New individual desks

Spring Street International School would like to thank the San Juan Island Community Foundation for hosting, coordinating, and including us in the SJICF Fair Matching Grant Program.

The Fair Matching Grant Program helped us raise $4,605 that went towards preparing our school to open up safely this fall and provide our students with an innovative education in the midst of this public health crisis.

With these funds, we have made 114 individual desks with the help of our board members, parent volunteers, and students. We were able to purchase event tents that will be used for outdoor classroom space. We also are improving our online distance learning format to continue to prepare for the unexpected. Read More »

The timing couldn’t be more perfect: This Saturday, September 26, 2020, on National Public Lands Day, Zylstra Lake Preserve officially opens for day-use public access.

National Public Lands Day embodies the same values that inspired your Conservation Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust to form a public-private partnership in 2015 to preserve the 313-acre property. This annual event celebrates connection between people and green space in their community and inspires environmental stewardship, along with encouraging use of open space for education, recreation, and health benefit. Docents from the Land Bank and Preservation Trust will be on site this weekend and look forward to answering any questions.

For a sneak peek on what you’ll find at the Preserve, click the image above for a video tour via the Land Bank’s YouTube channel. Please remember to follow County Covid-19 safety protocol, which includes practicing social distancing and covering your face when a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained. And above all, stay home if you are feeling sick.

Read More »

Until Public Health regulations allow for audiences to enter theatres again, SJCT is going all-digital with some exciting new programming that will be filmed and distributed FOR FREE. Films will be available on our website, at www.sjctheatre.org.

• Week of October 5: Melodious Notes Over the Harbor
• Week of October 26: Desolation Sound
• Week of November 2: Emily Anton from The Ballet and Movement School
• Week of November 9: SJCT’s Family Theatre presents Super Happy Awesome News
• Week of November 23: Pilots in Training
• Week of December 7: Salish Sea Ballet
• AND MANY MORE TO COME!*Release dates are approximate to accommodate film editing.

Additionally, SJCT’s new sketch comedy web series Friday Harbor Happenings will be premiering in late October and releasing a new sketch every two weeks!

There are many more performing artists on San Juan Island that we are already speaking with or excited to invite for filming! Stay tuned for more information!

The San Juan County Land Bank is offering a once-a-year opportunity to purchase locally grown wildflowers native to San Juan County. Reserve your plants online September 18 – 27, and pick them up on Saturday, October 3 at locations on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan islands. All plants are produced locally by the Salish Seeds Project.

Many of the wildflowers offered are hard to obtain commercially and are uncommon even in the wild. Most are showy, excellent for native pollinators, and drought-tolerant. 20 species will be offered, including broadleaf sedum, common red paintbrush, great camas bulbs, Canada goldenrod, Idaho blue-eyed grass, and farewell-to-spring seed. A complete list of species, descriptions, and prices will be available on the Land Bank’s website starting September 18.

Plant reservations must be made online September 18 – 27 and picked up at the following locations on Saturday, October 3 between 12 – 1 pm:

• San Juan Island – Salish Seeds Project nursery at Red Mill Farm
• Lopez Island – Sunset Builder’s Supply
• Orcas Island – Coffelt Farm

The Salish Seeds Project is dedicated to restoring native wildflowers and grasses in the San Juan Islands. Plants and seeds for habitat restoration are produced at a nursery located at Red Mill Farm in San Juan Valley. In a fruitful partnership, The San Juan Preservation Trust owns the property and the Land Bank runs the nursery.

For more information contact Outreach/Volunteer Coordinator, Tanja Williamson at 360-370-7655 or email tanjaw@sjclandbank.org.

San Juan Island Library announces that renowned regional author Clare Hodgson Meeker will host a Zoom talk on Friday, October 2, at 7:00 p.m. Meeker’s latest book, Growing Up Gorilla: How a Zoo Baby Brought Her Family Together, is a 2020 Washington State Book Award Finalist for Young Readers.

Meeker will discuss writing Growing Up Gorilla and share information on the gorillas of Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo. The talk will include how she gained access to the gorillas’ behind the scenes life, as well as updates on how they are doing since the zoo’s recent reopening. For more information about Clare Hodgson Meeker visit www.claremeeker.com.

To attend True Animal Stories with Author Clare Hodgson Meeker, please email Melina Lagios, Youth Services Manager, at mlagios@sjlib.org to receive the required Zoom invitation information. All San Juan Island Library Zoom programs are free to attend. Information about upcoming library programs for all ages can be found at www.sjlib.org.

$12,000 given in scholarships

Island Artisans is a local non-profit organization whose goal is to raise funds in support of young artists within our community. We have served San Juan County for approximately 40 years by granting scholarships to graduating students and supporting practicing artists.

Island Artisans Holiday Market, our primary fundraiser, has always been held on San Juan Island the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year has been very different with the outbreak of a pandemic. The board of Island Artisans has decided rather than canceling our market, we are moving it to the spring with the possibility of it happening in April.

Proceeds from artisan’s booth fees and a percentage of sales go towards the scholarships we grant annually. There were $12,000 worth of scholarships awarded in June to 7 seniors from 3 different high schools.

Watch for upcoming announcements. Interested parties can email islandartisanssjc@gmail.com.

As of Sunday, September 20th, the Burn Ban in San Juan County is lifted. Please be safe when enjoying recreational campfires. A reminder that campfires are limited to 3’x3’ in size and are for burning only clean split firewood. 

Permitted residential burning is scheduled to reopen on October 5th. Weather permitting. 

https://www.sanjuanco.com/1096/Open-Burn-Info 

Please follow the link to learn more about burning in San Juan County. 

Stay safe.

San Juan Islands Community Network (SJICN) launches online solutions news channel spotlighting island community members and organizations building a more resilient and thriving San Juans

On Monday, September 21, San Juan Islands Community Network (SJICN) launched to the public, publishing its website and initial video news stories created to inform and engage islanders around the community’s most pressing challenges and opportunities.

SJICN is a community storytelling network and digital media channel dedicated to exploring the environmental, economic and social challenges facing the islands—with a focus on opportunities and solutions. By spotlighting individuals and organizations responding to these challenges with innovative, community-centered solutions, SJICN’s mission is to help ensure a healthy, resilient future in the San Juan Islands where all residents, human and non-human, can thrive. Read More »