Island News
News Brief | How new fishing tech can reduce bycatch of turtles and other creatures
||| FROM ARSTECHNICA.COM Designed to capture animals destined for our dinner tables, our oceans are full of sophisticated, perfect traps. Over the decades, conservationists, researchers, and fishermen have developed ways to minimize various kinds of bycatch in different fishing stocks around the world. Some approaches, however, now have a proven success rate—and more may be on the horizon. READ FULL ARTICLE
Town, County councils to meet on April 1
||| FROM TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Town Council and San Juan County Council will hold a special joint meeting on April 1, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. -12:00 p.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.
Letter to Editor | No Kings rally missing an issue
||| FROM BEV LEHMAN ||| At the Orcas Island No Kings Rally on March 28th the most important issue in this country was absent—voting to change the majority party in the United States Congress. The SAVE America Act — similar to its predecessor the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — could silence millions of voters by creating new barriers to voter registration The SAVE Act could affect registered voters too. Any time somebody updates their registration, if they change […]
News Brief | Inside a rare sperm whale birth
||| FROM INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS ||| Two landmark studies of a rare sperm whale birth observation in the Caribbean are reshaping scientists’ understanding of cooperation in the animal kingdom, revealing that whales in unrelated family lines work collectively to help newborn calves survive. Witnessing such an event is extremely uncommon. There is only one previous scientific observation of a sperm whale birth over the past six decades, and just four other accounts post-birth from whaling activities.
CWR logs encounter #18 with J Pod
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 03:35 PM ObservEnd: 05:08 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Dave Ellifrit, Michael Weiss Pods: J IDsEncountered: J16, J19, J22, J27, J31, J35, J36, J37, J38, J39, J40, J41, J42, J44, J45, J46, J47, J49, J51, J56, J57, J58, J59, J62, J63 LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: The team had received reports of likely residents in Rosario Strait early in the day, but the weather had prevented them from heading out. By mid-afternoon, t
Drifting dock highlights growing microplastic risk
By Asifa Pasin, Nancy Schafer and Bill Symes
Joan M. Whiting April 4, 1944 – March 15th, 2026
Joan M. Whiting was born in Bismark, ND to Alvin and Doris Molvig on April 4th, 1944 and passed away March 15th, 2026 in Longmont, CO. She married the love of her life, Ralph S. Whiting, on October 9th, 1973. Joan was the most caring, loving soul to everyone she encountered throughout life. She was […]
OICF supports new program bridging indigenous and islander communities
||| FROM KIM WEST ACTKINSON for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) is excited to announce its fiscal sponsorship and support of a new community program, Island Allies of Indigenous Lifeways – a grassroots organization that fosters decolonization, Indigenous sovereignty and adaptive culture through Tribally-led education and participatory practices. Through the lens of Food as Lifeway, Island Allies chooses to step into this work as a responsibility
LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County Council regular meeting notes
||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ||| Deputy County Manager made a presentation on the Wildlife Protection Working Groups’ discussions and recommendations. This group was formed because residents sought county intervention to address human interference with wildlife, especially foxes on San Juan Island. The group has been meeting to find ways to respond with unified, sustainable options to prevent harmful incidents through education, training, messaging, and a possible local ordi
Larsen demands Trump admin mobilize all options to prepare for upcoming wildfire season
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined twelve of his colleagues from Washington and Oregon in a letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Dr. Neil Jacobs expressing their concern about the heightened risk of a devastating wildfire season, raising questions about the steps the officials have taken to prepare for wil
Spring brings new programs and partnerships
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The trees are full of blossoms, the spring bulbs are popping up, and the days are finally feeling brighter. Spring is here, and along with the new color showing outside, new projects and partnerships are budding. For the first time, we are excited to invite local businesses to support nonprofits through GiveOrcas this spring as Business Partners in Philanthropy. By supporting GiveOrcas, local businesses can help strengthen the c
Join us at Senior Center for a free Alzheimer’s presentation
