Island News
San Juan County Council weighs four paths to ease housing crunch
San Juan County Council members spent part of their June 9 meeting on the county’s housing shortage, narrowing a list of possible code changes to four priorities: pre-approved building plans, updated accessory dwelling unit standards, legalization of temporary and mobile housing, and rural cluster development changes.
Engineer says root problem behind Ferndale propane tank isn’t the tank — it’s a patchwork of regulations
Wendy Hiester, a retired chemical engineer, Orcas Island resident and former engineering superintendent at the BP Cherry Point Refinery, said in an interview with the Islands’ Sounder that the real issue behind the aging propane storage tank at the AltaGas Cherry Point terminal is not the tank itself, but a gap in Washington state’s regulatory system that allows facilities handling refinery-scale volumes of hazardous chemicals to escape the oversight refineries receive.
Despite federal financing shakeup, land trust model offers some protections to keep affordable housing secure
Federal changes to mortgage financing have forced San Juan County’s affordable housing partner, OPAL Community Land Trust, to adjust how some of its homes are financed, according to discussion at the Eastsound Planning Review Committee meeting held July 2. In an email reply to the Islands’ Sounder, OPAL Executive Director Lisa Byers confirmed several details and added context to other points brought up at the meeting. Byers did not participate in the meeting.
New to Medicare? Here’s what you need to know
Will you be turning 65, retiring or qualifying for Social Security Disability Benefits for 24 months in the next year? Then you will be eligible to join Medicare. Enrollment is not automatic for most people, so you’ll probably need to enroll with Social Security. To avoid penalties and make an informed decision about your coverage choices, you’ll need to understand a lot of new information — including when to enroll, what Medicare covers and which type of coverage is right for you.
Planned Parenthood advocacy organizations in Washington announce Supreme Court endorsements
On Tuesday, July 7, Planned Parenthood’s two advocacy organizations in Washington announced their joint endorsements for the Washington State Supreme Court for the first time in over a decade.
‘You Can’t Hide’ shows for two nights at Orcas Center
Comedian Casey Skinner performs and leads workshop
‘Elements: A Celebration of Contemporary Art by Orcas Island Artists’
Submitted by Inese Westcott.
Acting classes this summer at Orcas Center
Submitted by the Orcas Center.
Early Bird Passes available for Friday Harbor Film Festival
||| FROM FRIDAY HARBOR FILM FESTIVAL ||| Mark your calendars — Friday Harbor Film Festival returns to San Juan Island this October, opening the evening of October 22 and running through October 25 with powerful documentaries, filmmaker conversations, and island community. Early Bird Passes are on sale now through August 15, with the best pricing of the year on Patron and All-Access passes. Explore Passes Submissions Close August 1 — Last Call for Filmmakers Attention filmmakers! Time’s almost up
Lopez wildland fire extinguished with help from DNR, Orcas and San Juan fire departments
On Monday July 13th at 12:57pm, Lopez Island Fire and EMS responded to a wildland fire in the area of Shark Reef and Meadow Lane. While enroute to the scene assistance was requested from the San Juan Fire District 3 fire boat due to the nature of the report. Personnel arrived on scene at an […]
Go fly a kite
Looking for something to do that doesn’t involve a screen? How about something that gets you out of the house, let’s you zone out and provides a joyful and meditative experience. How about kite flying. Kite enthusiasts Max Gilbertson and Katherine Hales opened Quite Alright Kites (QUARK) in Friday Harbor June 1, 2026. Their mission […]
Thor Hanson book signing scheduled for Market Garden
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND GARDEN CLUB ||| Join award-winning conservation biologist and local author, Thor Hanson for an engaging talk and signing of his most recent bestselling book, Close to Home, The Wonders of Nature Just Outside Your Door. His book offers a hands-on natural history for any local patch of Earth, showing that we each can contribute to science and improve the health of our planet. When: Thursday, July 16 from 1 – 2 pm What: Thor Hanson talk and book […]
Leadership San Juan Islands recruiting for next class
||| FROM LEADERSHIP SAN JAN ISLANDS ||| Leadership San Juan Islands (LSJI) has begun recruiting for Class XVIII, running from December 2026 through May 2027. Information and the application are available on the website. https://lsji.org/ ZOOM link for July 16- https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9711929268?omn=87661620425 Our twelve-day flagship program will include three overnight retreats on Orcas, San Juan and Lopez Islands, supporting our immersive learning objectives. 2026 – 2027 PROGRAM CALENDAR Ori
Olga Daze announces musical lineup
Olga Daze kicks off this Saturday, July 18, at 10:00 am ||| FROM SUSAN GORDON BENTLEY for OLGA DAZE ||| We’re pleased to announce a fantastic musical lineup arranged by Clint McCune. Starting with Speeces Pieces opening at 10:00am, music will be performed throughout the day until close at 2:00pm. Joining the lineup are Clint McCune, Minnow Stream, Dust Bunnies and JP and the OK Rhythm Boys. Don’t miss this chance to see Orcas’ finest musicians in person! All this […]
Poetry Gardens contest deadline July 31, 2026
||| FROM DENICE KULSETH for TOWN OF FRIDAY HARBOR ||| Poems must be submitted by Friday July 31, 2026, to be entered in the Friday Harbor Poetry Gardens Contest sponsored by the Town of Friday Harbor and the Friday Harbor Arts Commission. Entry is free and open to San Juan County residents of all ages. Winners will be announced in October. Engravings of the 30 winning poems will replace the winners of the previous contest on display since spring 2023 […]
Land Bank July 2026 meeting and agenda
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting Friday, June 17. The meeting is scheduled from 8:45am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Mullis Community Senior Center on San Juan Island, WA. The public is invited to attend. Click HERE to download the agenda (includes Zoom meeting link) and meeting materials.
