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

In the mailbag this afternoon we have this letter from Brent Snow, General Manager of Roche Harbor Resort… Dear Friends, Neighbors and Community, The COVID-19 pandemic has put a terrible monkey wrench in all our plans. These are not easy times for any hospitality operation and Roche Harbor is founded and based on hospitality.  We are  Continue Reading