As the Veil Thins, Before the Snow Flies
Dispatch from Island Stewards
Dear Island Stewards,
If our previous dispatch was about noticing what’s straining, this one’s about celebrating what’s sustaining! The tides keep shifting, the plans keep unfolding, yet the spirit of these islands endures—resilient, adapting, and alive.
Fall rains bring a quieter kind of work: the kind that happens around tables, in kitchens, and at community gatherings where neighbors roll up their sleeves and talk about what’s next. From the Olga Store to Island Rides, from the Grange to the inspiring efforts of the Orcas Island Community Foundation and Kwiaht, we’re simply in awe of the good work happening all around us.
This season, we’re leaning into optimism—not the easy kind, but the kind earned through effort. The kind that comes from people doing what islanders do best: tending what they can, trusting what they can’t, and keeping each other afloat through whatever the fates deliver.
Photo by Thomas Bridge — The Water Taxi in motion: community-fueled, neighbor-driven, and a reminder that local solutions can still move us together.
https://www.facebook.com/communitywatertaxi
So before the snow flies, here’s what’s happening across the islands—and how you can be part of it.
Community in Motion | Shared Momentum
As we move into the darker months, the islands are anything but still. So many good things are in motion—each a thread in the larger fabric of community care.
Friends of the Olga Store
If you’ve ever stopped in for coffee, conversation, or a quick post office run, you know why the Olga Store matters. It’s a hub of daily life, and it needs our help to stay that way.
Friends of the Olga Store are launching their (hopefully final) Preserving History, Building Community campaign to retire high-interest loans and secure community ownership.
You can join as a Virtual Ambassador for their November 12–13 online fundraiser—help spread the word and help keep the doors open.
Learn more: https://event.auctria.com/4fce0c0a-98c4-46b1-90ef-57c1a0b1d7eb/09480e501ee611eaa945bb9e2ddcf87f
And sign up: https://event.auctria.com/4fce0c0a-98c4-46b1-90ef-57c1a0b1d7eb/dbef5000b8d911ebafb9cda905bb495b
Island Rides / Green Car Share
Transportation is changing here at home. Island Rides and Green Car Share have now installed EV charging stations across Orcas Island, quietly building the infrastructure we need to rethink how we move, connect, and coordinate together.
Have you thought about volunteering with them? It’s a great way to support your neighbors and make a difference—one scenic drive at a time.
Learn More: https://islandrides.org/support-us
And also keep up on OPALCO’s Renewable Energy Talks — building a brighter, island-powered future together: https://www.opalco.com/opalco-renewable-energy-community-meetings-recap/2025/10/
Orcas Island Community Foundation
The Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF) has been a steady force in helping our local nonprofits weather the changing funding landscape. We recently had the chance to talk with their team about the Mapping the Ecology of Enough project and the idea of building a community information hub using ArcGIS layers and StoryMaps—a way to connect data, stories, and stewardship in one place.
Their Holiday Campaign is right around the corner, and while we don’t yet know which organizations will be selected this year—the volunteer review teams are meeting throughout the week on a record number of requests—we encourage everyone to get ready to support a good campaign.
OICF’s Spring Campaign was proof of what happens when this community leads with heart: even amid federal funding cuts, it saw the highest amount ever raised and supported. It’s a reminder that when we invest in one another, we strengthen the foundation that holds us all. Give local.
Get Involved: https://oicf.us/nonprofits/giveorcas/
Kwiáht | Center for the Ecology of the Salish Sea
We’re continually inspired by Kwiáht’s citizen science and environmental data. Their work gives us a window into the living systems we depend on, and we hope to deepen that connection as we expand our own ecological mapping.
Get Involved and report what you see: https://www.kwiaht.org/reportsightings.htm
The Grange
Don’t forget to check out the Orcas Island Grange. It’s one of the few community spaces that truly belongs to the people. From meetings and concerts to rentals and volunteer opportunities, it’s another way to show up, share ideas, and celebrate what we’re building together.