Eagles Roost fire
By Adam Bigby
Suzie Lefever retires after keeping islanders moving for 30 years
Celebration slated Sunday, July 19th Growing up in a Friday Harbor-size town in western Pennsylvania Suzie Lefever preferred to be active. As a young girl she played pickup sports with the neighborhood kids and also enjoyed helping her father in his workshop. She learned about the various tools that he would ask her for and […]
Welcome to Orcas Island Health Care District monthly newsletter
||| FROM ORCAS ISLAND HEALTH CARE DISTRICT ||| One of the most important things a health district can do is make sure the people it serves have access to clear, reliable information about their health care — what’s available, how to use it, and what’s coming. We are happy to introduce two new ways to stay connected — this newsletter and our new social media pages– so you always know what’s happening with health care on Orcas. The Orcas Island Health Care […]
Ready for Medicare?
||| FROM PEGI GROUNDWATER ||| Will you be turning 65, retiring or qualified for Social Security Disability Benefits for 24 months in the next year? Then you will be eligible to join Medicare. Enrollment in Medicare is not automatic for most people, so you’ll probably need to enroll. There is a lot of new information you’ll need to understand so you can enroll at the right time to avoid penalties, understand what Medicare covers and make an informed decision about […]
‘You Can’t Hide’ show for two nights at Orcas Center
Comedian Casey Skinner performs and leads workshop ||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center’s summer of comedy continues with another hilarious show for two nights of laughs. You Can’t Hide follows comedian Casey Skinner and his true story of accidentally landing in “the most dangerous hotel in America” — the infamous Cecil Hotel — and the hilariously unhinged events that brought him back for one final night, with a murderer on the loose. Imagine Mr. Bean […]
Thunderpussy to play next Orcas Center summer concert
||| FROM COLLEEN SMITH SUMMERS for ORCAS CENTER ||| Orcas Center is proud to present its annual Summer Concert Series on the Village Green, bringing free, live music to the heart of Eastsound. This vibrant outdoor series, supported in part by Joe Brotherton and the Doe Bay team, celebrates community, creativity, and the magic of music under the open sky. All performances are free for the community and take place on Sundays at 5 p.m. The series runs now through […]
NY Times bestselling and award-winning author coming to Darvill’s
||| FROM DARVILL’S BOOKSTORE & ORCAS ISLAND LIBRARY ||| Please join Darvill’s Bookstore & the Orcas Library in welcoming NY Times bestselling and award-winning author Stacey Lee. Stacey will discuss her new historical YA novel “HEIRESS OF NOWHERE,” which takes place on Orcas Island in 1918. Stacey Lee is the New York Times and Indie bestselling author of historical and contemporary young adult fiction, including The Downstairs Girl, a Reese’s Book Club YA pick, Luck of the Titanic, which receive
SeaDoc Society invests $270,000 in 6 research grants
SeaDoc Society will fund six new science projects in 2026, investing nearly $270,000 in research to better understand and protect the Salish Sea..These projects tackle some of the region’s most important conservation challenges. From tracking tidal beaver populations in the Snohomish Delta and mapping juvenile salmon movement in the Roberts Bank Estuary to improving kelp […]