||| FROM LENA KASSA for ORCAS SENIOR CENTER Orcas Senior Center, Orcas Island Caregiver Project, and San Juan County Senior Services invite you to a free community presentation on Friday, April 3, from noon to 2:00 p.m. at Orcas Senior Center. The program will be presented by Jerri Wood, Program Manager with the Alzheimer’s Association Washington State Chapter (serving Washington and Northern Idaho) and co-hosted by Debra O’Conner of the Orcas Island Caregiver Project and San Juan County Senior
News Brief | Retired WSF Captain: ‘In 10 years time, WSF will be crippled’ by a lack of vessels
||| FROM CNL3 ||| Retired Washington State Ferries’ Captain Ken Burtness has been thinking about going public with his worries about the state of the WSF fleet for the past year. “(My) main goal is to get the Legislature to understand that they have to fund new boats, that they cannot continue the pattern of the last 27 years and keep putting it off.” “There was never a shortage of boats and 11 new boats were built between 1970 and […]
Sheriff’s Report | March 18 – 25, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 26-001518 Wanted Person 09:19:33 03/18/26 Deputies on San Juan Island arrested an individual with an outstanding Department of Corrections (DOC) felony warrant for escape community custody. The subject was booked into jail. 26-001528 Animal Bite 16:07:09 03/18/26 A San Juan County Deputy responded to an animal bite call. The victim, a delivery driver, was attacked by two dogs. Multiple wounds necessitated a hospital visit. A citat
CWR encounters J pod near Spieden Island
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 12:49 PM ObservEnd: 03:58 PM Vessel: KCB III Staff: Michael Weiss, Katie Jones Pods: J IDsEncountered: J19, J22, J27, J31, J35, J36, J38, J39, J40, J41, J42, J44, J45, J46, J47, J49, J51, J53, J56, J57, J58, J62, J63 LocationDescr: Haro Strait EncSummary: The team had received reports of a spread-out group of whales headed west through Spieden Channel. As these whales were nearly out of Spieden they were […]
SJC sheriff’s log
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded to the following calls.
OICF supports new program bridging indigenous, islander communities
||| FROM THE ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) is excited to announce its fiscal sponsorship and support of a new community program, Island Allies of Indigenous Lifeways – a grassroots organization that fosters decolonization, Indigenous sovereignty and adaptive culture through Tribally-led education and participatory practices. Through the lens of Food as Lifeway, Island Allies chooses to step into this work as a responsibility to Place and to mo
Letter to Editor | Vote YES for county levy: save the services we value most
||| FROM JAMIE STEPHENS ||| I am writing to point out the importance of voting YES on Proposition No.1, the County’s regular property tax levy lid lift. This levy is to continue funding valued community services that are not mandated by law. These services include foundational public health, senior services, parks and fair, emergency management, the Islands Oil Spill Association, and environmental stewardship. We have come to rely on these programs and services as part of our everyday lives. As
WSF Weekly Report | Celebrating women in workforce; Wenatchee shifting to normal operations
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve One of the questions I hear most often is: how can one ferry being out of service cause so much disruption? It’s a fair question, so I want to explain it in plain terms. Our system runs on a set number of boats assigned to specific routes each day. Unlike some transportation systems, we don’t have a large number of spare vessels sitting ready to step in […]
Pick up the book TILT and be a part of AIR (All Islands Read) on April 11
||| FROM SAM GAIEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Join your fellow islanders in this group event. The All Islands Read (AIR) annual community book event returns on Saturday, April 11 at 11:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall with an in-person event with the author! This year’s shared read features acclaimed debut author Emma Pattee and her electrifying novel, TILT. Set over the course of a single day, TILT is a striking debut from “a powerful new literary voice” […]
Las lecturas comunes fomentan la empatía y comunidad
||| FROM SAM GAILEY for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Consigue el libro TILT y sé parte de AIR (All Islands Read) el 11 de abril. Únete a tus compañeros isleños en este evento grupal. El evento anual comunitario de libros All Islands Read (AIR) regresa el sábado 11 de abril a las 11:00 a.m. en el Salón Parroquial Emmanuel Episcopal, con un evento presencial con la autora. La lectura compartida de este año presenta a la aclamada autora debut Emma […]
Bringing it Home | Sea level rise impact, response planning for Orcas
A Climate Solutions Workshop ||| FROM EARTH DAY ORCAS ||| The Orcas Island community is invited to participate in a sea level rise impact workshop with presentations by Tyler Davis of San Juan County Environmental Stewardship and Tina Whitman of Friends of the San Juans. They will share San Juan County and Orcas Island visual forecast tools, outcomes of previous community input, and discuss response scenarios. Their presentations will be followed by a hands-on design charette to help Orcas parti
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Dotys celebrate 70 years of marriage
Submitted by the Doty family.