OPAL is collaborating with OPALCO and Island Rides to get more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations installed in OPAL neighborhoods—encouraging OPAL homeowners and renters to reduce carbon emissions and providing equitable access to EV use. Two grant funded programs are benefiting the. OPAL and larger community:   Green Carshare:    You may have seen the Green Carshare […]

Welcoming Mallory Hagel  Mallory Hagel is an islander at heart — born and raised on Whidbey Island and now happily living here on Orcas.  Mallory first moved to Orcas in 2015. With a strong background in labor and community organizing, she helped launch the countywide effort to establish the real estate excise tax (REET) for […]

Victor Hartney’s Journey to Home  High in the treetops, Victor Hartney is at ease. As an arborist and small business owner, they spend much of their time high above the ground, carefully navigating the canopy of Orcas Island. But finding steady ground in their own life has taken years.  Victor’s early years were shaped by […]

October 2024Two island residents, George Zweibel (Orcas Island) and Sandy Bishop (Lopez Island), asked the candidates for the San Juan County Council questions regarding affordable housing. These questions were designed to gather insights on how each candidate plans to address this critical issue. Running for Position 1 from San Juan Island are Kari McVeigh and […]

OPAL has made significant headway in restoring the Reddick Forest near the Bonnie Brae community by removing invasive species and planting native vegetation. With the expertise of ecologist, Samantha Martin (Field & Fern) and former Land Bank land steward, Eric Nelson (NW Habitat Management). To ensure the invasive blackberries do not return, a precise “cut […]

The Garcia Salinas family has found a fresh start in their renovated Mount Baker apartment. The family of four includes Verenice Salinas Ramírez, who works at Orcas Food Co-op, and Edson Garcia Guzman, who started his own construction business, “Black Rooster,” after learning the trade on the island. They are parents to Denilson and Alison […]

Maddox Davis’s senior project in his 2023 Civics class, taught by Phil Comito, was something he wanted to be special. As he began research to build the bench for an Eastsound park, he recalled an empty space at April’s Grove in the landscape designed by Robin Kuklick. Prior to settling on his final design, Maddox […]