Island News
Larsen receives support from current and former elected officials
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, Wash. – Current and former San Juan County elected officials have resoundingly endorsed Rick Larsen for his reelection to Congress. Larsen has received endorsements from current and former county elected officials, including: San Juan County Councilmember Jane Fuller; San Juan County Councilmember Justin Paulsen; San Juan County Councilmember Kari McVeigh; former San Juan County Councilmember Jamie Stephens; former San Juan County Counci
Summer sailing schedule starts today (Sunday, June 14)
||| FROM WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| Our summer sailing schedule starts Sunday, June 14, and runs through Sept. 19. Anacortes/San Juan Islands: We’ve made schedule adjustments to improve on-time performance. Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: The #3 vessel will operate a full-day schedule on Saturdays and Sundays this summer. Last year, it operated half days on weekends due to limited crewing. Port Townsend/Coupeville: Starting Tuesday, June 16, the route will operate a two-boat schedule dail
I’m Not the Church Lady | It’s Spooky
||| I’M NOT THE CHURCH LADY from ROSIE KUHN ||| Whether you call it awakening, enlightenment, ascension, grace, expanded consciousness, or simply being fully alive, something seems to be happening. Ordinary people are having extraordinary experiences. They describe moments of profound clarity, unexpected knowing, waves of compassion, overwhelming love, deep stillness, and a sense of connection that transcends their usual understanding of who they are and how life works. And here’s the thing: the
Midnight Mutterings | Planning for cats
||| MIDNIGHT MUTTERINGS by JACKIE BATES ||| Planning for cats. is, at best, an oxymoron. As is the term ‘domesticated cat.’ I could have called this column ‘Oh no! Not cats again.’ One more thing before I start writing this: I’m in the ferry line at Orcas Landing, eventually headed for Bellingham where the cats are, I presume. Somehow, I can’t get online, either on my phone or Orcas Online’s free internet here at the Landing. That means there will […]
Tuesday’s EWUA board meeting is a ‘must attend’
||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON for EWUA STEWARDSHIP ALLIANCE ||| We are calling upon all concerned EWUA members to attend the upcoming Tuesday board meeting 6/16 5pm at the Firehall. The EWUA board has rejected calls for a 3rd party investigation into the ongoing crisis of a toxic workplace and continuing operator resignations. This is after: 75+ members showed up to the last EWUA board meeting respectfully calling for an investigation through comment and applause. 140 members signed a public letter t
SJI Museum of Art | Convergence & divergence: The family aesthetic
Two Parents, One Son. A Century of Vision. ||| FROM BARBARA MARRETT for SAN JUAN ISLANDS MUSEUM OF ART ||| For the first time, the work of world-famous photographer Imogen Cunningham, her husband, Roi Partridge, and their son, Rondal Partridge are being shown together. This groundbreaking exhibition tells an intimate story: how three family members shaped and responded to their times while pursuing their art; how artistic vision travels across generations; and how three artists kept their creati
A benefit of prioritizing natural areas for conservation without public access
||| FROM TANYA WILLIAMSON for SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| Discovered during recent monitoring at Entrance Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island, this petite pink wildflower is extremely sensitive to trampling; heedless hikers can cause serious damage to the population of an area if they step on them. Commonly known as Pipsissewa or Prince’s Pine (Chimaphila umbellata), this native is a low growing evergreen, found in coniferous forests, and mixotrophic. It uses both its green leaves to photosynth
Sheriff’s Report | June 3 – 9, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 26-003240 Citizen Assist 09:54:21 06/03/26 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to a citizen needing assistance in the Eastsound area. The Deputy learned that the citizen was a victim of fraud, however, did not incur a financial loss. The incident was documented. 26-003248 Fraud 16:25:46 06/03/26 A Deputy on San Juan Island took a report of fraud. It was reported that a fraudulent account was made in the reporting party’s […]
The Big Chautauqua show is coming to Odd Fellows Hall
||| FROM ERIC MORRIS ||| The Big Show is at the Odd Fellows Hall on Haven Road @ 7pm Saturday June 20. Featuring internationally known performers including the Flying Karamazov Brothers, Artis the Spoonman, The Fighting Instruments of Karma Marching Chamber Band /Orchestra and more! It’s a knock-your-socks-off extravaganza full of fun, music and magical surprises. Tickets available at the door / also online at: www.tickettailor.com/events/newoldtimechautauqua/2160870 All proceeds to benefit The
Join Us for Orca Sing 2026
||| FROM CONOR AGNEW for THE WHALE MUSEUM ||| Join your friends and neighbors at Lime Kiln Point State Park on Saturday, June 20th at 7:00 PM for Orca Sing 2026! Bring your friends, family, and a picnic to enjoy the beauty of the park and the Salish Sea while listening to thoughtful speeches and local musicians. First Nations naturalists Odin Lonning and Orca Annie will offer Indigenous perspective on the endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Fred West will play […]
Harvesting immature Chinook is shrinking salmon and reducing future returns, new research finds
Study shows that millennia-old practice of fishing in rivers could restore salmon size ||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANY ||| A new study by researchers at the Wild Fish Conservancy and Raincoast Conservation Foundation has found that marine salmon fisheries along the Pacific coast typically harvest Chinook too early in their life cycle, before they reach their full size as adults. The implications from this are far reaching for fisheries, future Chinook runs, and the ecosystem. Th
News Brief | Trump is taking aim at forest and wildfire research just as the West is poised to burn
