Island News
Island Allies of Indigenous Lifeways supports tribally managed hunting at North Shore Preserve
||| FROM JAIME BEECHUM and CAITLIN LECK ||| In recent public discourse around the San Juan County Conservation Land Bank’s proposal to open up hunting at Turtleback Preserve and North Shore Preserve, there have been opinions articulating the unfair nature of having a two week period for Tribal only hunting, or of having Tribal hunting occur at all. The proposal – sponsored and supported by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, and the Swinomish Tr
2026 ADU lottery application cycle open April 1 – May 30 for San Juan County
A total of eight (8) eligibility slots are available for the 2026 cycle ||| FROM SAN JAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| Between April 1 and May 30, the San Juan County Department of Community Development (DCD) will be accepting Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) applications for detached ADU permits proposed outside of urban growth areas and activity centers. ADU lottery applications for determining eligibility must be received no later than May 30, 2026. A total of eight (8) eligibility slots are availab
Guest Opinion | The solar promise that wasn’t
How a small island’s experiment in clean energy became a lesson in what happens when a co-op stops listening to the people it serves ||| FROM ALAN MIZUTA ||| I own a piece of a solar farm. I paid for it. I’m proud of what it was supposed to be. I’m considerably less proud of what it became. The Decatur Island microgrid, OPALCO’s first community solar array, was described to state grant-makers as a future national showcase for equitable community […]
Town & County Councils discuss ferries, affordable housing & more at joint meeting
Town and County Councils will continue to partner on the variety of services residents depend upon ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| This week, the Town of Friday Harbor and San Juan County Councils held a special joint meeting where they discussed tourism and economic development in the islands, ferries and significant legislation, affordable housing projects, and opportunities for collaboration. The meeting lasted approximately three hours, and a recording is available on the Town’s
ROAM | Art & literary pop-ups
Eastsound, April 8–12 ||| FROM AYN GAILEY for HUB FOR ARTS & LITERATURE ON ORCAS (HALO) ||| The Orcas Island Library, HALO (Hub for Arts & Literature on Orcas), artists, and our businesses have teamed up to create a weekend of events that will bring inspiration and foot traffic to beloved Eastsound businesses this April. ROAM is a rare opportunity to view curated work by many of the island’s most remarkable artists—many of whom do not show in the Artist Studio Tour. It’s […]
CWR encounters three families of Bigg’s
||| FROM CENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH ||| Full Encounter Report ObservBegin: 08:44 AM ObservEnd: 09:16 AM Vessel: Mike 1 Staff: Mark Malleson Pods: Bigg’s killer whales IDsEncountered: T036A, T036A2, T036A2A, T036A3, T036A5, T086A1, T086A1B, T124A4, T124A4, T124A1A LocationDescr: Parry Bay EncSummary: Mark received a call at 0733 from a colleague who had just seen a group of killer whales heading west off of Ross Bay on Victoria’s waterfront. He got into motion and made his way to town to mobilize
WSF Weekly Report | 20.1 million customers in 2025; Governor signs ferry bill; summer reservations open Tuesday
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve In 2025 we carried 20.1 million customers, nearly 1 million more than the previous year. That translates to 152,592 sailings. Each one starts and ends at a ferry terminal. Only 22 trips were canceled for terminal-related issues last year. While zero is the goal, 22 is a low number and a testament to our 80 terminal engineering employees. They quietly keep the many moving parts of our […]
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
Garden Club presents | History and cultural legacy of pansies and violas
Join us at 9:30 AM (just before the program) for social time, and feel free to bring something for the Sharing Table ||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Please join the Orcas Island Garden Club on Wednesday, April 15 when we welcome Brenna Estrada of Three Brothers Blooms to speak about the History and Cultural Legacy of Pansies and Violas followed by a book signing for her book, “Pansies: How to Grow, Reimagine, and Create Beauty with Pansies and Violas” […]
Larsen requests $77 Million for local job-creating infrastructure, public safety
Larsen submits requests for federal funding for 20 projects in FY27 spending bills ||| FROM THE OFFICE OF US. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) has requested $77,113,331 for 20 local projects in the Fiscal Year 2027 spending bills. “This funding will create good-paying local jobs and improve infrastructure, public safety and education in Northwest Washington,” said Rep. Larsen. “I will keep working with local leaders to bring home federal money to suppor
County receives support from Rep. Larsen for funding repairs at Orcas Landing
Applying for these new funding sources is just one of several ways the County is continuing to manage budget shortfalls in 2026 and 2027 ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| In an effort to manage budget constraints in 2026 and 2027, San Juan County pursued congressional funding to help maintain public services and infrastructure. This included submitting a $4 million Community Project Funding request to Representative Rick Larsen’s Office to fund repairs and improvements to the Orcas Lan
Hearing Examiner rejects permit that allowed a major expansion of a Whatcom County LPG terminal
||| FROM LOVEL PRATT ||| The Whatcom County Hearing Examiner sided with six local environmental groups in ruling that the County mishandled its review of a series of expansions of a liquefied petroleum gas facility near Bellingham. The groups charged that the Ferndale Terminal at Cherry Point significantly and illegally expanded its capacity to ship fuels without first studying the environmental impacts, as required by Washington state law. The Hearing Examiner’s decision is a victory for local
Larsen defends free and fair elections
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement: “President Trump has no constitutional authority to change election law by executive order. This is an unlawful effort to suppress the right to vote. No matter what the President says, there is no proof of widespread voter fraud in our elections. “While this Executive Order is challenged in the courts, I will work with my colleagues in Congress to safegu
Densmore’s artwork featured at Library for April
||| FROM ANDREA COHEN for ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| David Densmore will be April’s featured artist in the Art in the Library series at the Orcas Island Library. David has been capturing the beauty and spirit of Orcas Island in his paintings for many years, and his style continues to evolve. Trained as a jeweler and metalworker, he has said that he “still sees painting and the landscape with a sculptor’s eye.”
