The relative calm of this afternoon before Thanksgiving Day is a perfect moment to pause and reflect on the last week with gratitude. In the face of a storm I once again watched our community and our County team build bridges and move a mountain. That statement might be a metaphor for the COVID response. This week in Doe Bay it is literally how things happened!

Thanks to Paul, Mick, Michael, Dale, Tristan, Derek, and the rest of the crew at Island Excavating for pulling together a heroic team of local contractors including Charlie and Rose at Nigretto Trucking, Dave at Earthworks Company, and Gary at Mud Bay Barge & Freight. Special thanks to Mick and Michael who were onsite from dawn to dusk every day making things happen with expeditious professionalism. Thanks to the capable staff at Public Works including Jeff, Russ, and Robin who coordinated the response effort with a special thanks to Carolina who secured and delivered us our pipe from central Oregon in short order. Thanks to the rest of our Public Works team including Ron, Robert, and Masi who helped truck rock across Orcas Island on Sunday. Thank you to our Environmental Stewardship team who scrambled for permits and put up fishnets. You made it possible for the crews to do their jobs quickly AND give the Cutthroat trout a fighting chance. Thank you to the Department of Emergency Management. Thank you to the non-profit partners and community leaders who organized the quick installation of the footbridge and transportation on the other side. Thank you to the greater Doe Bay community for the warm cinnamon rolls and even warmer appreciation for the crew’s efforts. Warmed hearts make for willing hands. Thank you to the entire Orcas community, for your patience and understanding while we allocated our limited island resources, both public and private, to reconnect safe passage to our friends and family past Doe Bay.

We don’t get much of a say in what life throws at us, but how we respond makes a big difference moving forward. Resourcefulness, resilience and respect are the Island Way.

Cindy Wolf

San Juan County Council

District 2, Orcas and Waldron