More good news from J-Pod… The Center for Whale Research confirms that another calf has been born into the Southern Resident killer whale community, and the mother is J41. CWR will eagerly await the whales’ return to evaluate the calf’s condition and hopefully determine its sex. J41’s new calf is the second birth in J  Continue Reading

Here’s some happy news from the Center for Whale Research… Updating our recent announcement concerning J35’s new calf, J57: we can confirm that it is male (see top photograph). This feisty young boy was seen last evening, September 22, near Point Roberts, Washington. He was photographed rolling, spyhopping, and swimming alongside his mother, who was  Continue Reading

San Juan Island Library announces that renowned regional author Clare Hodgson Meeker will host a Zoom talk on Friday, October 2, at 7:00 p.m. Meeker’s latest book, Growing Up Gorilla: How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together, is a 2020 Washington State Book Award Finalist for Young Readers. Meeker will discuss writing Growing Up  Continue Reading

Resource Allocation to Growth and Structure: The Energetic Cost of Mussel Byssal Thread Attachment, by Molly Roberts Dr. Molly Roberts completed her PhD with Dr. Emily Carrington in 2019 in the Biology Department at UW. Her research involved both experimental work at FHL and fieldwork at Penn Cove Shellfish in Coupeville, WA. Prior to her  Continue Reading

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… (Author’s note: This campfire story is mostly fiction in terms of characters and events. Historic, ecological and political themes will always be sculpted factually. The wonders of the subarctic natural world are as I understand them  Continue Reading

San Juan County Master Gardeners welcome keynote speaker Robin Haglund to the Annual Gardening Workshop Series. Robin’s presentation, Growing a Year-Round Hummingbird Habitat Garden, guides you through crafting and maintaining a gorgeous year-round garden that provides habitat for our resident hummingbirds. You will learn the vital elements needed for food and nesting, while enjoying the  Continue Reading

We hear from Tanja at the Land Bank… Make some room in your freezer – deer hunting is open for early and general seasons only at Lopez Hill and Mount Grant Preserves. Specific dates are as follows: Archery: September 1 -25 Muzzle loader: September 26 – October 4 Modern Firearm: October 17 – November 1 Be  Continue Reading

Bug Count hosted by Bugs of the San Juans… Activity for Islanders! End of Summer Porch Light Bug Count! August 20 at 12 PM – August 31 at 3 PM   So, I’ve been checking out what insects show up at our porch light around 10:00 pm and took a short video clip last night after  Continue Reading

State receives more than $11 million in federal grants to benefit Southern Resident killer whale and Chinook recovery… The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) today announced the award of more than $11 million in grants to 11 Chinook salmon habitat and hatchery projects from a new grant program under the Pacific Salmon Treaty.  Continue Reading

The Animal Shelter (AP-FH) is participating in this year’s San Juan Island Community Fair’s “Virtual Fair”  August 12-15.  It is a fund-raiding opportunity for us, one of very few this year, unfortunately. Your help is needed to feed our 4-legged friends! COVID has hit us hard but homeless dogs and cats continue to need our care.   Think about  Continue Reading

On Sunday, August 2, five North Carolina hound-dog mixes arrived at Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor where they will be cared for until adopted. Landing in their “forever homes” will be an incredible end to an epic journey for these dogs. The story begins with a kind and generous gentleman bringing a stray dog  Continue Reading

We hear from artist and animal activist Jan Murphy… Friday Harbor Artist Jan Murphy uses her art to help exploited Asiatic Bears. Jan is an artist at the Friday Harbor Atelier, 313 Spring Street. “Hi, my name is Jan Murphy, and at 59 years old, I can finally say that I no longer feel timid about calling  Continue Reading

SJ Historical Museum with their History Column for August… It was pretty easy to choose a topic for this month’s history column. Last month’s column suggested a theme when we came upon the fun photo from the 1981 Fourth of July Parade and decided to use it, since we didn’t have a parade this year.  Continue Reading

Olympia—Throughout August, the Washington Invasive Species Council and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are asking the public to take 10 minutes to check trees in their communities for invasive insects. August is the peak time of year that wood-boring insects are most often spotted outside of trees. “State and federal agencies do a  Continue Reading

The North Pacific Right Whale: Why You Should Care about the World’s Rarest Whale Join Friends of the San Juans and Kevin Campion of Deep Green Wilderness on July 23 at 6:30 pm to hear about Kevin and his team’s expeditions to film the North Pacific right whale.  You’ll learn about what right whales mean for modern  Continue Reading

2020 Summer Marine Naturalist Training Program will be Virtual The Whale Museum’s Summer Marine Naturalist Program is going virtual. This dynamic and high-quality program will still be 6-sessions and run on the following dates: July 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, and 22 with a one daybreak on July 19. The object of this program is  Continue Reading

  Hi, I am Moose. Aren’t I adorable? My new parents think so. I found my forever home and my owners have ordered a DNA test so they can find out exactly who I am. Of course, I know who I am – a great kid of 15 months who has a vocabulary like no  Continue Reading

OLYMPIA—As summer gets into full swing and people spend more time outside, state and federal officials and local beekeepers hope the public will keep their eyes open and report any sightings of Asian giant hornet. “When it comes to preventing and stopping a new invasive species, we all have a role to play and this  Continue Reading

This FHL Tide Bite was written by Jen Burnaford… My first trip to UW Friday Harbor Labs was in 1995. After completing my undergraduate thesis on freshwater zooplankton and spending a post-bac year chasing primates through the jungles of Borneo, I had been accepted into the PhD program at Oregon State University in the Menge/Lubchenco  Continue Reading

“Canaan,” a Friday Harbor local, is Bob Anderson’s champion agility dog. Canaan has been in approximately 120 agility trials and 1500 individual agility runs. He has come in 1st place over 400 times and placed 2nd or 3rd in as many events. Canaan is seen in the photo at right with only a fraction of  Continue Reading

We are living in a time of unprecedented trial. In an effort to bring you a much-needed reconnection to the natural world, Friends of the San Juans would like to invite you to attend an upcoming Zoom presentation with Peter Cavanagh. Are you experiencing travel withdrawal after months of lockdown and cancelled travel plans? Peter  Continue Reading

In the mailbag this morning we have this letter from Janet Thomas… Dear Islanders, The Southern Resident orcas are facing imminent extinction. Unlike other orca species they do not eat other marine mammals. Their primary diet is Chinook salmon–specifically the salmon that comes from the Fraser River in B.C. and migrates along the west side  Continue Reading