Island News
Pamela Wright retirement set for June 20
||| FROM ALICIA WIGFIELD for ORCAS ISLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT |||
Orcas Island Library invites community to 4th annual summer nature sketching event
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| The Orcas Island Library is pleased to invite community members of all ages to its 4th Annual Summer Nature Sketching Event on Thursday, June 11, at 5:00 p.m. at the Orcas Island Library Park. Led by local biologist, naturalist, and nature illustrator Robin Lee Carlson, this popular annual gathering offers participants the opportunity to slow down, observe the natural world, and practice the art of nature sketching in the beautiful surroundings […
Larsen announces 2026 Congressional App Challenge
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Today, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced the launch of the 2026 Congressional App Challenge (CAC). The annual competition accepts entries through Monday, October 26, 2026, is open to high school and middle school students who live in or attend school in Washington state’s 2nd congressional district. The Congressional App Challenge is an opportunity for students to learn coding and computer science skills and schools to expand ac
Rooted in Community | Leadership transition at Orcas Community Resource Center
||| SUBMITTED BY THE RESOURCE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS TEAM ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center is preparing for a big transition as Holly Southern, Programs Director, sets out to begin a new chapter in Atlanta after more than six years with the organization and over a decade on Orcas Island. For many islanders, Holly has been a familiar and steady presence during some of life’s hardest moments. She joined the Resource Center just before the COVID pandemic, stepping into what would […]
75 life-sized dorsal fins on display for Orca Action Month
A community art project to raise awareness for the endangered Southern Resident killer whales ||| FROM MOLLIE SEGALL for ORCA BEHAVIOR INSTITUTE ||| The non-profit Orca Behavior Institute (OBI) is leading a community art project where 75 artists are creating 75 life-size dorsal fins, one for each living Southern Resident killer whale. The Southern Resident population, made of J-, K-, and L-Pods, have now been on the Endangered Species List for just over 20 years, yet despite countless millions s
Is your boat ready for the season?
Boat tabs are required in Washington and expire every year on June 30. Owners with expired tabs could face fines and now be considered derelict under new legislative definition. ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| While you are getting your boat ship-shape for the summer season, don’t forget to put Renew Vessel Registration! on your list of to-dos. Each year in Washington state, boat registrations expire on June 30th and must be renewed. Renewing is easily done online at […]
No Place Like Loam | Frank Meyer: The man who walked too far
The strange life and darker end of the USDA plant hunter behind the Meyer lemon ||| NO PLACE LIKE LOAM by ALEX TAMAYO WOLF ||| The First Steps Frans Nicolaas Meijer was born in Amsterdam in 1875, into a city that had been arguing with water for six hundred years and winning only by stubbornness. He grew up among canals, low skies, brick, wind, and the old Dutch lesson that land is never simply given. It has to be held. […]
Library’s exhibiting artist for the month of June is painter Peter Carlson
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Peter describes himself as a painter of images grounded in story. In this group of works which he has entitled ‘Conflict,’ Peter considers the relationship between his visual stories, with universal themes of ‘what we’re doing here and why,” and the viewer’s role in changing the narrative through their own interpretive lens .
Chandelle Anderson oil paintings featured at Artworks
||| FROM B.J. ARNOLD for ORCAS ISLAND ARTWORKS ||| The Orcas Island Artworks features new paintings in oil by Chandelle Anderson through the month of June. Chandelle is a new member of Orcas Island Artworks. Alongside her ceramic work, Chandelle also enjoys painting and drawing. This series began as an experiment in color perception. She says “the process is meditative and methodical. Translucent layers of blue, yellow, and red, are applied separately between semi-opaque layers of white. Each l
Emmanuel Episcopal offers Wednesday musical series to benefit music scholarship fund
||| FROM JEFFRY STEELE for EMMANUEL EPISCOPAL CHURCH ||| I am writing to announce another summer of our Wednesday noon series. Admission is by free-will offering to benefit the Emmanuel music scholarship fund in support of Orcas Island students attending music camps. 7/1 Orcatrazz: Swingin’ & Rockin’ Featuring the great swing band dance music of the early years 7/8 Turtleback Brass: From Medieval to Modern Some new ones and some old favorites 7/15 The Irthlingz Duo: Harmony, Humor & Healing Shar
Health Care District communication regarding clinic provider transition
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| We are appreciative of the outpouring of support for Dr. Simpson-Manske. We are grateful for the compassionate care that Dr. Simpson-Manske has provided while employed with Island Health. We acknowledge that a provider transition is challenging on those that had built a relationship with a provider, we are sorry for the impact that the transition will have on many in our community. As we mention below, both Island Health and the Health […]
I’m Not the Church Lady | Learning to Unlean