Support and check out events: https://orcasgrange.org/
Island Stewards Projects and Participation
While we’re cheering on our fellow nonprofits this season, we’re also continuing the work that connects directly to you—our island neighbors. From the Mapping the Ecology of Enough project to transportation feasibility and community Table Talks, our focus remains on weaving together the insights and stories that define life here.
You can support this work directly—through donations, collaboration, or time. We’ve added a new volunteer form where you can share your skills, interests, and availability.
Every hour and idea helps keep the work moving forward and ensures that our projects stay grounded in real island experience.
That’s the good news: we’re a resilient community that believes in rural autonomy and neighbor-led solutions. So if you’re struggling, please reach out—community lunches are ongoing, the food bank is open, and help is here. And if you have a little extra to give, support the local organizations working quietly but powerfully on the ground.
We’ve got this, together. And together, we’ll keep the work going—connecting ideas, projects, and people across the islands in ways that make resilience feel less like a buzzword and more like a shared practice.
Support Island Stewards: https://www.islandstewards.org/support
A Path We Keep Taking
A friend and I were talking recently about our upbringings—his here on Orcas, mine far away in another tourist town. I said something half-joking, that maybe “normal” here, just means we’ve all had unusual lives. And really, isn’t that what makes this place so special? Most of us came here from elsewhere, drawn by the same quiet rebellion—to live differently, to move against the mainstream.
That shared instinct is our strength. We’re small in numbers, but high in expertise and perspective. The more we align that collective creativity toward common goals, the stronger these islands become.
In that same spirit, we’re excited to announce the release of
The Path Less Taken, a reintroduction of eleven essays written thirty years ago by islander Joe Symons, exploring growth, regulation, and the meaning of “enough.” Those questions never went away—they’ve simply evolved. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing one essay at a time, pairing Joe’s original reflections with new voices from today’s generation. (illustration by Anita Orne)
Each piece will appear on our Communications and Dispatch page and will also be submitted to The Orcasonian as a Guest Opinion—a chance to bring these conversations into the wider community dialogue.
We’re deeply grateful to The Orcasonian for continuing to uphold the power of local press. In a time when independent journalism is shrinking nationwide, our islands are fortunate to have a paper that keeps civic life transparent, invites public thought, and gives local stories a home. Supporting The Orcasonian means supporting the community’s right to stay informed, curious, and connected.
Subscribe and Support: https://theorcasonian.com/support/
As we wrap up this season’s dispatch, we want to thank everyone who’s kept the conversation going—whether through surveys, emails, meetings, or quick words of encouragement in passing. If we’ve missed replying to you, please know your messages are received and appreciated. Every idea, question, and gesture of goodwill becomes part of the larger fabric that makes this community what it is.
Stewardship is continuity—the same questions, met with new possibilities. We invite you to read, reflect, and respond: What has changed—and what hasn’t—since we first started asking what “enough” really means?
In stewardship,
The Island Stewards Team
P.S.
Just imagine: ten years from now, you’re setting the table for a summer gathering—the air soft, the food local, the company good—and the skies above are buzzing with drones and unregulated eVTOLs. Ehhh… maybe not. Flying like George Jetson might sound amazing, but maybe not that amazing when you weigh the noise, the energy, and the question of whether just because we can, we should.
The Pivotal ad highlighted the wonder of innovation, but also raised real questions about community consent, sound, and shared space. Good marketing captured the beauty of our islands — minus the roar that sent livestock running. Progress looks polished in an edit suite, but living here means hearing what doesn’t make the cut.
For now, we’ll keep our feet on the ground, our hearts in the work, and our eyes on the neighbors beside us. Across these islands, nonprofits and volunteers are putting in long hours right alongside us—and we’re proud to be in that good company.
It’s a beautiful time to be alive in such a beautiful place. As we move into the winter dark, let’s shine brighter than ever—with community cheer, shared purpose, and the kind of care that keeps this place alive.
