From San Juan Preservation Trust March 1 is the official opening day for the newest addition to the Preservation Trust’s trail network on Shaw Island. The two-mile Sylvan Loop Trail meanders through a scenic sampling of the Marilyn and Fred Ellis Preserve’s varied forest landscapes. Donated to the Preservation Trust by Fred and Marilyn Ellises’  Continue Reading

From San Juan Land Bank The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting from 8:30-11:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 19 via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click here to download the agenda, including the ZOOM link and meeting materials. To learn more about your Conservation Land Bank, visit sjclandbank.org. If  Continue Reading

From Islands’ Oil Spill Association Tony Parkin has been hired as the new executive director of the Islands’ Oil Spill Association. Hailing from the UK, Tony used his degree in Geology and Oceanography to launch an international career in marine science, remote-sensing, and over the past 30 years, oil spill response and planning. Tony and  Continue Reading

From the Stewardship Network of the San Juans Why are recycle bins optimistic? Because they’re full of cans! This award season, let’s honor the ‘cans’ of the San Juans! The Oscars have nothing on the Finnies. Know someone who deserves to walk the stewardship red carpet? Nominate them for a Good Steward Award! The categories  Continue Reading

From San Juan County The San Juan County Council adopted the Shoreline Master Program periodic review with Ordinance 08-2020 on Oct. 27, 2020. Ordinance 08-2020 is effective 14 days after the Washington State Department of Ecology approves the proposed amendments. They approved the proposed amendments on Jan. 19, 2021, so the ordinance will be effective  Continue Reading

From Transition San Juan Island Waste Guild The Transition San Juan Island Waste Guild wants to give a big kudos to the San Juan Island School District Food for Thought program’s grab-and-go free school breakfast and lunch program. The food service team packages their tasty breakfasts and lunches in a sustainable manner. When schools went  Continue Reading

By Caitlin Blethen, WSU Master Gardener Program Coordinator  Join the San Juan County Washington State University Master Gardeners for two free community webinars exploring how to successfully grow your own food. Dr. Carol Miles and Dr. Linda Gilkeson will spend two hours each on two separate Tuesdays, reviewing the basics of food gardening. These events  Continue Reading

Shop Local; Reuse Gift Wrappings; Swap Decorations with Friends By Plastic Free Salish Sea What do fish sing during the holidays? Christmas corals! Have you resolved to be more eco-conscious this holiday season? Transition San Juan Island and Plastic Free Salish Sea can help. Check out the ideas below to reduce waste and lighten your  Continue Reading

By Friends of the San Juans This year has been life-changing for all of us to varying degrees. In early March, the message from Friends of the San Juans was one of changing times, as directives unfolded with caution and deliberation. Those same feelings continue to unfold in a variety of ways. Yet today, we  Continue Reading

By Friends of the San Juans You are invited to a virtual town hall at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 16. The town hall meeting will be led by Brent Lyles, Friends of the San Juans’ new executive director. Lyles will introduce himself, share some highlights of Friends of the San Juans’ activities, and open it  Continue Reading

Island Near Deer Harbor Now Permanently Conserved By San Juan Preservation Trust Earlier this fall, the San Juan Preservation Trust received a $4 million donation that enabled the Preservation Trust to purchase Reef Island, which lies just outside of Deer Harbor near Orcas Island’s Spring Point. The donor who made the acquisition possible is Malcolm  Continue Reading

By SJPT Looking for a new solo activity that can enhance your environmental literacy? Join one (or all) of San Juan Preservation Trust’s iNaturalist projects and help to contribute to what we know about our preserves. iNaturalist is a network of users who share biological observations to learn more about the natural world. If you’re  Continue Reading

Store-Provided Bags Will Cost 8 Cents By Mark Ingman, San Juan County Solid Waste Program Coordinator On March 25, Governor Inslee signed Bill ESSB 5323, also known as the Washington Plastic Bag Ban into law. This means that starting Jan. 1, 2021, retailers and restaurants throughout the state will be prohibited from providing single-use plastic  Continue Reading

By State of Washington Recreation and Conservation Office Recreation and conservation lands managed by local, state and federal governments in Washington state can now be viewed easily online in a new mapping application. The Public Lands Inventory web app displays more than 18.8 million acres of public lands used for recreation or wildlife habitat in  Continue Reading

By SJIL Join Dr. Fred Rhoades at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov.18 for an online discussion about lichens. San Juan Island Library will host this meeting. The San Juan Islands are home to a great many cryptogams, spore-producing plants and plant-like organisms.  Rhoades will introduce you to some of the lichens and bryophytes, mosses & liverworts,  Continue Reading

Thanks to the cooperation of the Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust we now have a beautiful new and historic public land to explore. On September 26th, National Public Lands Day, 5 years of negotiations and planning came to fruition when the 285-acre Zylstra Lake Preserve on San Juan Island officially opened part  Continue Reading

By the Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management announced that it is seeking public nominations to the San Juan Islands National Monument Advisory Committee. This citizen-based committee assists in the development of recommendations that address public land management issues. The MAC, which is formally chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and  Continue Reading

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