OPALCO General Manager Foster Hildreth (Right) and Board President Vince Dauciunas (Center)meet with Governor Inslee – Contributed photo

On Tuesday, May 28^th, leadership from OPALCO and T-Mobile met with Governor Inslee to share the Rock Island Communications broadband success story in support of the Governor’s new statewide broadband office and initiatives. With its robust fiber and LTE foundation in place, OPALCO is excited to help move some of Governor Inslee’s key initiatives forward including Southern Resident Orcas Whale Survival, Clean Energy and Economic Development.

Foster Hildreth, General Manager of OPALCO and its wholly owned subsidiary Rock Island Communications, and Gerry Lawlor, Vice President of Fixed Broadband Services for T-Mobile USA updated Governor Inslee and a room full of stakeholders from businesses, schools, county government and public safety on the broadband infrastructure that now serves all of San Juan County.

“Our success with broadband is already having a dramatic effect on the quality of life, safety and opportunity threshold for our rural, remote residents in San Juan County,” said OPALCO Board Member Vince Dauciunas. Lawlor added that T-Mobile is replicating the OPALCO-Rock Island success story as a model for other rural communities to address critical issues such as education, telemedicine and public safety. Continue Reading

It’s the last “Best of the Fest” show for this year. Tuesday night, June 4th at 7:00 PM at the Grange, join Tami Ashcraft for the true story “Adrift”.

A story of love, tenacious survival and creative problem solving.

Tami will be available for Q & A.

The 2019 Garden Tour is sponsored by the San Juan Island Garden Consortium. It’s June 8th from 10am to 4pm.

Tickets are $15 and are available now at Ace Hardware, Browne’s Garden Center and Griffin Bay Books.

Proceeds contribute to community projects of each organization.

Washington has proclaimed June Family Reunification Month, to commemorate parents who have worked hard to successfully reunify their families after significant struggles. On June 4, 2019 at 9:00 a.m., the San Juan County Council will declare June Family Reunification Month in San Juan County.

The Washington Legislature declared the family unit a fundamental resource of American life that should be nurtured. What a powerful statement, and one we too frequently lose sight of.

Parents have a fundamental, constitutional right to care for and parent their children. However, in circumstances where a child’s rights to nurture, health, or safety is jeopardized, the State necessarily intervenes through a “dependency” proceeding in order to protect the child. Through dependency, parents are offered services to assist and support them in making the changes needed for their families. Safe and timely reunification of families is the paramount goal of dependency proceedings. Continue Reading

Melanie Curran of Western Female – Contributed photo

New York’s Western Female will play at Alchemy Art Center on San Juan Island, Friday June 14th at 8pm in The Dome. Western Female is the musical project of songwriter and former Orcas Islander, Melanie Beth Curran.

Through channels of Americana, Old Time, Honky-Tonk, Croon, Early Jazz, French Chanson, Rock n’ Roll, and Spoken Word, Western Female brings audiences closer to the places, people, and histories lingering below the surface of the western experience.

While entertaining their audiences, Western Female invites examinations of the role of the female performer over the course of history. What can she sing about, how can her body move, how must she dress, what stories can she tell on stage, and how does the culture embrace her, commodify her, venerate her, or long for her demise?

Melanie Curran will be joined onstage by Peter Freeman and by Dave Bolt, with whom she founded the old-time string band, The High-Waisted Ramblers. Western Female’s Pacific Northwest Tour is one of three location-based tours this summer, including tours in the Southwest and Northeast. In the fall, Ms. Curran will depart for Bretagne, France on a Fulbright Fellowship to write ethnographically about Breton traditional music.

Find out more at:
www.westernfemale.com

Bandcamp: melanieodelle.bandcamp.com
Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/melanieodelle
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGf5d2nXc8Y

Alchemy Art Center, founded by Maria Michaelson and Eben Shay in 2017, is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to creating a thriving arts community on San Juan Island.

