Conservation Organizations, Private Landowners Help Salmon and Orcas By Friends of the San Juans and San Juan Preservation Trust An innovative partnership between Friends of the San Juans and the San Juan Preservation Trust has been quietly gaining momentum over the past few years. Working with interested private waterfront landowners, the collaborative project brings much-needed  Continue Reading

With the energy world changing dramatically, OPALCO leadership invited San Juan County Council candidates to state their positions on key issues affecting the co-op members. Climate change, carbon legislation and the transition to renewable power are all affecting energy for the region. OPALCO has a plan to meet these new challenges but OPALCO will need  Continue Reading

Anemones of the San Juans By Christopher Wells Dr. Christopher Wells completed his PhD with Dr. Ken Sebens in 2019 in the Biology Department at the University of Washington. His research was on the biology and ecology of sea anemones in the San Juan Archipelago. He is now a postdoctoral associate at the University at  Continue Reading

Almost seven years ago, Friends of the San Juans began working with Washington State Parks on a salmon recovery project on Sucia Island. After a lot of research, surveys, designs, engineering, and permitting, the on-the-ground work to restore habitat has come to fruition. Located along a major migratory pathway for juvenile Chinook salmon, Sucia’s marine  Continue Reading

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… (Author’s note: This campfire story is mostly fiction in terms of characters and events. Historic, ecological and political themes will always be sculpted factually. The wonders of the subarctic natural world are as I understand them  Continue Reading

San Juan County Master Gardeners welcome keynote speaker Robin Haglund to the Annual Gardening Workshop Series. Robin’s presentation, Growing a Year-Round Hummingbird Habitat Garden, guides you through crafting and maintaining a gorgeous year-round garden that provides habitat for our resident hummingbirds. You will learn the vital elements needed for food and nesting, while enjoying the  Continue Reading

Be a Superhero for Planet Earth! 2020 Fall Great Islands Clean-up September 28 – October 4 We’re asking Superheroes of all ages to unite and help us clean-up our islands during this year’s Fall Great Islands Clean-up! The event will be a week-long household/individual effort beginning September 28 and running through October 4, 2020. This  Continue Reading

Pacific herring – also known as forage fish – play a key role in marine food webs as food for out-migrating juvenile salmon, seabirds, and even marine mammals. Herring rely on sensitive eelgrass meadows found along our tidelands to spawn and incubate their eggs. Herring spawning populations in the San Juans are classified by the  Continue Reading

I saw this article online and thought it was worthy of sharing, so the author, Jen, wrote this short introduction for the San Juan Update. We humans really need to wake up and make some changes… The world’s oceans are being polluted by trash every minute of every day. At least 8 million metric tons  Continue Reading

From Orcas Fire and Rescue… Orcas Island Fire and Rescue personnel responded to multiple reports of smoke in the 4000-block of Point Lawrence Road on the afternoon of August 24. Crews quickly triangulated a slow-moving wildland fire with aerial support provided by local pilot Pat Muffett. After completing a size-up the fire was determined to  Continue Reading

Friends of the San Juans (Friends) is pleased to welcome R. Brent Lyles as incoming Executive Director. He will begin his tenure on September 16 and will lead the 40-year-old organization in its longstanding mission — to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea for people and nature. Brent comes to  Continue Reading

Join the MAC Meeting on August 27, 9:00am -5:00pm, Pacific Time (see Zoom link below)… Click on photo to enlarge… The MAC (Monument Advisory Committee) will be hearing from subject matter experts and the public to inform their deliberations as they discuss and present their input to the BLM. The full meeting agenda (PDF) can  Continue Reading

State receives more than $11 million in federal grants to benefit Southern Resident killer whale and Chinook recovery… The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) today announced the award of more than $11 million in grants to 11 Chinook salmon habitat and hatchery projects from a new grant program under the Pacific Salmon Treaty.  Continue Reading

San Juan County Land Bank is seeking public input on its updated Interim Stewardship and Management Plan (SMP) for the Zylstra Lake Preserve on San Juan Island. This updated interim plan details the Preserve’s abundant wildlife and habitat areas; provides a collaborative strategy for engaging with agricultural interests; and proposes opening approximately two miles of trail this  Continue Reading

Great news from San Juan Preservation Trust! Record gift expends Turtleback Preserve plus the precedent-setting donation also returns land to the Lummi Nation. The San Juan County Land Bank and San Juan Preservation Trust today announced the acquisition and permanent conservation of a 36-acre addition to the Turtleback Mountain Preserve on Orcas Island. Concurrently, an  Continue Reading

Friday Harbor Film Festival’s Summer 2020 Virtual Cinema will present a FREE virtual on-demand screening of The Story of Plastic anytime on July 16, 17, 18, and 19, followed by a hosted Q&A on July 19 at 6 pm PDT.  To view the film and participate in the virtual Q&A, RSVP at www.fhff.org. Once you  Continue Reading

COVID 19 is creating many unique challenges for literally everyone and the Land Bank is no exception. The Land Bank typically uses a variety of strategies to achieve stewardship activities including volunteer work parties, collaborating with partners, engaging special interest groups, and leveraging help from youth conservation corps type organizations. At this time we are  Continue Reading

Your Conservation Land Bank turns 30 this year and is celebrating with a multi-island exploration. Every preserve has a story – gather your family and get outside this summer to discover what your public lands have to say! The San Juan County Land Bank teamed up with the Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Island libraries  Continue Reading

FREEZER BURNED: Tales of Interior Alaska is a new regular column on the San Juan Update written by Steve Ulvi… Nearly every molecule of water that now covers 70% of our planet was spewed in awesome volcanic eruptions or carried frozen in asteroids or comets that pummeled a lifeless earth for eons.   Any given water  Continue Reading

We are living in a time of unprecedented trial. In an effort to bring you a much-needed reconnection to the natural world, Friends of the San Juans would like to invite you to attend an upcoming Zoom presentation with Peter Cavanagh. Are you experiencing travel withdrawal after months of lockdown and cancelled travel plans? Peter  Continue Reading

Applications are being accepted for the Executive Director of the Islands’ Oil Spill Association (IOSA). Complete details on position and how to apply are available online at: https://iosaonline.org/employment/ As part of IOSA’s ongoing rebuild, this position will be responsible for day to day operations of the organization. This includes overseeing volunteers and future paid staff,  Continue Reading

Fact Check of Whalen Petition Dear Editor and Community, We recently received in the mail Mr. Ron Whalen’s request to have us sign a petition to eliminate the Land Bank by December 2020. The request was loaded with falsehoods and outrageously attempted to dupe our community into thinking that a yes or no answer meant  Continue Reading