Island News
Merri Ann Simonson Real Estate Updates: 1st quarter of 2026 almost the same as 2025 1st quarter
Here is the Real Estate Market Snap Shot by the Simonson & Zambrovitz Team at Coldwell Banker SJI. They report that the first quarter of 2026 is very similar to 2025 regarding the number of transactions and sales price category.
Give Lopez – Lopez’s Annual Spring Fundraiser Runs April 13th – 27th
Lopez Island’s annual spring fundraiser, Give Lopez, is set to run April 13th – 27th. This year, 16 nonprofits serving Lopez Island residents with a variety of community programs are participating. Now in its ninth year, the two-week fundraiser is a critical component of each organization’s yearly fundraising and outreach efforts. In 2025, Give Lopez netted […]
Katie Fleming: Levy lid lift roughly $22 a month for average propery
Dear Editor, Please understand that I am writing this letter as a private citizen, not in my capacity as a county employee or in any way affiliated with my employer. I’ve lived on San Juan Island for 15 years, and I feel lucky every day that this is home – the place where I’m raising […]
News Brief | Did you feel one of the 18 earthquakes this morning?
||| FROM KOMO NEWS ||| An active swarm of earthquakes has been detected far offshore of Washington state, but experts say it is not a threat to people on land in the Pacific Northwest. The network reported that 18 quakes were detected as of noon on April 12, with a magnitude ranging up to 4.2. PNSN stressed that the swarm does not pose a hazard to the PNW onshore region, READ FULL ARTICLE
Letter to Editor | Proposed blubber detoxification technique for female killer whales
||| FROM RIKKI SWIN ||| One of the biggest threats to endangered Southern Resident killer whale calves (and others worldwide) is exposure to man-made toxins such as PCBs, PFAS (“forever chemicals”), and other persistent pollutants. These toxins accumulate in the mother’s thick layer of blubber over her lifetime and are passed to the calf in high concentrations through her milk during nursing—often with devastating effects on the calf’s developing immune system. Salmon, which accumulate these tox
Letter to Editor | In support of San Juan County Levy Lift
||| FROM KATIE FLEMING ||| Please understand that I am writing this letter as a private citizen, not in my capacity as a county employee or in any way affiliated with my employer. I’ve lived on San Juan Island for 15 years, and I feel lucky every day that this is home – the place where I’m raising a family. The natural environment here isn’t a backdrop to our lives, it’s the heart of them. Hiking through forests, spending sunny […]
A legacy in every note: Orcas Island honors retiring strings director Pamela Wright
What began as the 2026 Music Advocacy Group Community Concert, benefiting the Orcas Island School District music program, held in the gymnasium at Orcas Island High School, became something far more personal on this Sunday afternoon — a heartfelt, tearful send-off for strings director Pamela Wright, who will retire at the end of this school year after 24 extraordinary years at Orcas Island Schools.
News Brief | The ocean is no longer pure: Scientists find human chemistry woven into the seas
||| FROM THE DAILY MAVERICK ||| If an alien civilisation arrived on Earth and dipped a probe into the ocean, what would it find? These substances are no longer just contaminants drifting through the water. They are part of the water’s chemistry. Traditionally, scientists searched for a limited list of known chemicals – perhaps a dozen or two – using targeted methods. This study took a different approach. Across ecosystems – from estuaries to coral reefs to the open ocean […]
Letter to Editor | No on levy lid lift
||| FROM CINDY CARTER ||| San Juan County is requesting a levy lid lift to $.85/$1000 of property value. The statement on the county website is the same levy rate that was approved in 2019. What they fail to mention is that in 2019, from the San Juan Assessor’s information, the value of the taxable land was 7,543,576,994. (yes, that’s $7+ billion dollars!) This year’s (2026) taxable land value is $14,659,653,033. That means that we would basically double the taxes […]
Peace to All Nations Tour coming to Odd Fellows
||| FROM DIDIER GINCIG for ORCAS ODD FELLOWS ||| Peace to All Nations Tour featuring Adrian Xavier & Ska Island bringing reggae, ska, and dub.to the Odd Fellows Hall on April 17. The event will also include performances by local favorites Minnow Creek and DJ Blazey Blaze. Doors open at 8:00pm. Tickets: $15 in advance / $20 at the door. Advance tickets are available online at https://linktr.ee/skaisland
Letter to Editor | We need code updates. Code updates need the county levy lift
||| FROM CHRIS & CHOM GREACEN ||| 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 the property taxes we pay, only about 9% supports the county’s general operations. The county has balanced its […]
Larsen welcomes major disaster declaration for NW Washington, urges fast relief for flood-hit families, communities
||| FROM THE OFFICE OF U.S. REP. RICK LARSEN ||| EVERETT, WA – Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) today welcomed the Major Disaster Declaration for Washington state following the severe storms and flooding that hit the state in December. “This is great news for the Northwest Washington communities that were hit hard by the December floods and need federal support to recover,” said Rep. Larsen. “Yesterday, I visited flood-affected communities, including meeting with the mayors of Nooksack, Sumas
Conservation Land Bank Commission travels to Orcas Island for upcoming April 17 Meeting
The meeting will be held at the Orcas Island Fire Station ||| FROM TANJA WILLIAMSON for CONSERVATION LAND BANK COMMISSION ||| The San Juan County Conservation Land Bank Commission will hold its regularly scheduled April 17 meeting on Orcas Island. The meeting is scheduled from 8:30am – 11:10am via Zoom. The meeting will also be available for in person public attendance at the Orcas Island Fire Station, 45 Lavender Lane, Eastsound, WA. The public is invited to attend. What: San Juan […]
Sheriff’s Report | April 1 – 6, 2026
||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ||| WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 26-001773 Communications Problem 09:11:50 04/01/26 An Orcas Island Deputy responded to a scam attempt. The Deputy learned that a new scam involves the scammer calling and claiming to have your family member held hostage until you pay a ransom. The scammer isn’t aware you live on an island and will claim they have your loved one on the mainland. 26-001776 Weapons Noise 10:47:41 04/01/26 An Orcas Island Deputy responded […]
Orcas Island Fire & Rescue brings Hollywood glamour to annual awards banquet
By Darrell Kirk
We are all in this together
||| FROM LINDSAY JENNINGS for ORCAS ISLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION ||| As the world watched the historic Artemis II mission around the moon this week, the awestruck crew shared unifying words for us, “ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.” said Christina Koch. Victor Glover shared, “In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get […]
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