The Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Van is returning in 2022 thanks to a public-private partnership making dental access to care available across the islands.  

2022 Dental Clinic Dates:

• Friday Harbor – January 19-22, March 7-10, October 5-8, and December 7-10
• Lopez – March 11-12, September 23-24
• Orcas – February 15-18, April 13-16, September 19-22, and November 2-5

The van offers full dental care with X-rays, oral health exams, fillings, extractions, and teeth cleaning/ hygiene services. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, please fill out an application online in English or Spanish, visit our website www.sanjuanco.com/1839/Dental-Van-Oral-Health-Programs, or contact the Health Department or your local Resource Center.

The dental van is for those on Apple Health (Medicaid) or who don’t have dental insurance and do not have the financial means to see a dentist.

Volunteer Opportunities: If you are interested in volunteering to help support our Medical Teams International partners day of the van with checking in dental patients (no dental experience needed) please complete our dental van volunteer application. This program would not be possible without the support of our local partners and wonderful volunteers!

Donor Acknowledgment/Thank you: Helping our community access much needed oral health care is thanks to The North Sound Oral Health Local Impact Network (LIN) which is funded by the Arcora Foundation and staffed by North Sound Accountable Community of Health (ACH), San Juan County Health and Community Services, Medical Teams International (MTI), Fish for Teeth, Orcas Island Community Foundation, and Lopez Island Family Resource Center. 

A special thanks to The Daniel and Margaret Carper Foundation for funding mobile dental efforts on Orcas Island and to Blow Hole Snacks on San Juan Island with their recent “Franks for Fillings” fundraiser and to all the other amazing donors who make this effort possible! If you would like to help support the Mobile Dental Van efforts in San Juan County please donate to Medical Teams International PO Box 4288 Portland, OR 97208-4288 and note in support of the San Juan County Mobile Dental Van.

Snow is currently in the forecast for this weekend. If you would like to learn more about how the County prioritizes and responds to snow events on County Roads please visit Map Gallery | San Juan County, WA see where you can view our priority maps and plans for snow removal.

Please remember, winter weather storms have the potential to delay and disrupt travel plans. If you must travel during snow events please be prepared and use appropriate caution. Adverse road conditions can be unexpected and weather conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

Thank you and please drive safely.

Health clinic team members from Sea Mar, Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center and PeaceHealth join participants of the Latinx Health Advisory Committee to plan the first mobile health clinic – Contributed photo

A record 77 people received free care during the first mobile preventative care clinic coordinated by San Juan County’s new Latinx Healthcare Advisory Committee.  

The clinic, hosted December 2 at the Mullis Community Center by the Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center (FRC), Sea Mar Community Health Center and PeaceHealth, was created in response to findings from the Committee’s recent health survey targeting islanders who may not have health insurance or may have difficulty visiting a healthcare provider for a variety of reasons.

Community health workers and clinical staff from Sea Mar provided health screening stations, COVID and influenza vaccinations and preventative health education on cancer screening and diabetes. Many families also brought children who received their first COVID vaccination. Sea Mar’s multilingual care team provided all the supplies and services at no cost to the community, including free rapid COVID tests for people to take home. The Town of Friday Harbor also contributed funds toward the clinic efforts. Continue Reading

OPALCO Board Nominations Open: Interested?

Virtual Open House for Candidates January 6^th

OPALCO nominations for board candidates are now open. You can help shape our energy future! There are three positions open: one position in District 1 (San Juan, Brown, Henry, Pearl and Spieden islands), one position in District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands, and one position in District 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane islands). Applications are due to the Elections & Governance Committee (EGC) by January 26^th.

Members of the Co-op from all backgrounds and representing all identities are encouraged to apply. The Co-op values all kinds of experience and skill sets: you do not need to be an engineer or have previous experience with utilities. Our organization includes business management, finance and accounting, legal, insurance, benefits, education and training, marketing, technology, public policy, construction, procurement, engineering, design, project management, permitting and operations. If you have expertise in any of these areas or other pertinent experience, you may be a good fit! Continue Reading

Cooke Aquaculture’s Port Angeles Net Pen facility – Contributed photo

The following story comes to you from Wild Fish Conservancy…

In another legal defeat for Cooke Aquaculture, a second Washington state court has rejected efforts by the seafood giant to sue Washington state over the termination of the company’s lease for their Port Angeles net pen operation. On Tuesday, the Court of Appeals issued an opinion affirming a lower court ruling upholding the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) decision to terminate the lease.

“The Court’s decision represents another major step forward in the public’s hard-fought efforts to remove this dirty industry from Puget Sound waters,” says Kurt Beardslee, Executive Director of Wild Fish Conservancy. “I applaud the Courts for putting our natural resources and the interest of the public ahead of this powerful corporate interest.”