For more information about Alchemy, visit our website at www.alchemyartcenter.com

The Center for Whale Research has received photographs taken by the Tofino Whale Centre of a calf accompanying J pod off of Tofino on May 30, 2019.

Researchers at the CWR have confirmed that the calf is a new addition, and based on its coloration and body condition was likely born some time in the last 1 to 3 weeks. The calf was photographed in association with several J pod females, including J31, J46, and J40. More field observations are needed to confirm the identity of the calf’s mother.

Prior to 2019, the Southern Resident killer whale population had no documented successful births since 2016. This calf marks the second birth of 2019, following L124 in January. 

Island Senior is a regular column on the SJ Update written by Peggy Sue McRae…

Never Turn Your Back On the Moon – Collage by Thrinley DiMarco

Artist Thrinley DiMarco is offering a collage workshop at the Mullis Center on June 15 and 16.

Says Thrinley, “The mystery and magic of creativity is simply seeing what everyone sees but thinking what no one else has thought. Out of the commonplace images all around, if one looks at them carefully and sensitively, one can create extraordinary images.

Learn to see not merely look. To see means to slow down and pay attention, to be aware.  Bring your ideas and the courage to explore them. The workshop will teach you the tools to express them”

Cubist artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque were the first to use the term “collage” from the French word “coller” meaning “to glue” to describe an art form. After taking the picture plane apart they reassembled it with glue, paper, newspaper, sheet music, even wood.

After World War I the dada movement embraced collage as they responded to a world blown apart by literally gluing it back together utilizing mockery and absurdity to critique the European establishment. The Dada Manifesto of 1918 Berlin described the art form, “which is forever trying to collect its limbs after yesterdays crash.” Collage artist Hannah Hoch described her process, “I have always tried to exploit the photograph. I use it like color, or as a poet uses words.” Continue Reading

Just heard from Caroline Armon with the San Juan Island Naturalist Program. She wants to let you know that naturalists will be at the Land Bank’s Westside Preserve, south of Lime Kiln State Park, to answer your questions and share information about the whales and the Salish Sea.

• Friday, May 31 from 2pm-5pm
• Saturday, June 1 from 11am-2pm
• Sunday, June 2 from 11am-2pm

Just look for the camp chair with the sign that says “Ask Me!”

Thanks Caroline!

Vote counting equipment testing June 19 at 11:00 a.m.

A “Logic and Accuracy” test of ballot tabulating equipment used in San Juan County for the August 6, 2019, Primary is scheduled for June 19 at 11:00 a.m. The test works by tallying the results of a prepared set of ballots to see if the results match the votes cast. The test will take place in the Elections Office located at 55 Second Street, Suite A, in Friday Harbor.

The test is performed before every local, state or federal election to ensure that tabulation hardware and software equipment are compliant with Washington State rules and will accurately count the votes.

All interested members of the public are invited to observe.

Here’s a letter to you from Kathrine Morningstar-Simon…

It’s not about lunch. It’s about community. Early this month the Mullis Center Operations Committee announced we would no longer be standing for the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance at noon before announcements. The folks at the table at which I frequently sit were aghast. We were told the goal was to make the  lunch acceptable to more people, especially younger people.

I circulated a petition asking The Committee to reconsider, which was signed by a supermajority of those present.  Half the page was reserved for dissenting Opinions.  The only entry there cited  “We have separation of church and state.” A few abstained. I sent a copy of the petition to each member of The Operations Committee with a letter asking that the Pledge be reinstated. Continue Reading

Governor Jay Inslee met with students and staff at the FHHS Stem Center – Contributed photo

Jill Urbach shares this quick report from Tuesday…

While in town the other day to discuss broadband issues and progress, Governor Inslee took time to congratulate the FHHS students who won the national International Space Settlement Design Competition and will be traveling to the Kennedy Space Center in July to compete in the World Finals.