||| FROM NPR ||| SEATTLE — Few public universities get more federal research funding than the University of Washington. So, as President Trump has already canceled or suspended about a quarter of all funding for the National Science Foundation and National Institutes for Health, the atmosphere on this leafy Seattle campus is tense. “We have a wildfire crisis in the West [and] in the United States,” says Ernesto Alvarado, a fire ecologist and associate professor at the school. But the […]
WSF Weekly Report | Relief boats on standby for World Cup; $150 fine for line-cutting; schedule updates; music on board for 75th anniversary
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve As our region prepares to welcome visitors from around the world for a summer of soccer, we are taking important steps to safely and reliably handle the increased demand. We plan to have two relief boats ready, with crews on standby during the event. These ferries can quickly step in if there is a service disruption, especially on our busy Central Sound routes. We will also have […]
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Guest Opinion | WA lawmakers should get involved as AI data centers sprout
||| BY MICHAEL RIORDAN as printed in THE SEATTLE TIMES ||| Artificial intelligence promises benefits, but its pernicious impacts must be anticipated and mitigated, else vast inequities and disruptions will result. State and local governments must act soon to mitigate these effects, especially in regulating the massive data centers that have blossomed in the Pacific Northwest and across the country to enable AI. As underscored by a series of 2024 Seattle Times and ProPublica articles, one of the
Larsen votes ‘No’ on funding ICE without guardrails
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “I voted no on this partisan bill to fund ICE, and I will continue to oppose funding ICE until the agency is required to follow the same rules as every other local, state and federal law enforcement agency. “Once again, Republicans ignored bipartisan calls for reform and instead advanced a bill that gives ICE and CBP 70 billion taxpayer dollars […]
Stand-up comedy night with acclaimed comic Adam Cayton-Holland at Orcas Center
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Nationally touring comic Adam Cayton-Holland will perform stand-up comedy on Orcas Center’s stage. Cayton-Holland has appeared on Conan, Corden, Comedy Central, and a bunch of other great stuff that starts with the letter “C.” He will perform on Friday, June 26, at 7 p.m. Along with his cohorts in the comedy troupe, The Grawlix, Cayton-Holland created, wrote, and starred on the TV show, Those Who Can’t, which aired for three seasons. The Grawl
Environment Stewardship community-wide climate survey
Your input guided the first steps—now help us build the next phase of the Climate Action Plan ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY LAND BANK ||| San Juan County is developing a Climate Action Plan (CAP) to guide how we respond to climate change while protecting our community and environment. The County is inviting all residents to participate in its second communitywide climate survey to help shape a future that reflects community values and priorities. Given the current budget restraints and […]
CWR encounters Bigg’s killer whales and humpbacks
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 12:39 PM ObservEnd: 01:36 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Other Observers: Rachel John Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T30A, T30C, T75B, T75B2, T75B3, and T75B4 LocationDescr: Eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca/southwest Hein Bank EncSummary: The team was working in the office when we heard reports of a group of Bigg’s southwest of Hein Bank. The group was said to include T30A and T30C, two […
LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County Council regular meeting, June 9, 2026
||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Council issued a proclamation recognizing June 19th, 2026, as Juneteenth National Independence Day. Public Hearings were held to consider land use reclassification of Bayhead Farm on Shaw (no objections) and to discuss a proposed ordinance (addition to county code) regarding wildlife protections. There was substantial discussion with Deputy County Manager Tillery Williams and deputy prosecuting attorney Jon Cain concerning the wording of the
Hotdogs, ice cream and community thank you
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER ||| Join us for hotdogs and ice cream on Thursday, July 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Orcas Senior Center. We are deeply grateful for the generosity and support of our community and donors who have helped make our renovation progress possible. Come tour the building, see the exciting improvements underway, and celebrate what we’ve accomplished together. Enjoy free hotdogs, ice cream, live music, and the company of friends […]
While orca and salmon declined, ocean harvests of Puget Sound chinook significantly underestimated for decades
Revised Pacific Salmon Commission data reveal substantially more Puget Sound Chinook were intercepted in ocean fisheries over a twenty-year period, harming local communities and undermining decades of salmon and orca recovery efforts. ||| FROM EMMA HELVERSON for WILD FISH CONSERVANCY ||| PUGET SOUND, WA—Newly revised data released by Canada at the Pacific Salmon Commission shows that for more than two decades ocean fisheries have killed thousands more Endangered Species Act-listed Puget Sound Ch
Rick Larsen’s campaign launch event on Orcas Island
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| What: Congressman Rick Larsen’s Campaign is holding a campaign launch event on Orcas Island to formally launch his reelection campaign. Rick is fighting to lower costs, bring investments home to Northwest Washington, hold the administration accountable, combat fentanyl in our communities, and support our veterans. Rick’s grassroots campaign has been endorsed by more than 80 local elected officials, with support from party organizations, labor unio
What is the capacity of Nantucket | The question no one wants to, or can’t, answer
During a recent Unscripted conversation, Andy Lowell recalled once being told that “nobody on this planet is qualified to put a capacity on the island of Nantucket.” It was a striking line because it points to a question the island has long circled but rarely asked directly: what is the capacity of Nantucket? ||| FROM BELOW DECK | NANTUCKET ||| At some point, every island has to confront the question: how much can it hold? For Nantucket, that question has […]