This week’s decision concludes a nearly four-year appeal process that began in early 2018 when Cooke filed suit against DNR, arguing the agency had wrongfully terminated the lease ahead of the 2025 expiration date. In 2020, a Thurston County Superior Court Judge rejected Cooke’s challenge and the company appealed the decision to the Court of Appeals which issued the opinion this week. Continue Reading

Swan on Dream Lake – Photo by John Miller

Local photographer John Miller shares this image he captured Saturday of a swan on Dream Lake (Lakedale). Thanks for sharing John!

Dr. Frank James wrote this letter to share with you…

Just to be clear. This is the quiet before the storm. Be wise and prudent and don’t go out to eat, don’t travel for the holidays, love the ones you are with now and have been with all along. January will be the hardest time in my lifetime.

I am 70 now and lived through easy times from a historical perspective. My time in the ‘uniformed services’ was on Navajo in the Public Health Service. But these will be hard times. Two years in we think we have suffered, and many have but the coming wave will penetrate deeply into our society. The vaccinated will largely get bad colds and yet will be infectious and the disease will spread more quickly than ever and get to the entire population.

If you are not vaccinated and are higher risk you could easily die. Our hospitals are already at or past maximum occupancy, locally running over 100% occupancy more than under. The critical element that is missing is not rooms, beds or supplies but rather personnel. We are short on highly trained people and that is a shortage that can not be imagined away or magically fixed with more money or changes in policy.

We will hit a place where we move to ‘crisis standards of care’– which means some people will get care and others will not. Healthcare providers will have to choose between those with COVID and requiring intubation and those with heart attacks and needing immediate surgery.

This is coming at us quickly but sort of in slow motion. Here is some advice: Continue Reading

“Two Little Ducks: Quack, Quack” Yes, that is correct, the 2022 San Juan County Fair theme centers around bingo and feathered friends.  The SJC Fair would like to invite all aspiring artists to submit art for the 2022 poster and declare Bingo!

The San Juan County Fair Board enjoys working with the local artists who donate their talents to make each year’s Fair poster special.  Please call, email, or go online for a copy of the poster guidelines 360.378.4310, email[email protected] or www.sjcfair.org  The San Juan County Fair Board looks forward to reviewing submission on Friday, February 11^th, 2022. 

Thank you . . . Fair Board  

The Co-op Difference: Capital Credit Checks are in the Mail! 

More than $1M in capital credit checks are going out to OPALCO members this month, as they do each year. As an electric cooperative, the margin at the end of any given year goes back into the hands of members. Each year the co-op tracks how much you pay for power and determines how much of the margin you will receive. 

Capital credit dividends are paid to members after 25 years. The checks being sent out this year are for members active in 1996 and 1997 and will be in the mail on December 21st. The check amounts range from $5 to thousands (for big energy users like grocery stores); most checks are for between $50 – 250. 

Last year more than $24,000 was donated from capital credit checks to Project Pal and helped neighbors in our community. Project Pal offers a one-time grant (per year) to low-income members during the heating season.  Continue Reading

The following is from Wolf Hollow’s December edition of Hollow Happenings…

Many of the injured owls we treat are relatively large. However, last month we cared for a tiny owl; a Northern Saw-whet Owl that was only ~6” tall and weighed just 90 grams. This little owl had been hit by a car near La Conner. One eye was swollen closed, it had blood in its mouth and its left wing was very sore.

With medication and care it gradually recovered, and after a couple of days its eye was fully open, and it was jumping around in the cage. At this point we used a technical term for its condition – BARF –Bright, Alert, Responsive and Feisty! Saw-whets may be small, but they like to remind us that they are birds of prey, with tiny, needle-sharp talons.

After a few more days of cage rest to let its wing heal, we moved the little owl into an outdoor aviary where it could start flying again. The little owl showed its character once again by swooping down and pouncing on the dead mice we provided for dinner, before we had even stepped out of the enclosure. This tiny owl with a big character was released back into the wild in early December.

Read more Hollow Happenings and Double your Donation here…

Pizza night, popcorn night, taco night, ice cream night, family fun night, movie night, game night or anything night…Charlie is your guy!  An enthusiastic participant of almost everything, this big, happy boy is also full of love and adoration for people.  He is looking to secure a warm home and place to call his own by the New Year! 

Charlie’s world was turned upside down back in August 2021, when his guardian fell ill and sadly passed away, leaving Charlie without a home.  When he was initially brought into the shelter, he had a very difficult time adjusting to life in a kennel, but somehow charmed his way up to being a lobby dog, and left his kennel far behind! 

Being a senior dog, Charlie has had to have some maintenance work done…he received extensive dental work, bloodwork, x-rays, and a strict weight-loss plan.  He has a clean bill of health and after losing 25lbs since August, is feeling fit as ever!  However, because he’s had years of being obese, Charlie’s joints can be stiff at times.  He is on pain management/anti-inflammatories for this issue and has been doing great! Continue Reading

Freezer Burned is an ongoing series on the San Juan Update, written by Steve Ulvi…

(Authors note: this fictional tale of Alaska bush life adventure, grief and redemption, circa the 1980s, will be continued founded upon two previous stories.  See Freezer Burned: “No Matter What” and “The Confines of Heaven” for character background.)

