Island News
Free financial workshop to empower Orcas Island seniors
||| FROM COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER ||| The Orcas Community Resource Center invites community members to attend a free workshop, “Smart Money Strategies for Seniors,” on Wednesday, April 22nd at 1:00 PM at the Orcas Senior Center. This informative session is designed to help seniors feel confident and informed about their financial future. Whether attendees are looking to stretch their budget, protect their assets, or discover benefits they may not know they have, this workshop provides practical
Student art exhibit coming to Orcas Center
||| FROM D. N. KINSEY for ORCAS CENTER ||| To celebrate our island youth, a four-week Student Art Exhibit is being hosted at the Orcas Center from April 24 – May 26, 2026. All are invited to attend this annual exhibit which features a wide variety of artwork created in public school classes, Kindergarten through 8th grade along with select pieces from the Orcas Island High School. We hope to see you at the opening and artist reception – Friday, […]
Letter to Editor | Vote no on Proposition No. 1
A Permanent, Regressive Property Tax ||| FROM SEAN DEMERITT ||| I am a lifelong Democrat. I have voted yes on levies when they are clear, honest, and benefit the whole community, like our fire department levy, which had a sunset clause and a specific purpose everyone could see. I am voting No on Proposition No. 1, and I am asking my fellow Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to do the same. The campaign will tell you that a No vote cuts […]
Pea Patch awarded $824,000 from state budget
Thanks to Rep. Debra Lekanoff for her sponsorship and support ||| FROM SUZANNE OLSON for PEA PATCH COMMUNITY CAMPUS ||| When Governor Ferguson signed the capital budget last week, it included $824,000 for completion of the first phase of site work for the Pea Patch Community Campus! This means that site preparation work, installation of utilities, stormwater detention, a new entrance road, signs and the first phase of landscaping – everything needed to complete sub-division of the property — can
April 24-May 26: Orcas Island Student Art Exhibit
To celebrate our island youth, a four-week Student Art Exhibit is being hosted at the Orcas Center from April 24 – May 26, 2026. All are invited to attend this annual exhibit which features a wide variety of artwork created in public school classes, Kindergarten through 8th grade along with select pieces from the Orcas Island High School. We […]
San Juan Preservation Trust seeks executive assistant to support growing conservation mission
||| FROM CHARLOTTE CHEVALIER for SAN JUAN PRESERVATION TRUST ||| The San Juan Preservation Trust (SJPT) is seeking a full-time executive Assistant (EA) to support its Executive Director (ED) as the organization enters a new chapter of growth in island conservation. Founded in 1979, the Preservation Trust has worked alongside landowners, community members, and partners to permanently protect approximately 19,000 acres, 50 miles of shoreline, 25 miles of trails, and more than 300 properties across
Coming to Odd Fellows | Women who step up, not aside
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ODD FELLOWS ||| In this event, sponsored by Humanities Washington Speakers series, part music performance and part talk—acoustic music trio Trillium-239 shares songs and stories of trail-breaking women like Marie Curie, Harriet Tubman, Malala Yousafzai, Annie Oakley, and others. What drove them to step out of their expected roles to forge more difficult paths, knowing they’d face many challenges and barriers? What can we learn from them? With their voices, hands, pens,
WSF Weekly Report | Women’s Transportation Seminar; WSDOT Worker Memorial; Summer schedule;
||| FROM STEVE NEVEY for WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES ||| A message from Steve Last Thursday, nine of our women leaders and my deputy represented Washington State Ferries at the Women’s Transportation Seminar Puget Sound Chapter Awards and Scholarships Gala. The event celebrates the significant contributions women make in transportation. It also brings people together to connect, share ideas and support scholarships for women studying engineering and transportation. Two of this year’s scholarship wi
Occam’s Razor | Our island, our world through the eyes, pen of S.C. Watson
SJICF Scholarship Applications Now Open
The San Juan Island Community Foundation is pleased to announce applications are now open for its 2026 scholarship program, supporting local students in their pursuit of higher education and career training. Graduating seniors, current college students, and adult learners residing on San Juan Island are encouraged to apply. Scholarships are available for a wide range […]
Locally supported Meals on Wheels programs support seniors’ ability to age well in the islands
Submitted by SJC.
