To the Editor: In this time of Stay-at-Home regulations, coinciding with some lovely spring weather, we at the Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) have noticed increased use of University of Washington properties. We absolutely understand the desire to get out of the house and find new places to explore, and we want to be good neighbors,  Continue Reading

In order to help San Juan County businesses and other organizations protect their employees and customers, the County COVID response team has produced printable posters to support their effort. Two versions are available, one that is 8.5” x 11” (available HERE), and the other is 11” x 17” (available HERE). As the world moves into  Continue Reading

Merri Ann Simonson checks in again, this time with information on internet availability on the island… Update to Our Internet Connection Rock Island has been busy for the last 5 years installing the base structure for our fiber and other internet connection options throughout the County. As a REALTOR, I can state that internet reliability  Continue Reading

The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce, a business community non-profit, has proudly produced the Town’s 4th of July celebration for over 35 years in cooperation with the Town of Friday Harbor, the Port of Friday Harbor and the whole island. The 2020 4th of July Parade has been cancelled. Becki Day, Executive Director stated  Continue Reading

Pediatric care is still vitally important during this pandemic. We have continued to accept visits for immunizations and other recommended care based on the American Academy of Pediatrics. We’re happy to announce that Dr. Mark Fishaut will begin telemedicine this week utilizing the same Zoom method we’ve been using for the past month. As he  Continue Reading

With a generous grant from the San Juan Island Community Foundation, Island Haven Animal Sanctuary has created the San Juan Equine and Farm Animal Emergency Fund. We are also accepting designated donations to increase and expand this fund to help more people and animals in need. Purpose: Provide feed, hay, farrier, veterinary care for equines  Continue Reading

This is the first in a series of stories by Steve Ulvi… We can all use a bit more entertainment these days. Begin by conjuring up the Far North. Way up, where invisible longitudinal lines get closer, just short of an invisible Arctic Circle. Nearly all of these campfire tales take place in a particular  Continue Reading

60-Second Videos from the Preservation Trust The San Juan Preservation Trust has developed a series of quick, easy-to-watch videos featuring the wonder-filled nature in our own backyards as spring unfolds around us. If you could use some vicarious doses of nature’s medicine, click to watch the video above and then look for more of the  Continue Reading

> By Louise Dustrude The road adjoining the gravel pit and connecting Turn Point Road near the shipyard with Pear Point Road at the gravel pit will get its final chip-sealing this coming week, perhaps as soon as Tuesday according to county engineer Colin Huntemer. After that, and after any loose rocks are swept off,  Continue Reading

A $19,000 grant was awarded to Friday Harbor High School (FHHS) Science Teacher Sam Garson to support a minimum 2-year partnership between the high school science department and Friday Harbor Labs in effort to get more students involved with high-level scientific research. This grant was awarded through a competitive process in the Partners in Science  Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor sees the health of our trees as vital to our sense of well-being and as a defining characteristic of our community. Healthy trees provide us the daily benefit of cleaner air, shade and source of aesthetic beauty. The Tree City USA signs at the Town’s entrances tell visitors that this  Continue Reading

The Town of Friday Harbor helped its customers jump start their spring cleaning with free pickup of oversized refuse the week of April 27-May 1. This is the fifth year the Town has offered the Spring Cleanup service to its residential refuse customers. Refuse employees Dave Smith and Jon Munn picked up a total of  Continue Reading

This week “COVID-19 Community Conversations” continues with another three videos that highlight specific efforts from organizations and people in our community that provide key services and provide crucial leadership around the county. You can find our entire collection of videos on our YouTube channel “San Juan County COVID-19 Response” at www.sjccovid.com/conversations. We now have fifteen  Continue Reading

The San Juan Island School District Board of Directors will hold a Special School Board Meeting on Monday May 11, at 5:00 pm as a Zoom meeting.  This meeting is open to the public. To access the Zoom meeting, please click on “Video” within the Board Agenda, or call the number listed on the agenda for audio only. Viewers will  Continue Reading

Your Conservation Land Bank will resume opening the gate at Mount Grant Preserve beginning this Sunday, May 10th.   We have switched to our spring/summer calendar and driving access to the summit will be available twice a week, Sundays and Wednesdays from 10am to 7pm. Please continue following social distancing guidelines whenever visiting your preserves: If  Continue Reading

EDC Survey to Determine San Juan County Impacts of Paycheck Protection Program The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) is collecting data to learn how well the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is working for islands businesses. Business owners are urged to participate in the EDC’s PPP survey here: https://forms.gle/DPxi4gUSpCtnKmDW6 For more information, please  Continue Reading

This week in a Special Board Meeting the hospital district, in a unanimous vote, suspended the integration of San Juan Island EMS and San Juan Island Fire and Rescue. This project was initiated in 2018 with a Citizen’s Advisory Group, making this action a significant change for the district.  All interagency discussion, planning, or steering  Continue Reading

San Juan Island Fire and Rescue’s (SJIF&R) Commission Chairman Jarman and commissioners are disappointed by the actions taken last night by Public Hospital District’s (PHD) to cease the creation of a single all hazard emergency services agency. The timing and actions of the PHD Board’s unilateral decision in the middle of a global health pandemic  Continue Reading

In the SJI Update Mailbag this afternoon there’s a letter from Richard Grout… Dear Editor: Tuesday evening the San Juan Public Hospital District (PHD) Commissioners took an action we should all applaud. They voted unanimously to withdraw the agreement concerning integration of the San Juan Island Emergency Medical Service (EMS) and Fire District #3 and  Continue Reading

This May 2020 edition of Tide Bites was written by Alyssa Scott… As the tides of life have ebbed and flowed, I’ve continually found myself on the shores of FHL [Friday Harbor Labs]. My first encounter with the Labs was via a two-week research sailing expedition through the San Juan Islands with Deep Green Wilderness.  Continue Reading

Here is a Special Update from SJCT’s Executive Artistic Director… Dear SJCT Family, We’ve had numerous inquiries as to how COVID-19 has affected San Juan Community Theatre. While we don’t know everything that the future holds, we have an update about the State of the Theatre today. Please take a few minutes to watch the  Continue Reading

Here’s this month’s history column from the San Juan Historical Society and Museum…Remember when we could happily pose this close to each other in a crowd of people, just like the Hemphill family and friends did around 1910 in the photograph above? As everyone knows, we currently live in a time defined by a novel coronavirus,  Continue Reading