San Juan County Halloween Guidelines   With Halloween around the corner, kids and parents alike are wondering what Halloween should and should not look like. There are no Halloween specific regulations, but there are existing requirements that might impact Halloween, and there are certainly some commonsense precautions that should be followed.

Are you looking for a fun fall activity for your family? Your friends? Your neighborhood? Your organization? Your business? The Friends of the Library and the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce are sponsoring a SCARECROW CONTEST for the month of October. Registration is open from October 1-15 (free).  The Scarecrows will be displayed from  Continue Reading

Park Cautions Visitors Against Aggressive Attacking Owls San Juan Island National Historical Park is cautioning people recreating in the park about recent and aggressive behavior from owls that has resulted in at least four known attacks on visitors in the park. These encounters have been reported on English Camp’s Bell Point Loop Trail in recent  Continue Reading

Listed first is Pickleball, then see below for three adult fitness classes. Island Rec Pickleball Pickleball is open registration for ages 16+. Tuesdays & Thursdays October 6-29 at the fairgrounds. 5-6:30pm for Beginner and Intermediate Players. 6:30-8pm for Intermediate and Advanced Players. $8 per session. Must have your own paddle. Max 10 players allowed per  Continue Reading

Scout Troop and Pack 4090, located here on San Juan Island, has just received news that their application (filed in March) to have the “Old Military Road Trail” officially designated as an recognized ‘National Historic Trail’ through the National Council of Scouting BSA, has been approved. This means that any Scouts visiting San Juan Island,  Continue Reading

After-school sailing club launches with 20 students, 4 new boats, thanks to generous donations Twenty students from San Juan, Lopez and Orcas Islands glory in the sun, the wind, and the sea on Griffin Bay twice a week with the Sailing Club at Jackson Beach. Because distancing occurs naturally between sailors in single-handed sailboats, this  Continue Reading

The San Juan County Land Bank is offering a once-a-year opportunity to purchase locally grown wildflowers native to San Juan County. Reserve your plants online September 18 – 27, and pick them up on Saturday, October 3 at locations on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan islands. All plants are produced locally by the Salish Seeds  Continue Reading

Island Rec has 2 Great LEGO camp options for you this season! The first, tap into your imagination from the comfort of your own home with the guidance of an experienced Play-Well instructor and simple pieces from your own LEGO collection – all while connecting virtually with other young LEGO engineers. Students will explore their  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

Alchemy’s Kid Pods are perfect for children and young people who want to learn, explore, and be creative- outdoors and in person!   Alchemy is signing up groups of 4-5 kids on a rolling basis for personalized outdoor creative programming that includes ceramics, printmaking, drawing, t-shirt decoration, games, nature exploration, and more.   Classes take place once  Continue Reading

Robin Donnelly for the Old Military Road Trail Committee… What a great time to be exploring our trails. Covid seems to have made us all more aware of the healing power of nature and our fortunate ability to be part of it. As summer is waning, fall colors are taking over for the vibrancy of  Continue Reading

From The Whale Museum… After over 5 months of being closed, we got word that the Governor is allowing museums to open in Phase 2 (8-2020)! The Exhibit Hall and Gift Shop are open daily 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.  We are diligently following every rule put in place by the Health Department and Washington  Continue Reading

Tired of virtually living? After-school sailing club gets students out in the sun and wind… Most after-school athletic programs and clubs have been cancelled, due to the challenges of social distancing. But distancing happens naturally when sailing, and just-for-fun sailing is a great lifetime endeavor that can open all sorts of doors — careers, friendships, travel  Continue Reading

Giant crab joins giant bear at San Juan Islands Sculpture Park Thanks to a loan by Cattle Point Rock & Topsoil, “Rusty” the giant crab, now has a temporary home near the bay at the Sculpture Park.  “Rusty” is the work of artist Zackarya Leck, on Orcas Island.  Come see them both along with 150  Continue Reading

By Louise Dustrude When the new Visitor Center opens at American Camp next summer there will be some familiar features — the curved-trunk Douglas fir at the entrance, the small clump of black locust trees within the parking lot, and the friendly, knowledgeable National Park Service staff and volunteers to answer questions. There will also  Continue Reading

43 years running! Be part of this Island tradition – virtually for 2020 (you still have to go all 8.8k, your computer can’t do that part for you!). This race can be completed any time between August 9-15, 2020. Any Course (even your treadmill) consisting of 8.8k! Participants will send completed race times, and distances  Continue Reading

San Juan Island Sculpture Park is in the news – the National News on CNN.com. Check out this article on wild, weird, spectacular places… https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/best-outdoor-art-united-states/index.html And remember to go check the park out for yourself. You’ll likely be impressed if you haven’t been there in a while and it’s a great place to relax with  Continue Reading

By Louise Dustrude A number of people have been asking one another what those bright yellow flowers are that have appeared recently at Island Rec’s LaFarge Open Space, aka the gravel pit. So we checked with Eliza Habegger, the land steward at the Land Bank, whose responsibilities also include ecological assessment, monitoring, and restoration on  Continue Reading

By Marita Holdaway Thanks to Jim and Bonnie Towne the San Juan Island Sculpture Park has three bears. These are not just any old bears but grizzly bears commissioned by the Towne’s for their lodge in Colorado. When the Towne’s moved to San Juan Island, the mom and two cubs came with them. And now, as  Continue Reading

The National Park Service has been busy making progress on construction of the new visitor center out there. Here’s the latest from their construction blog… Update: Site Observation Update Week of June 16th This week’s work has no discernable theme apart from a great deal of focus outdoors. With superb weather, we began work on  Continue Reading

For many islanders, it is a long-standing tradition to come to UW Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) on the 4th of July to sit on the breakwater or bluffs to watch the fireworks in the harbor – it’s one of the best viewing sites!  So we are saddened to announce that this year, access to the FHL  Continue Reading