Governor Inslee was generous with his time and asked a lot of engaging questions about the students’ proposal. They thoroughly enjoyed their meet and greet!

Teacher: Daniel Garner
Students: Lucy Urbach, Joely Loucks, Darcy Ayers, Julian Brown, Evan Foley, Brandon Payne, Arlo Harold, Sander Van Hamersfeld, Hank Erickson, Nick Herko, Emmett Carrier, Jaden Jones, Emma Mughal

Tourism to San Juan Island NHP creates $19.3 million in Economic Benefits

Report shows visitor spending supports 164 jobs in local economy

Friday Harbor, WA – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 255 thousand visitors to San Juan Island National Historical Park in 2018 spent $15.1 million dollars in communities near the park. That spending supported 164 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $19.3 million in economic output in local communities.

“San Juan Island National Historical Park welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Elexis Fredy. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides. We also feature the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy, returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.” Continue Reading

Paul Walsh is an amateur astronomer and the content editor for astromart.com. He’s also a poet, a webmaster, an actor, a meadow mowing maniac, and a very happily married man. All that aside, come hear what he has to say about SPACE.  

Refreshments will be served courtesy of the Friends of the Library and the San Juan Island Trails Committee.  

Monday, June 3 at 7 pm at the San Juan Island Library. Free.

Kate Eltrich – Contributed photo

The San Juan Community Home Trust is pleased to announce the election of two new board members, Kate Eltrich and Jonathan Sherman, who joined the board on May 1, 2019.

The board is composed of 12 members from the San Juan Island Community. 4 members are homeowners of a Home Trust home. 4 members represent the interests of our membership and 4 members represent the interests of the general public.

Jonathan Sherman – Contributed photo

Kate represents our Homeowners and Jonathan represents the interest of the general public.

To learn more about Kate and Jonathan, please go to our website, hometrust.org/about-us and click on “Board Bios”

The SJC Home Trust develops permanently affordable housing for San Juan Islanders and welcomes these new voices to our board.

Island Rec is offering a one-day class that will visit and traverse the intertidal seaweed flora at Cattle Point. Dr. Ryan Drum will lead the day’s excursion to attempt to identify all of the different seaweeds encountered!

Dr. Drum is a Waldron Islander of 40 years and has a PhD in Botany. He has taught at UMASS, UCLA, & WWU and is a local expert on the edible and medicinal uses of seaweed. This class will be held on July 6^th  from 12:30 to 4:30pm during Super Low tide. We will meet at the Cattle Point Interpretive Center, then head down to the beach. [Editor’s note: Discover Pass required to park there]

Register by June 20^th, for 2 family members at $57/couple, additional family/children are $5 each. Children under 7 are free with a registered couple. Please no pets.

For more information or registration visit our website at www.islandrec.org, stop by Island Rec at 580 Guard Street Monday – Friday 11am-5pm, or call (360) 378-4953.

Scott Sluis, Islanders Bank Senior Loan Officer and Chamber Board President of SJI Chamber of Commerce checks in with Chamber Chat for May 2019…

Scott Sluis – Contributed photo

We hope you all had a great Memorial Weekend and got to enjoy a little bit of it for yourselves! Thank you to the American Legion for your participation in the parade, what a great turnout we had for it. I was very honored as a Son of the American Legion to be able to carry the colors for the parade, what an amazing experience.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner and I look forward to volunteering again this year and hope you all consider participating in some way in the parade, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. It is time to start building a float, or sign up to be a volunteer or whatever suits you. The theme of this year’s parade is “Parade of Stars…past and present.” Parade applications are available at the Chamber Office, 165 First Street S. or download one, https://www.sanjuanisland.org/4th-of-july-parade–fireworks.html. The Pig War Picnic follows the parade, the Rock the Dock starts at 6 at the Port upper parking lot and the grand finale is at 10:00pm, with the best fireworks show put on by Nick Gislason and his crew of volunteers from all of the islands. Continue Reading