The Confines of Heaven (part II)

An unusually sharp deepfreeze gripped a broad swath of the Yukon River basin after a lengthy autumn of golden light.  Boreal continental cold is uncompromising. The first winter months high in Alaska’s subarctic, are dictated by the interplay of unpredictable atmospheric forces, never in the same mix. The synergy of moist, low- pressure troughs invading far from the North Pacific to clash with continental high-pressure ridges, stirred by the snaking jet stream, is a meteorological crap shoot for any inland region around 67 degrees north.

The waning days of a subarctic November are an accelerator for serious cold.  A so-called “Omega High” had stagnantly domed the Yukon basin for weeks.   Again, this morning the air was dense beneath clear skies, forcing the smoke that quietly chuffed from every stovepipe in the village of Tonasket Crossing to hug the ground.  Large pans of floating ice spun with a soft crystalline grind along the shore ice that extended from the stair-step mud shelves of the shoreline.  Conditions promised an early Yukon River freeze-up.   

Contributed photo

Wreathed in the mist rising from the moving water in front of the historic Episcopal church, a dozen river boats sat askew; well dusted with wind-blown beach silt, high and dry where they had been tethered to stranded driftwood since the late fall.  A stocky man in stained, insulated overalls and untied shoepacs clenched a smoke in his teeth to toss off his jacket to more effectively wrestle a metal skiff onto a long wooden pallet. The pallet was roped to his red ATV hitch on the slope of the exposed beach. Continue Reading

Richard Lind will present a recital of Christmas music for the organ on the Second Day of Christmas, Sunday, December 26, 2021, at 2:30 PM.

There is no admission charge, however, donations to the Friday Harbor Food Bank and/or the Joyce L. Sobel Family Resource Center will be accepted.

A reception of Christmas cookies and cider will follow the performance. Seating will be limited due to social distancing, and the Covid-19 protocols set by St. David’s will be in place.

Dick Grout shares this photo of Dwight Colley being sworn in earlier this week as the new commissioner of San Juan Fire District 3 by Judge Kathryn Loring.

Since the last update on Friday December 10th, there have been 16 new confirmed or probable cases in San Juan County. Current case count is now 466. While the transmission source is not known for all these cases, a number are tied to recent holiday travel or recent family/friend gatherings.

There are approximately seven unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases currently in quarantine in the islands. Three of the sixteen new cases have been identified as being fully vaccinated.

• Lopez Island: There is one new case on Lopez Island since the last update. There are no positive cases under active monitoring on Lopez Island at this time.
• Orcas Island: There are twelve new cases on Orcas Island since the last update. There are ten positive cases under active monitoring on Orcas Island.
• San Juan Island: There is one new case on San Juan Island since the last update. There is one positive case under active monitoring on San Juan Island at this time.

Note: Two of the sixteen new cases have not yet been located to a specific island.

Note on Holiday Gathering and Travel: At this point it seems clear that the new Omicron variant will cause a surge in cases. While we don’t know exactly what that means for hospitalizations, and ultimately deaths, it is certainly a cause for concern. Quick thoughts:

1. Omicron is in Western WA, and likely is in the islands. This will almost certainly lead to cases moving quickly through family groups and those socializing indoors unmasked. As with previous variants, being vaccinated offers good protection against serious illness.
2. Now is a good time to be more cautious about masking in the workplace, making smart decisions around socializing indoors, and being especially thoughtful about avoiding exposing those who are unvaccinated or high risk to the illness.
3. Using at home test kits to minimize risk is smart. Having people test before gathering, testing quickly when symptomatic, or following up any potential exposure with testing makes great sense. The County Health team has been giving away thousands of kits this week, and test kits may be available online or in-person at local and regional pharmacies as well.

A rise in cases is coming, and it may be quite dramatic. However, for those who are fully vaccinated and are following the usual precautions, there is no cause for panic or fear. The vast majority of islanders are perfectly situated to weather this next round of cases extremely well.

Brittany Kohne and her mother, Renee – Contributed photo

The Animal Protection Society – Friday Harbor (APS-FH) is pleased to announce our Volunteer(s) of the year – Renee Koehne and her daughter, Brittany Koehne.

Renee and Brittany volunteer as expert cat trappers for APS-FH’s TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) program as well as experienced kitten foster parents through our Foster Program. These angels recently moved to San Juan Island from California, where they volunteered for years with their local rescue. Brittany and Renee got into cat trapping after fostering hundreds of kittens for the rescue and deciding they wanted to do more to prevent the birth of unwanted kittens. So far, Brittany and Renee have helped trap and fix over 70 Island cats and have fostered dozens and dozens of island kittens!

Cat trapping requires early mornings, long hours, great patience, the hauling of lots of supplies, and excellent communication with the shelter and the feline’s care providers. It’s not for everyone, but these two do it with big smiles and love in their hearts for the cats and kittens. Continue Reading