San Juan County Department of Community Development (DCD) held a lottery for Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) permits on March 5, 2019. The results of the lottery are now available on the SJC Website.

Additional Info…

“Answering Light” – Photo by John Miller

John Miller is back with another beautiful photo of Cattle Point Light. Here he is with the story…

Hello San Juan Update – here is a drone shot from the other night – my wife named it “Answering Light”. It is also a solstice moon!

~ John

Everybody knows the Brothers Grimm’s most famous fairy tale. But what if they told it from the wrong point of view?

Stepsisters, written by Flip Kobler & Cindy Marcus and directed by Jenni Merritt, tells the totally-true-and-not-at-all-made-up version of the little cinder girl.

When Drew and Beth are thrown into the dungeon for conspiring against the throne, these stepsisters, who are not wicked, evil and certainly not ugly, are forced to tell their fellow prisoners the real story of what happened with Cinderella.

Part flashback, part story theatre and all high-octane musical comedy, the story unfolds in ways the Grimm tale never did. 

Thursday* through Saturday, March 28, 29 & 30 at 7:30 pm
Sunday, March 31 at 2:00 pm

Tickets:

• *Thursday is “Pay What You Can”
• Fri.-Sun.: Adults: $18 Students $10
• Student RUSH (at door only) $5

Buy your tickets now

Participants of a recent OPALCO meeting offload at the Orcas ferry landing – Contributed photo

OPALCO Annual Meeting: Saturday, April 13^th FREE Lunch, Prizes and Co-op Q&A

If you pay your power bill to OPALCO, you’re a member of the Co-op and this fun-filled annual meeting is all about YOU! OPALCO holds its annual meeting on the inter-island ferry so it’s easy for everyone to come aboard. Lunch will be served at your ferry landing, and prizes handed out during the short cruise around the inter-island route. The main event is a member Q&A session, following a brief “state of the co-op” address. Election results will be announced.

The theme of this year’s meeting is “Safety” and we’ll be celebrating National Lineworker Appreciation Day with cupcakes and a chance to meet some of our lineworkers. OPALCO’s partners will be on board with information and give-aways including: San Juan Islands Conservation District, BPA, Rock Island Communications and T-Mobile. How do you get in on the action? Show up at your ferry landing on Saturday morning and register for the meeting. No reservations required. The travel schedule is:

• San Juan Island
  Register @ 7 am
  Ferry leaves @ 8:30 am
  Return to Friday Harbor @ 11:15 am
• Orcas Island
  Register @ 7:30 am
  Ferry leaves @ 9:15 am
  Return to Orcas 12:40 pm
• Shaw Island
  Register on ferry
  Ferry leaves @ 9:30 am
  Return to Shaw @ 12:20
• Lopez Island 
  Register @ 8:45 am
  Ferry leaves @ 9:55 am
  Return to Lopez @ 1 pm

OPALCO is required by the Rural Utilities Services (RUS) to hold an annual meeting each year.  Members who missed the meeting can read the 2018 Annual Report online (www.opalco.com). A limited number of printed copies are available at your local OPALCO office, as long as supplies lasts.

Orcas Power & Light Cooperative (OPALCO) is our member-owned cooperative electric utility, serving more than 11,400 members on 20 islands in San Juan County. OPALCO provides electricity that is 97% greenhouse-gas free and is generated predominantly by hydroelectric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937. Follow OPALCO @OrcasPower on Facebook and Twitter.

Griffin Bay Bookstore is proud to announce that San Juan Island author, Thor Hanson, author of The Triumph of Seeds and Feathers, has won his third Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association award, receiving the 2019 PNBA award for BUZZ: The Nature and Necessity of Bees.

Please join us at the San Juan Island Library when Griffin Bay Bookstore presents the prize to Thor Hanson on Wednesday, March 27, 7:00 pm. Following the award presentation, Thor will regale us by talking about BUZZ and all things bees.

From honeybees and bumbles to lesser-known diggers, miners, leafcutters, and masons, bees have long been central to our harvests, our mythologies, and our very existence. But for the past decade, resounding alarm about dwindling bee populations has often seemed to drown out the humming of the bees themselves. We know bees are special, but few of us can say much about why. 