SeaDoc Society hires new scientist, expanding its impact
by Justin Cox
Rift Cut Construction to build office building on Port land; Town believes floating sauna is non-water dependent and prohibited in marina
LWVSJ Observer Corps summary of the: Friday Harbor Port Commission, March 27, 2026 meeting. The Friday Harbor Hangar F condo lease has been updated to meet the Port’s legal configuration. Michael McKelvey of Rift Cut Construction submitted a proposal to lease Port land for a company office facility. The company plans a high-quality, elevated structure […]
April 10-30: Earth Day Orcas News – Join in the 4th Annual Celebration
2026 marks the 4th year of engaging Earth Day learning experiences on Orcas Island and adds new features during this month-long series of Science, Art, Poetry, Music and Ecology Explorations. Open to all islanders and guests, activities launch on April 10 and conclude on April 30 with something for all ages and interests. If you […]
News Brief | Seven dead gray whales signal trouble in Washington waters
||| FROM KREM-TV SPOKANE ||| In the waters near La Conner, one gray whale is still alive. This time of year typically marks the beginning of gray whale strandings in Washington. But in 2026, the numbers are already ahead of schedule and rising quickly. At the center of that pattern is a single explanation: food. READ FULL ARTICLE
Guest Column by Chris & Chom Greacen: We need code updates. Code updates need the county levy lift
A “yes” vote on the levy lid lift is a vote to protect the core services that make island life possible: public safety, public health, senior services, and the basic infrastructure of local government. San Juan County faces a projected $3.7 million shortfall in 2027, equal to roughly 12–13% of the general fund. Of all […]
SeaDoc Society hires new scientist, expanding its impact
||| FROM JUSTIN COX for SEADOC SOCIETY ||| The SeaDoc Society has hired a new full-time veterinary translational scientist, who will join the team on Orcas Island starting this summer. Dr. Michelle Barbieri Lino, who interned with SeaDoc as a veterinary student back in 2009, monitoring the marine mammal stranding network among other roles, will be moving to Orcas Island with her husband and 7-year-old daughter this summer. Lino and her family currently live on Oʻahu, where she formally led […]
Letter to Editor | Please support Prop. 1 to continue meal program
||| FROM LYNNETTE WOOD ||| Last year, 15,889 meals were prepared and delivered or served through the Orcas Senior Center—nearly 46% more than in 2019. This dramatic increase reflects the growing needs of our aging island population. The meal program is administered by the Whatcom Council on Aging (WCOA), which provides a small federal subsidy. Most of the funding comes from meal participants, private donations, and the Levy Lid Lift. Proposition 1 is essential to sustaining this program. Proposi
Random sites celebrating Earth Day Month and ART26ORCAS gallery openings
||| FROM JOHN RAYMOND BERRY ||| John Raymond Berry Neonatura Luminescent Paintings April 11 – July 31 Commencing at Orcas Public Library A generous portion of proceeds will be shared with the long awaited Center for Creative Repair / Orcas Makers Center – helmed by community artist and respected activist Grey Tyson and located in the former Office Cupboard. Berry is supporting this important endeavor that functions in the manner of the global organizations known as the Living Museum, and […]
TEDxOrcasIslandLive | All of us
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Join Orcas Center for a screening of a set of the latest TED Talks from TED2026, Saturday, April 17, 7-9 p.m. on Center Stage. We’ll be sharing the videos and hosting a brief conversation afterwards. Come enjoy this evening of learning with the latest ideas worth spreading from speakers you may recognize or may not have heard of before. Free tickets are available at www.orcascenter.org.
Telemann Paris Quartets coming to Salish Sea music fest
||| FROM JEFFREY COHAN for SALISH SEA EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ||| The Salish Sea Early Music Festival presents a unique opportunity to hear four of Telemann’s brilliant Paris Quartets on period instruments with violinist David Greenberg, harpsichordist Elisabeth Wright, viola da gambist Susie Napper and baroque flutist Jeffrey Cohan on Thursday, April 23 at 5:00 PM at the Orcas Adventist Fellowship Church in Eastsound. Please note that on May 5 we’ll present Bach’s complete glorious cantata “Ich h
Letter to Editor | Vote Yes on levy lid lift, for all of us
||| FROM LENA KASSA ||| I work at the Orcas Senior Center, where every day I witness what it means to age on this island: the resilience, the deep roots, the quiet courage it takes to ask for help, and the difference it makes when that help is there. That is why I urge every San Juan County resident to vote YES on the general fund levy lid lift by April 28. San Juan County Senior Service staff help seniors […]
San Juan County launches new program to support islanders in recovery
Opioid Addiction Recovery Support (OARS) is available to anyone in active treatment or recovery from a diagnosed opioid use disorder ||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| San Juan County is launching a new pilot program designed to provide direct financial support to islanders engaged in active treatment for or recovery from opioid use disorder. The Opioid Addiction Recover Support (OARS) program helps cover essential living expenses for up to 90 days, including assistance with securing st
Share your feedback: County and partners are developing tools to manage human/wildlife interactions
Submitted by San Juan County.