Topic: Environment

County Adds Electric Vehicles to Fleet

Written on May 13, 2016 at 5:55 am, by

San Juan County Council approved funding for the purchase of 2 new electric vehicles and charging stations at its May 10th regular meeting. The purchase is part of a concerted County effort to replace older gas or diesel powered vehicles in its fleet with new electric technology. “We purchased 2 electric utility vehicles for our  Continue Reading

BioBlitz is Coming to San Juan Island

Written on May 12, 2016 at 5:47 am, by

Grab your magnifying glass and explore nature in San Juan Island National Historical Park, like never before! On May 20-21, national parks across the country, including San Juan Island, will participate in the National Parks BioBlitz. BioBlitz is a fun, fast-paced biological survey of a park’s creepers and crawlers, plants and pollinators, mammals and more!  Continue Reading

Sunday Evening Rainbow

Written on May 11, 2016 at 5:48 am, by

Shelley ran outside just in time to get a photo of this lovely rainbow Sunday evening. Thanks for sharing Shelley!

Northern Lights

Written on May 10, 2016 at 5:59 am, by

Chris Teren shares this awesome photo from Saturday night up at Stuart Island. Here’s what he has to say about it… Chasing the Northern Lights on Stuart Island Mother Nature put on an AMAZING show last night, kicking off Mother’s Day with some of the best Northern Lights I’ve ever seen in Washington State!! I  Continue Reading

Kendra’s Going Exploring on the Nautilus

Written on May 10, 2016 at 5:49 am, by

FHHS Junior Kendra Clifton-Pew has been selected to explore the ocean on the “Nautilus”, the exploration vessel used by Dr. Robert Ballard when he discovered the Titanic shipwreck. Educators and students participate in groundbreaking STEM initiative exploring deep-sea biology, geology, and archaeology in the Eastern Pacific Kendra has been selected as a 2016 Honors Research  Continue Reading

Clearest Drinking Water

Written on May 9, 2016 at 5:50 am, by

>> Update – the time has been moved up to 11:00 for this award presentation << Town to receive Department of Health award for top water quality in the state The Town of Friday Harbor is receiving top honors for providing some of the clearest drinking water in the state for three consecutive years. The  Continue Reading

Pollinators in the Park

Written on May 7, 2016 at 5:29 am, by

In honor of this month’s “History Lives Here” celebration the Land Bank and SJI National Historic Park are hosting an afternoon of fun and learning for kids, centered around the heritage fruit trees in historic Driggs Park (adjacent to the Land Bank office) and pollinators. There will be games and art projects, as well as  Continue Reading

$19 million in Economic Benefits

Written on May 6, 2016 at 5:45 am, by

Tourism to San Juan Island National Historical Park creates Over $19 million in Economic Benefits Report shows visitor spending supports 198 jobs in local economy A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 258,668 visitors to San Juan Island National Historical Park (NHP) in 2015 spent $14,811,700 in communities near the park. That spending  Continue Reading

Mother’s Day Work Party on Cady Mountain Preserve

Written on May 5, 2016 at 5:44 am, by

Sure, a tasty Mother’s Day brunch is nice, but just that word, nice… Get adventurous. Get outdoors. Get atop Cady Mountain Preserve with the Oak Team. The mountainside is bursting with wildflowers – no bouquets needed! When? Sunday, May 8 10:00am to 2:00pm Where? Base of Cady Mountain Preserve – turn on to Cady Mountain  Continue Reading

Shoreline Landowner Workshop

Written on May 4, 2016 at 5:34 am, by

Shoreline erosion management focus of free workshop Shoreline landowners of San Juan County communities are invited to attend a free workshop on shoreline erosion management from 11:00am to 2:00pm on Saturday, May 14, 2016 at The Orcas Fire & Rescue Meeting Room, 45 Lavender Ln., Eastsound. The workshop is free but registration is requested by  Continue Reading

Garden Club: Salish Seeds Project

Written on May 2, 2016 at 5:45 am, by

Please join us to hear Eliza describe the Salish Seeds Project which produces plants and seeds of native island wildflowers and grasses for local restoration projects. Learn how the seeds are collected, tended in the nursery, and eventually planted in restoration zones on preserves. It will be a fascinating and worthwhile program! At every San  Continue Reading

FHFF Presents: Unbranded

Written on April 30, 2016 at 5:43 am, by

Friday Harbor Film Festival Winter Series: Audience Choice Presents: Unbranded Directed by Phil Baribeau, Unbranded is an in-between-college-and-real-life adventure that makes the case for better land and wild horse management. After adopting a group of wild mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management, a small group of recent college grads decide to live out their  Continue Reading

Litter Free By the Sea

Written on April 29, 2016 at 11:53 am, by

Lori Stokes shares this recap of last week’s clean up event on the islands… Co-organizers of the sixth annual Great Islands Clean-Up on San Juan Island — Lori Stokes, Jana Marks, and David Dehlendorf — would like to thank our island’s approximately 300 volunteers who participated this year, helping to make San Juan Island “litter-free  Continue Reading

Let’s Talk Tourism

Written on April 29, 2016 at 5:37 am, by

The following is a Guest Editorial by Barbara Marrett of the visitor’s bureau… The first week in May is National Travel & Tourism Week, created to champion the power of travel to enhance communities across the country by contributing to the local economy and overall quality of life. In the past, I’ve used this opportunity  Continue Reading

6th Graders Presentation

Written on April 28, 2016 at 5:27 pm, by

FHES 6th graders, in collaboration with the Kwiaht organization, will be hosting a Pollinator Celebration, a Honey Tasting and a Research Garden Dedication,  onFriday, April 29th from 9:00 to 11:00 am. The Research Garden Dedication from the 6th graders to the supporting organizations of Kwiaht and San Juan Public Schools Foundation begins at 9:30. Also, a special  Continue Reading

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

Written on April 28, 2016 at 5:48 am, by

San Juan Island photographer John Miller recently took a trip down the Oregon coast and is sharing a series of lighthouse photos with SJ Update readers. This is number 2 in that series. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse – located about a mile off shore from Tillimook Head. According to John it is on a rock that  Continue Reading