ATOI Production anxiously anticipated this July
Submitted by the Actors Theater of Orcas Island.
Turtleback Mountain: Orcas Island weighs deer hunting on its most beloved preserves
By Darrell Kirk
Piano music and art together in concert
Submitted by the Orcas Center.
April 18: The Great Islands Cleanup
The next Great Islands Cleanup will happen on Saturday, April 18, 2026 from 10am-2pm. Details for each island will be added when it becomes available. The first organized “Great Island Cleanup” in San Juan County happened on San Juan Island, organized by locals Lori Stokes and David Delendorf. In 2014, through their inspiration, Orcas resident Kira […]
Study: Pacific Northwest needs to prepare for extreme heat events
The June 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave caused unprecedented mortality for intertidal shellfish, with an estimated 1 billion mussels, clams and oysters dying in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia. (Adobe Stock)” /> The June 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave caused unprecedented mortality for intertidal shellfish, with an estimated 1 billion mussels, clams and oysters dying […]
Orca Action Month plans are underway
||| FROM REIN ATTEMANN for ORCA ACTION MONTH ||| It’s that time again! June is Orca Action Month in the Pacific Northwest, and the Orca Salmon Alliance is looking forward to all kinds of activities throughout the region. Orca Action Month (a.k.a Orca Month) is an annual series of events intended to raise awareness about the threats facing critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, educate the public on what we can all do to protect them, and build a community to […]
The Ramba Effect, FHFF’s Best Tales from the Heart Feature, Screens Free on March 27
Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Best of the Fest Series continues with another powerful, audience-chosen documentary, The Ramba Effect, that will be shown Friday, March 27 at 7 PM at the San Juan Island Library and Lopez Center for Community and the Arts. Following the film, director Claire Sandberg will join audiences at the San Juan […]
Existing Vacation Rentals in Eastsound & Lopez Village Need a Provisional Use Permit by June 25
Press Release– If you operate a vacation rental in Eastsound Village or Lopez Village, it is a requirement to apply for a provisional use permit to remain compliant with the County code. The permit process is open until June 25, 2026, and can be completed through the mail or in person. Background All pre-existing vacation […]
Letter to Editor | OPALCO board candidate observations
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| OPALCO Board Candidate observations: District 1: Drew Gislason: He comes across as the candidate best equipped to push back on expensive, low-payback solar microgrids if they don’t deliver rate relief or reliability gains — while still supporting smart local generation where it makes technical and economic sense (including SMR feasibility down the road). His utility-tech experience gives him tools to evaluate “on-demand” integration across sources, not just virtue-signali
Guest Opinion | The ClearWater commitment is a framework for institutional integrity
Transparency is the essential mechanism through which governing boards earn the trust of their constituency. ||| FROM THOMAS OWENS ||| Boards that do not operate at the level of transparency expected by their constituency will be continually questioned and challenged resulting in an increasing level of distrust of their goals and motives at even the simplest of actions. In turn, the Board may come to view their constituency as an adversary rather than a partner and resource available to move […]
San Juan Island Library Reports on Latest State Audit Findings
The San Juan Island Library reports that it has received a clean audit from the Washington State Auditor’s Office. As stated in the Accountability Audit Report, “District operations complied, in all material respects, with applicable state laws, regulations, and its own policies, and provided adequate controls over the safeguarding of public resources.” This report, available […]
Conservation donor fills funding gap on Orcas Island
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Last August, the Land Bank was ecstatic to announce the acquisition of a 23.8-acre waterfront property located on Orcas Island’s East Sound – home to 1,300 feet of undeveloped shoreline, including a 260-foot pocket beach, a small intermittent stream, open fields and forest. The $3.35M purchase was possible, in large part, through a $1.1M award in Salmon Recovery Grant funding from the WA State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO). In addition to t
Something strange in the water and it don’t look good…who ya gonna call? MyCoast!
How to report marine debris in San Juan County ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Marine debris like fishing gear, floats, docks, parts of vessels, creosote waste, and microplastics wash up on our islands’ beaches. If it’s on your property, you’ll likely dispose of it responsibly on your own. If it is on public property, San Juan County’s Environmental Stewardship Department assists with removal and disposal. But if it’s something too big or toxic like creosote, or if it’s […]
Queen Mother | A tribute to the music of Queen coming to Orcas Center
Can anybody find me somebody to love? ||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Experience the genius and spectacle of Queen’s music live and in person, the way it was meant to be, with Seattle-based tribute band Queen Mother on Orcas Center’s main stage on Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. Stomp, clap, sing and shout as Queen Mother harnesses the Northwest’s best talent to bring these epic songs to life, including Under Pressure, We Are the Champions, […]