After last week's crappy news, I'm happy to note that things have been cleaned up, and today the Skokomish shellfish beds are reopened. Of course, one way to keep things clean (and quiet) is to keep people out. NOAA is proposing a No-Go-Zone on the west side of San Juan Island, but who does that exclude?

Orcas

There has been a lot of orca news this week. Transients have been sighted in the South Sound. I found a blog in the San Juans which is full of pictures of our resident orcas, with all the individuals helpfully labeled. A great way to get to know our neighbors! OrcaNation has also posted a video of J-pod. This week also brought us a report of a dead or stranded orca calf. An estimated 40% of calves don't make it past their first six months, but K-pod has a survivor this year, and he should soon have a name. If you're wondering how you and your boat can interact with the whales, check out these tips.

Go Outside!

That's all for this week -- we're heading into a holiday weekend, and September has just been designated as National Wilderness Month by presidential proclamation. So get away from that screen, and go outside before our summer is over! (And yes, taking your laptop to the porch or the outdoor patio of that coffee shop is cheating.)

Orcas in the great outdoors, where you should be, from flickr user Seamus Murray, via creative commons.