Town parking lot closure April 7 and 8
||| FROM JENNIFER KREMBS for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| Residents are advised of a temporary closure of the Town parking lot located at 330 Spring Street across from Wells Fargo Bank, April 7 through mid-day on April 8, 2026, for parking lot improvements. The Streets and Parks Department will scrape vegetation and install new gravel. This will be the first phase of improvements to the public parking lot. Questions regarding the closure may be directed to the Town Administrator […]
Let’s talk public transit for Orcas & the San Juan Islands
||| FROM COLIN WILLIAMS for FRIENDS OF RURAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ||| Hosted by the Friends of Rural Public Transportation Tuesday, April 7, 2026 1:45 PM – 3:30 PM Orcas Island Public Library Community Room Online Meeting Link Imagine Orcas & the San Juan Islands where… You can hop on a bus from the ferry to Eastsound, Doe Bay, or Deer Harbor. Kids can get to activities independently. Neighbors have reliable backup transportation when their car is in the shop. You […]
Award-winning illusion, music, puppetry show + free magic workshop
||| FROM PHINA PIPIA ||| Hailed as “Imaginative, intelligent, and strangely mesmerizing” by the San Diego Union Tribune, Phina Pipia brings award-winning solo show to the Orcas Island Odd Fellows Hall A tuba lights the way, beds make music, paintings come to life, and a radio delivers a message from the past in an award-winning production that combines illusion, music, puppetry, and theater. When a grad student discovers that Leonardo da Vinci and his collaborator, magician and mathematician Luc
Don’t forget! Join the community meeting on April 6 to review the Critical Areas Ordinance update
YOU’RE INVITED to comment on the first draft! Join County staff on Monday, April 6, from 6:00-8:00 pm to ask questions and learn more about the regulations included in the CAO ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is updating its critical areas protections, also referred to as the Critical Areas Ordinance or CAO, and YOU’RE INVITED to comment on the first draft. Join County staff on Monday, April 6 from 6:00-8:00 pm to ask questions and […]
News Brief | Trump issues order attempting to change rules for mail-in voting
||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Tuesday that purports to change rules for mail ballots even though the president has limited authority over elections. Elections experts called the order legally questionable and noted that courts blocked the major provisions of an executive order on elections he signed last year. Opponents agreed a challenge was all but certain. The administration has also sued 29 states to try to get copies of their voter
Vegetable Gardening Workshop with Dr. Carol Miles set for April 11
During the event, San Juan County Master Gardeners will be available to answer attendees’ specific gardening questions, from soil challenges to pest troubleshooting ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The WSU Extension San Juan County Master Gardeners invite the community to kick off the 2026 gardening season at a special Vegetable Gardening Workshop with Dr. Carol Miles on Saturday, April 11, from 11:30am to 1:00pm at the Marie Boe Building at the San Juan County Fairgrounds. Dr. Miles,
Orcas celebrates Trans Day of Visibility
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND PRIDE ||| Today is Trans Day of Visibility. Today, we honor our trans brethren that have passed away, and celebrate the lives of those of us still living. We did a screening of the film Heightened Scrutiny in February alongside a Q&A with the director, Sam Feder. From now until the 5th of April (04/05/2026), it is available for free streaming! Find it here. We highly recommend this look into the fight that has been happening […]
Independent Bookstore Day celebrates its 13th anniversary
Darvill’s Bookstore is happy to announce our participation in the 13th Anniversary of Independent Bookstore Day ||| FROM SARA FARISH for DARVILL’S BOOKSTORE & COFFEE BAR ||| This year, Darvill’s Bookstore & Coffee Bar on Orcas Island is celebrating with a full day of events for book lovers of all ages. Stop by for exclusive Independent Bookstore Day totes, discounts, and a community story hour for young readers. We will also be celebrating local authors and poets with in-store signings […]
No jurors needed for April 6-10
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| JURY DUTY: APRIL 6-10, 2026 For the Jury Period beginning Monday April 6th through Friday April 10th, 2026, all jurors are excused. Thank you.
Collision course | WSF terminates contract for streamlining reservations
Ferry stakeholders feel the pain as nearly $3 million in public spending may come up empty ||| FROM THE SALISH CURRENT ||| Earlier this month, a Washington State Ferries project manager unexpectedly terminated a standing $8 million contract to upgrade and modernize ferry ticketing and reservations, potentially placing $3 million of public spending at risk. Nasi Peretz, CEO of Anchor Operating Systems — the former vendor on the project — told Salish Current the abrupt termination of WSF’s so-call