Who Could I Be in My Enoughness? ||| I’M NOT THE CHURCH LADY by ROSIE KUHN ||| Something essential about me is not enough yet. Recently, I realized the degree to which I’ve been living in a constant lean. Whether it’s leaning towards relationships with businesspeople, clients or family, I’m not centered in myself. I’m ungrounded. And I’ve been living in this uncentered, ungrounded leaning for so long. I thought this was me. My leaning is towards ensuring people see […]
Letter to Editor | Health Care District responds to concern from community
||| FROM CHRIS CHORD for ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| I’m sharing this information as the Superintendent for the Orcas Island Health Care District. I’ve tried to respond to most of those on this thread by email, as they have reached out to me. I am sharing this information to ensure that those who do not use Facebook, or who have not reached out directly to the district, know how to share their concerns with Island Health and the […]
Sheriff’s Report | May 20 – 27, 2025
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 26-002857 Suspicious Person/Circumstance 09:16:43 05/20/26 A man was arrested for a violation of a protection in Friday Harbor. The order is active and valid out of Whatcom County. He was transported to the Sheriff’s Office and booked into jail. 26-002859 Fraud 09:56:35 05/20/26 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to a fraud incident in the Eastsound area. The Deputy learned that the victim incurred a significantly large financial loss
Midnight Mutterings | Planning
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Pretty sure not one of us thinks planning for aging is simple. First of all, we have to decide at what age we will be officially old. That is until there’s really no question that time passed a long time ago. Then we have to guess how long that time of being old will last. Sometimes the short length of time is obvious, if remarkably painful. As when we have a diagnosis that […]
Letter to Editor | Why?
||| FROM SUSAN MUSTARD ||| Yesterday I was shocked to learn that Dr. Jennifer Simpson-Manske is no longer at Island Primary Care – Orcas. And yet, I have appointments with her in early fall on my calendar! For a good number ol years, I had suffered with unusual physical issues. My doctor at the time reassured me over time that I was fine. He thought I probably had heart problems. I did not have heart problems. When I learned, more […]
Schools Out party coming to Village Green
||| FROM FUNHOUSE COMMONS |||
News Brief | Blond Bangladeshi buffalo nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ saved from Eid sacrifice
||| FROM THE GUARDIAN ||| A rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft has been spared from Eid al-Adha sacrifice after a last-minute government intervention. “At the last moment, the decision was taken to spare the buffalo from sacrifice due to security concerns and the unusual level of public interest,” a ministry official said. Mridha said the animal was unusually gentle and needed careful upkeep, including frequent feeding and regular baths. REA
CWR logs another Bigg’s encounter
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 11:15 AM ObservEnd: 12:48 PM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T011A, T046B, T046B2, T046B2B, T046B3, T046B3A, T046B4, T046B6, T046B7, T046B8 LocationDescr: Sansum Narrows EncSummary: Mark left Victoria on Mike 1 at 0930 en route to Galiano Island with hopes to find some Bigg’s along the way. Shortly after departing, he received a report of a group of killer whales southbound ne
The Nature Record comes to Friday Harbor for a public engagement event
||| FROM CONOR AGNEW for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| The Whale Museum, UW Friday Harbor Laboratories, Friends of the San Juans and San Juan County Department of Environmental Stewardship are excited to announce a public engagement event on June 8 from 6:00-8:00 PM PT at Brickworks Event Center in Friday Harbor, Washington with Director Phillip Levin and other leaders and authors from The Nature Record. The Nature Record is working with hundreds of scientists, subject-matter-experts, graphic artists, an
Letter to Editor | I’ve lost my doctor on Orcas
||| FROM ANJI RINGZIN ||| I want to share my concern about the recent ‘letting go” of Dr. Jennifer Simpson-Manske from Island Primary Care – Orcas — and to invite others in our community who feel the same way to speak up. My granddaughter and I were so happy that we had found Dr. Simpson-Manske – she listened carefully, cared for patients of all ages, and felt like a genuine part of island life. She was exactly the kind of […]
Early chamber music from Salish Sea Early Music Festival
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| 2026 SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ~ early chamber music on period instruments on Orcas Island ~ WHAT: BACH & JACQUET Johann Sebastian Bach and Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre WHEN: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 5:00 PM WHERE: Orcas Adventist Fellowship Chapel at 107 Enchanted Forest Road in Eastsound ADMISSION: suggested donation: $20 to $30 (a free will offering), […]
WSF Weekly Report | Celebration of WSF 75th Anniversary
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve A lot of people have been asking what we have planned for our 75th anniversary. For months now there’s been a bunch of things in the works. With June 1 just days away, I’m excited to share a rundown of how we’re going to celebrate this milestone. Festivities begin tomorrow, May 29, when KISW-FM 99.9 “The Rock” broadcasts its morning show from a ferry on our Edmonds/Kingston […]
