Bringing it home: Sea-level rise impact and response planning for Orcas | A climate solutions workshop
Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Submitted by Earth Day Orcas.
The Orcas Island community is invited to participate in a sea-level rise impact workshop with presentations by Tyler Davis of San Juan County Environmental Stewardship and Tina Whitman of Friends of the San Juans. They will share San Juan County and Orcas Island visual forecast tools and outcomes of previous community input, and discuss response scenarios. Their presentations will be followed by a hands-on design charette to help Orcas participants look at options for the future of Crescent Beach and to share their suggestions.
When the King Tides hit Crescent Beach, our community sees the future of sea-level rise impacts, firsthand. Year-round sea-level rise is coming, with some areas more vulnerable than others. If we learn to access helpful data and maps, we are better equipped to join the planning process. With these tools in hand, we can evaluate workable solutions and join forces with County and local environmental organizations to develop responses in advance of significant property loss and potential disasters.
This community resilience workshop is hosted by Earth Day Orcas, 1-3:30 p.m. at the Fire Hall on April 15. You are invited to bring a cell phone, tablet or laptop to try out the online forecasting tools. Other presenters include Peter Guillozet from the County Land Bank to help familiarize attendees with Crescent Beach Preserve boundaries and challenges, and Bruce Benton, with updates about The Orcas Island EV Network, an award-winning climate change response program installing charging stations and the EV Car Share. There is recent encouraging news about plans for an electric shuttle bus public transportation service.
Please RSVP through the https://earthdayorcas.org website.
