From “Bugs” to Shrimp: the Saga of an Evolving Nervous System By Jim Truman, Friday Harbor Labs Things can change a lot in 60 years. I grew up with a fascination both with invertebrates and water, but living in northeastern Ohio, the invertebrates I knew were insects and the water was the fresh stuff in  Continue Reading

From Friday Harbor Labs The University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Laboratories has an opening as a visitor coordinator. This is a fulltime, salaried position, that earns $4,116 per month plus benefits. Staff is seeking an energetic multitasker, detail-oriented and good with numbers, to coordinate the use of facilities at Friday Harbor Labs. The employee will  Continue Reading

A Tale of Two Research Vessels By Megan Dethier Visitors to UW Friday Harbor Labs in the last nine months – or those perusing our website, which is easier these days – have seen a sweet new research vessel at our dock. The story of this boat acquisition includes tragedy, drama, history, philanthropy, a lot  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island Library At 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 17, meet a conservation canine during the San Juan Island Library’s virtual Know Your Islanders event. Originally, the event was scheduled for January. Eba, the whale dog, is a poop-sniffing rescue dog in the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology Whale Scat program. Eba  Continue Reading

Sea Otter Disturbance By Dr. Tiff Stephens In the summer of 2017, I traveled to Friday Harbor Labs for one of my usual short visits of reconnecting with resident scientists and diving into the waters to see how the seaweed communities have changed at favored sites (Reuben Tarte, Cattle Point, Deadman Bay). I also traveled  Continue Reading

From The Whale Museum Back by popular demand, registration is now open for a spring virtual session of The Whale Museum’s Marine Naturalist Program. This dynamic and high-quality program will still be seven-sessions and run April 11-17. The objective of this program is to provide a learning experience that assists adult graduates in becoming qualified  Continue Reading

From San Juan Island Library At 7 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 13, meet a conservation canine during the San Juan Island Library’s virtual Know Your Islanders event. Eba, the whale dog, is a poop-sniffing rescue dog in the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology Whale Scat program. Eba is helping Dr. Sam Wasser and Dr.  Continue Reading

From Center for Whale Research On Jan. 3, Dave got a good enough shot of the mom to convince him that he had the T167s. T167A had sprouted since the last pictures Dave had looked at of him. The T167s have shown up a few times in the last several years (Mark just saw them  Continue Reading

Students Study Kelp Consumers By Katie Dobkowski, James Calhoon, Katrina Johnson and Muriel Dittrich Katie Dobkowski is a visiting assistant professor at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and a mentor in the Friday Harbor summer REU program. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 2017 and has conducted research at the labs  Continue Reading

By San Juan Island School District During the school year 2018-19, the Friday Harbor High School’s Advanced Placement environmental science class partnered with a nonprofit to build two “expedition class solar suitcases,” to study both renewable energy and social issues around the world. We Share Solar — a nonprofit whose mission includes providing health workers  Continue Reading

By Friends of the San Juans This year has been life-changing for all of us to varying degrees. In early March, the message from Friends of the San Juans was one of changing times, as directives unfolded with caution and deliberation. Those same feelings continue to unfold in a variety of ways. Yet today, we  Continue Reading

By SJPT Looking for a new solo activity that can enhance your environmental literacy? Join one (or all) of San Juan Preservation Trust’s iNaturalist projects and help to contribute to what we know about our preserves. iNaturalist is a network of users who share biological observations to learn more about the natural world. If you’re  Continue Reading

By SJIL Join Dr. Fred Rhoades at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov.18 for an online discussion about lichens. San Juan Island Library will host this meeting. The San Juan Islands are home to a great many cryptogams, spore-producing plants and plant-like organisms.  Rhoades will introduce you to some of the lichens and bryophytes, mosses & liverworts,  Continue Reading

Enhancing Resilience: a Constant Challenge in a Changing Climate By Kirk Sato  Kirk Sato is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the newly formed Ocean Nexus Center at UW’s EarthLab. Kirk’s background in oceanography and ecology is contributing to Ocean Nexus Center efforts to transform ocean governances into new systems that benefit everyone equally. This summer, he  Continue Reading

By PeaceHealth PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center located in Bellingham, Washington, has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for its patient care and outcomes in cardiothoracic surgery. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center among the elite for cardiothoracic surgery in  Continue Reading

By San Juan Islands Museum of Art You are invited to have some fun at home with your whole family! The San Juan Islands Museum of Art offers take-home Family Art Packs designed by art instructor, Lana Hickman. During November and December, families can pre-register to pick up packs and instructions for each week’s at-home  Continue Reading