In BUZZ: The Nature and Necessity of Bees, conservation biologist and winner of the 2019 PNBA award, Thor Hanson takes us on a journey that begins 125 million years ago, when a wasp first dared to feed pollen to its young. Evolving alongside flowers, bees drove the vast array of floral colors, shapes, and scents that populate our landscapes. Continue Reading

Colette Landerville and friends – Contributed photo

This invitation just came in for you…

Please join our family in celebrating the life of Colette Theresa Landerville
At our home:

177 Neil Bay Drive, F.H.
Sunday, March 24th from 2 PM to 6 PM

Dress is Island Casual

Sarah Blum – Contributed photo

Sarah Blum who has worked with PTSD and trauma resolution in US military veterans will be speaking in Friday Harbor on Sunday, April 7. She will speak from her experience as a nurse in Vietnam, as a psychotherapist, and as a PTSD survivor.

Journey Back to Vietnam will be free to all wanting to learn more about trauma resolution. The talk is from 1:00 to 3:00 at the San Juan Island Grange, 152 First Street in Friday Harbor. Blum’s presentation is part of the Art As A Voice Series at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art (SJIMA).

Sarah is a decorated nurse and Vietnam veteran who earned the Army Commendation Medal serving as an operating room nurse at the 12th Evacuation Hospital Cu Chi, at the height of the fighting in 1967.

Of returning home, Blum writes: Continue Reading

A view of the open house in 2018 – Jill Berger photo

Have you ever wondered where we keep seal pups or what enclosures are needed to rehabilitate eagles? This is your chance to find out.

The animals we care for can’t be on display, but this is our quiet time of year, so we can show people round without disturbing any patients.

Come for a guided tour of our facility, meet staff, board members and volunteers, and learn more about the work we do. It’s on Saturday April 6^th 11:00 t0 3:00 pm.

We have very limited parking space at Wolf Hollow, so please walk on the ferry or park in Friday Harbor and take the free shuttle bus generously provided by San Juan Transit. Shuttles leave from outside the Grange Hall (152 N First St.) at 11:00, 12:00, 1:00 and 2:00 and from Wolf Hollow at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 and 3:00 pm.

We look forward to seeing you.

2018 OPALCO Delegates at the College of Idaho (l-r: Arlo Harold, Aida Must, Zach Fincher, Natalie Meenan, Henry Miller – Contributed photo

OPALCO’s Nourdine Jensen Cooperative Youth Scholarship Program is accepting applications from high school sophomores and juniors of OPALCO member households.

Up to five scholars will receive a $1,000 scholarship from OPALCO and the family of Nourdine Jensen, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to the Youth Rally, a co-op leadership camp at the College of Idaho.

Applications are available online at www.opalco.com and are due by 4:30 pm on Friday, April 12^th.

The Youth Rally is a week of summer camp fun, personal growth and learning with about 100 students from eight western states. Activities include a day at the water park, volleyball, bowling, social dances, team-building games and educational sessions on leadership, grassroots governance and the power industry. Additional scholarships are awarded at the Rally by the Idaho Consumer Owned Utility Association (ICUA). Continue Reading

EDC and SVC to offer Free Training in Construction Welding this Spring

The San Juan County Economic Development Council (EDC) is partnering with Skagit Valley College to offer free training in Construction Welding basics at SVC’s Mount Vernon campus this May. 

This latest class in the EDC’s Trades Education Initiative is sponsored by the Washington State Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund, the Washington State Department of Commerce, and Skagit Valley College.

Classes offered as part of Trades Education Initiative are intended for young people and career-changers looking for a path into the trades. Construction Welding will be taught by Skagit Valley instructors and will cover shielded metal arc welding with an emphasis on safety, as well as what to expect from a career path in this trade.  

This course is 33 hours long and counts for 2 college credits.  The course is intended to benefit participating students as well as local employers.  This class is free to residents of San Juan County, 18 years old or over, but space is limited and requires pre-registration as well as a filing fee of $10. Continue Reading

“I am Super”

This is our last call to help us out in designing our poster for Children’s Festival! Kids of all ages are invited to submit poster designs that incorporate this year’s super hero festival theme.

