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I-5 Bridge Collapse – Alternative Routes

Here is an alternative way to get to the Washington State Ferry Terminal in Anacortes from Seattle due to the I-5 bridge collapse. I-5 is closed in both directions in Skagit County south of Burlington. By Car: If you are driving from Seattle, consider the suggested alternative route which happens to be one of our favorite [...]

Coal Battle Continues – Help Needed for Strategic Health Impact Assessment

Photo by Paul Anderson Friends of the San Juans reports that your help is needed to fund an important study regarding the health effects of diesel emissions and coal dust associated with coal trains transporting thermal coal from the Powder River Basin to the proposed Gateway Pacific Coal Terminal at Cherry Point. Please see the the [...]

Local Author Named in Top Five Fiction Debuts

Finalists for ForeWord Firsts’ Winter 2013 competition include Wild Nights, by Friday Harbor author MaryEllen Coutney. The award contest recognizes the brightest self-published and independently published works of debut fiction. The Winter 2013 Winner will be announced May 30, 2013. “Choosing the top finalists was a challenge this quarter,” said ForeWord Reviews Publisher Victoria Sutherland, [...]

John Darrah with Japanese fishnet float found at South Beach

Great Island Cleanup 2013

Occasionally visitors remark how clean the island looks. Indeed, drive down island roads this month and you’ll see very little roadside litter; that’s because over 200 volunteers participated in this year’s Great Island Cleanup on Earth Day weekend. Not including the town of Friday Harbor, they traversed about 45 miles of county roads and several [...]

Now deceased Southern Resident J2, AKA Granny, near an oil tanker

Power Past Coal Update

Public opposition against the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal/Custer Spur (GPT) at Cherry Point in Whatcom County, WA has been remarkable. It appears there are quite a few people who think that strip mining coal in the mid-west, sending it by rail across the country to Oregon and Washington, and shipping it to China is just [...]

Chief oikami pipe banger on the Sea Goose - safety aspects: hammer tied to his belt, ear protection, eye protection, life-vest. He was in view of the vessel operator.

IOSA Tries New Drill for Whale Protection

Volunteers for Islands Oil Spill Association (IOSA) have regularly been practicing maneuvers in the event of an oil spill in the San Juan Islands, but their latest endeavor targeted our beloved Southern Resident orcas as well. With the islands being so remote, it would take precious hours before rescue crews could arrive here to control [...]

San Juan Islands in the News

A decade ago, when someone mentioned San Juan Islands, people thought Puerto Rico. But that has changed. In recent months, our 172 island archipelago, located on the northwestern most corner of the continental US, has been in the international spotlight. We are very proud and wanted to share these accolades. We also are appreciative to all those [...]

Trip Advisor Awards Tucker House GreenLeader

Trip Advisor awarded the Harrison House Suites & Tucker House Inn Bronze Level GreenLeaders, as part of their new GreenLeaders™ program. As GreenLeaders, the Harrison House and Tucker House Inns have met a set of environmental standards developed in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR® program, the U.S. Green Building Council, and the United Nations Environment [...]

Whale You Be My Valentine?

While many celebrated with roses and chocolate, San Juan Islanders celebrated their love of whales. On Valentine’s Day, the Town of Friday Harbor dedicated its first public art piece, “The Fluke” and just a few blocks away, the Whale Museum had a grand reopening after a 6 week closure to mount two new exhibits. The [...]

Red Mil Farm, San Juan Island Photo Courtesy of the Island Guardian

Dodie Gann’s Gift to the Island

I am never amazed at the shear generosity of our island community. Some residents give tirelessly with their time, others with ample means help improve our quality of life by endowing public projects, while others give their soul. San Juan Island said good bye to a remarkable legend this past December. Dodie Gann (1922-2012) a [...]

Fluke By the Ferry?

Islanders are rallying to collect money to install a beautiful sculpture of a whale fluke at the top of the ferry landing. Led by consummate volunteer Lori Stokes, the project needs to raise $25,000 to purchase the Micajah Bienvenu sculpture and install it on the huge rock at the corner of 1st and A, across [...]

Scoping Hearings Determine Environmental Impact Statement

Scoping hearings are now being held in our area regarding the Gateway Pacific Terminal. Earlier we wrote about the proposed project to mine coal in Montana, transport it across the country by train to Bellingham, build a terminal there to receive the coal and load it onto the world’s largest tankers that would pass through [...]

Island News, Fall 2012

Many of the readers of our last issue expressed concern over the issues that the island and its residents – both human and otherwise – are facing. We thought we’d give you a brief update. Coal Export Terminal: In August, Dr. Claudia Oakes, part-time Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Sociology, Political Science, Native American [...]

Island News, Summer 2012

Orca Awareness Month is June, 2012, as declared by Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire! Be sure to visit the Whale Museum while you’re here to learn more about these amazing giants. Speaking of Orcas, we’ve got a new baby in the Southern Residents clan. L119 is the second born to her mother, Matia L-77. Her [...]