Looking for an enthusiastic, human-centric sidekick?  Rafa is the type of dog that is going to look to his person before he makes any decisions.  A real listener.  Basically, if you’re in need of a personal, in-home therapist to vent your worries and woes to, then Rafa will be there for you.  He will sit  Continue Reading

Ever wonder how much a piece of art you have is worth? Now is your opportunity to find out! Specialists in the Jewelry and Fine Art-Departments from Bonhams auction house will be on location at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art to answer the probing question, “How much is this family heirloom or estate  Continue Reading

Signs of wildlife were on high display during this month’s easement monitoring. Low tide provided a good look at some gooseneck barnacles that remained healthy despite the recent heat. The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on August 20, from 8:30am-11:15am via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click  Continue Reading

We really thought we were through with Covid-19 on San Juan Island, however it has spiked here worse than ever. Resiliency is all about staying healthy, and we want to help the community fight this so we are going to reschedule this event to when things improve. So, we hope this attempt has sparked ideas  Continue Reading

San Juan County Virtual Fair “Lettuce Entertain Ewe” August 18th-21st  is uploaded and ready for you to view!  What does this year provide?  Exhibits, Demos, Vendors and lots of entertainment! A quick reminder that the Fair is what participants and volunteers make it with their time, effort and creativity.  Without the participation and support of  Continue Reading

Trail Times is a continuing series of articles introducing the Old Military Road Trail (OMRT), a proposed 18-21 mile cross-island non-motorized multi-use trail linking English Camp and American Camp and honoring the original Old Military Road. As the summer’s heat wanes, here’s a fun easy hike to get you out there. This approximately mile-and-a-half long  Continue Reading

In the SJ Update Mailbag this morning we have this letter from Dr. Mark Fishout… The summer of 1940 saw the Battle of Britain, the aerial conflict between the Royal Air Force and the German Luftwaffe, reach its apex. When in this speech Churchill stated ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much  Continue Reading

As COVID case numbers continue their dramatic increase in the islands and beyond, there is an upcoming easy no-cost opportunity for those not yet vaccinated to get their shots. San Juan County Health & Community Services will be hosting Pfizer vaccine clinics on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. Any unvaccinated individual age 12 or  Continue Reading

The Town is pleased to announce that Town Administrator Duncan Wilson was presented the 2021 Excellence Award from the Washington City Management Association (WCMA). This annual award recognizes the outstanding administrator or manager who has enhanced the effectiveness of local elected officials and consistently initiated creative and successful programs. The award was presented August 12,  Continue Reading

San Juan Island’s Community Foundation will support local non-profits with matching funds and bonus grants during this year’s Virtual Fair. Funds raised for the Mullis Center will go to help fund our Green and Clean Project as highlighted in detail in the recent article in the San Juan Update, Island Senior: Mullis Center Upgrade For  Continue Reading

The mission of the San Juan Historical Society and Museum for the past 60 years has been to share and interpret the story of the peoples of San Juan Island. One way of doing that is through preservation of historical photographs of the island community. In recent years over 4,000 photographs have been researched, digitally  Continue Reading

Due to the increase in Covid cases on our island, it is with great regret, and an abundance of caution that Soroptimist International of Friday Harbor is canceling the Summer Sounds of the San Juans concert scheduled for August 21, 2021. The upward trajectory of COVID cases with this Delta variant strain is alarming. The  Continue Reading

This Wednesday, August 18th, you’re invited to join Phil Green at the San Juan Island’s Sculpture Park for a morning of birdwatching, from 8:00 to 10:00 am. Dress appropriately and don’t forget your binoculars!

San Juan Island Library Participates in the San Juan Island Community Foundation’s Grant Program to Support the New Library Building Project The San Juan Island Library returns for its second year as part of the San Juan Island Community Foundation’s exciting matching grant program at the San Juan County Fair. “Lettuce” ask for your support!  Continue Reading

Skagit Valley College will require employees and students that attend courses or other activities in-person to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or request an exemption based on medical, religious, or philosophical reasons prior to the start of Fall Quarter 2021. The college will continue to require everyone to wear face coverings inside all college buildings at each of its campuses and centers regardless of vaccination status.     Continue Reading

Note: Current positive case numbers are available online at the County Case Data Dashboard. Since the last update on Thursday August 5th, total cases in San Juan County have increased from 213 to 237. Of these 24 new cases, nine appear to have occurred in fully vaccinated individuals- a number that is expected given the  Continue Reading

Wildfire smoke from fires in British Columbia and Eastern Washington has settled over the County and is expected to be here through the weekend.   Limit your time and activity level outdoors to limit your exposure to harmful particulate matter.  Some air quality monitors in the County are currently detecting levels that are both unhealthy,  Continue Reading

Ever wonder who the royal feline of the cat world may be? The Siamese, of course!  Who would be second in line?  Tortoiseshell!  What do you get when you mix a Siamese with a Tortoiseshell?  The most decorated member of all royal cats, Koko!   Even though Koko is a regal feline, she is not  Continue Reading

This story is shared with you from the SJC Land Bank… Wednesday afternoon, August 11, 2021, San Juan Island Fire & Rescue responded to an isolated brush fire adjacent to the Land Bank’s Mount Grant Preserve. The fire charred approximately one quarter acre of grass and brush before being extinguished. After visiting the site, Land  Continue Reading

As per a recent Health Officer order, all customers entering businesses in San Juan County will be required to mask up beginning at 5pm on Friday August 13th. San Juan County Health Officer Dr. Frank James highlights his thinking, “First off, I want to say that I truly hoped that vaccination rates in our nation  Continue Reading

COVID-19 updates from San Juan County around subjects on the minds of islanders Surging Cases: The Islands’ New Reality Fourteen new COVID cases were reported in San Juan County on August 10th. While 11 of these cases were tied to two household clusters, this is still an alarming number. The number of hospital beds devoted  Continue Reading

In 2020, the San Juan Island Community Foundation quickly adapted to a “virtual” San Juan County Fair by taking their popular annual matching grant event online. Nearly $140k was donated by hundreds of generous community members during the 4 days of the fair. After matching grants by SJICF were added, more than $170k was granted  Continue Reading