Artwork must be submitted on an official entry form which can be obtained at Island Rec’s office or at the Elementary School.

Poster designs must be returned to Island Rec, 580 Guard Street, by 5 pm Wednesday March 26, 2019 to be considered by our contest judges. There will be 1 first prize and 3 runner up prizes given for the committee’s top choices in poster design. Enter for a chance to win!

This is also our last call for organizations interested in providing creative, hands-on activities for Children’s Festival. For the necessary forms, feel free to e mail or stop by our office by 5 pm Wednesday March 26, 2019. Continue Reading

Eric Stone shares this invitation with you…

Greetings All,

This is a reminder that this Wednesday, March 20th at the Friday Harbor Yacht Club, we will be having a Cub Scout parents meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.

The plan is to talk about the program and see how much interest we have in the community, and hopefully find some leaders.

We only need 5 boys & girls to start up our program once more. You’ll have the support of myself as Unit Commissioner (and as a former Cub Master)
also Blake Jones, our District Executive is going to be on hand to answer questions.

PLEASE invite your son’s/daughter’s friends to come as well… as soon as we have five interested youth and the necessary parent/leaders we can form a Pack.

Please contact me if you can’t make it or would like more information.

Sincerely
Eric Stone
Volunteer Unit Commissioner
Sea Scout Skipper SSS4013
360-317-8188

Fish for Teeth sponsors a mobile dental van for dental clinics on San Juan Island, three times a year – Contributed photo

Islanders unable to afford dental care can receive it for free thanks to the local nonprofit Fish for Teeth on Friday, March 29 and Saturday, March 30 at the Mullis Senior Center, at 589 Nash St., Friday Harbor.

The next two Fish for Teeth dental van visits will be six weeks apart to offer a wider range of more complicated procedures such as dentures, partials and crowns. Patients who have other dental needs may also be seen. The dental clinic will return to the Mullis Center on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11.

“Many volunteers and local businesses work as a team to bring this service to those who cannot otherwise afford dental care,” said Fish for Teeth Founder Matt Marinkovich, a San Juan Island commercial fisherman. Continue Reading

Islanders Get Special Discount Until March 22

Day pass tickets go on sale today for the 2nd annual Orcas Island Lit Fest (OILF), a celebration of literature and community, April 5-7. With an award-winning lineup of 60 artists, OILF provides an opportunity to engage with local, regional and nationally renowned authors and their work in an intimate, inclusive setting that welcomes everyone who loves books.

Until March 22, Islanders can benefit from $5 off all tickets with the promo code SJC19. Tickets and schedule now available at oilf.org.

This program is made possible, in part, by support of the Washington State Arts Commission and the San Juan County Lodging Tax Facilities Grant Program.

San Juan Island Park and Recreation District, a junior taxing district on San Juan Island seeks to appoint a new person to its board to fill the position vacated by Commissioner Jacquelyn Reiff’s resignation. The appointment to the Board will run until the November 2019 election.

Persons interested in the field of parks and recreation who have the desire to serve the public are asked to submit a letter of interest to Island Rec’s Director, Maddie Ovenell via email to [email protected]. Applicants must be a San Juan Island resident and registered voter to qualify.  

San Juan Island Park and Recreation District, known as Island Rec, operates the Family Park and Skate Park located at the SJC Fairgrounds, Eddie and Friends Dog Park, Lafarge Open Space, John O. Linde Community Park and the San Juan Island Trails Committee. Continue Reading

Erik Neatherlin, executive coordinator in the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office – Contributed photo

The following press release is from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office…

OLYMPIA – Erik Neatherlin, a scientist and longtime manager in the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been selected to lead the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office, which coordinates statewide and regional efforts to return salmon from the brink of extinction.

The Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office coordinates the efforts of 25 community-based watershed groups and 7 regional organizations across the state that are charged with implementing federally approved recovery plans for salmon, steelhead and bull trout.

“Erik is a longtime champion of salmon recovery and will bring his considerable knowledge of the science, the partners and the issues to the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office,” said Kaleen Cottingham, director of the Recreation and Conservation Office, which is home to the Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office. “He has the perfect skills to lead the way forward and help us return these iconic fish to healthy levels.” Continue Reading