Local shoreline habitat restoration actions support marine food webs It was an exciting week for local forage fish and out-migrating juvenile salmon as Friends of the San Juans and the Salmon Point Community have successfully restored priority shoreline habitat along their local beach. At the south end of Lopez Island, two areas of failed rock  Continue Reading

Olympia – Gov. Jay Inslee today announced the appointment of Kaleen Cottingham, a life-long Washington resident, to serve on the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. Cottingham, of Olympia, recently retired as the director of the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, which provides support to the Governor-appointed Salmon Recovery Funding Board and the Governor’s Salmon Recovery  Continue Reading

You can see thousands of gulls on the shore or in the water around the San Juans right now. It would be easy to dismiss them as “just a bunch of seagulls”, but next time you see a flock of gulls, take a closer look. Are there different sizes of gulls? Do they have different  Continue Reading

In late August, the SRV SAM, a 48’ aluminum ketch, set sail from the Haida Gwaii Islands in British Columbia to the University of Washington’s Friday Harbor Labs (FHL) – the latest leg of its 8,000 nm voyage across the North Pacific for the Ocean Genome Atlas Project (OGAP). The vessel will be moored at  Continue Reading

The Center for Whale Research shares this story… What is it, when does it happen, and what are the causes? Several weeks ago, K21, the oldest male killer whale (orca) in the Southern Resident community, was photographed and videoed in a state of severe emaciation, showing an extreme version of what killer whale researchers sometimes  Continue Reading

FRIDAY HARBOR, WA. – Labor Day weekend is approaching, the last hurrah for many summer boaters before buckling down for the fall. As scores of vessels take to local waterways over the holiday, it’s an important time to stay vigilant and keep safe on the water. San Juan County’s Department of Environmental Stewardship calls on  Continue Reading

Signs of wildlife were on high display during this month’s easement monitoring. Low tide provided a good look at some gooseneck barnacles that remained healthy despite the recent heat. The San Juan County Land Bank Commission will hold its monthly meeting on August 20, from 8:30am-11:15am via Zoom. The public is invited to attend. Click  Continue Reading

Trail Times is a continuing series of articles introducing the Old Military Road Trail (OMRT), a proposed 18-21 mile cross-island non-motorized multi-use trail linking English Camp and American Camp and honoring the original Old Military Road. As the summer’s heat wanes, here’s a fun easy hike to get you out there. This approximately mile-and-a-half long  Continue Reading

This Wednesday, August 18th, you’re invited to join Phil Green at the San Juan Island’s Sculpture Park for a morning of birdwatching, from 8:00 to 10:00 am. Dress appropriately and don’t forget your binoculars!

In 2020, the San Juan Island Community Foundation quickly adapted to a “virtual” San Juan County Fair by taking their popular annual matching grant event online. Nearly $140k was donated by hundreds of generous community members during the 4 days of the fair. After matching grants by SJICF were added, more than $170k was granted  Continue Reading

Lots of people have lots of great ideas. But only a few turn their perceptive concepts into reality. The visionary-to-reality folks are the ones to follow. The Center for Whale Research’s Founder and Senior Scientist, Ken Balcomb, is one of these. Opening the ORCA SURVEY Outreach & Education Center in Friday Harbor in 2018 is  Continue Reading

Kairos & the Ghost of FHL: Writing in the Moment, by Holly Shelton Dr. Holly Shelton holds a PhD from the University of Washington in language and rhetoric along with MA degrees in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She has taught in Chile, Turkey, Canada, Kazakhstan, and the US; received  Continue Reading

Our first online auction is now open! So many items donated by the staff, board, and community supporters of wildlife. Please take some time to check out these wonderful items. You can use your phone and scan the QR code in the flyer at right or click on or copy this link  to check it  Continue Reading

The first Harbor Seal pup of the year was brought to Wolf Hollow on June 24. She had been seen hanging around anchored boats near Sucia Island for 2 days, trying to suckle on boats and climb onto swim steps. San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network brought her to Wolf Hollow. Usually, the peak  Continue Reading

Olympia – Are invasive species hiding in your trees? State officials ask you to check trees, lights, outdoor equipment and standing water in your yard for harmful bugs as part of National Tree Check Month in August. “August is the ideal time to look for invasive insects and report any species that seem out of  Continue Reading

To all bird watchers – Please join us at the San Juan Islands Sculpture Park this coming Wednesday, July 21st at 8:00 AM, where Phil Green, will again lead our monthly Bird Walk.  So far over 30 species have been identified.  Bring binoculars and mosquito repellent.  The park is located just past the Welcome Arch  Continue Reading

False Bay on New Year’s at sunset. Steve Martin, Contributed.  Keep Dogs on Leashes By Dr. Megan Dethier, Director, Friday Harbor Labs About a year ago, we wrote about increased use of University of Washington properties during the governor’s stay-at-home orders. This heavy use has continued, and now with summer upon us and relaxed covid  Continue Reading

From San Juan County’s Environmental Department Across the region, homes and businesses will soon be displaying the stars and stripes to herald the Fourth of July. Meanwhile, on the waters of the Salish Sea, another flag can be spotted — the whale warning flag. The Fourth of July weekend marks one of the busiest times  Continue Reading

From The Whale Museum We’ve been training marine naturalists since 1994. Our marine naturalist training course is an intensive six-day overview of the natural history of the San Juan Islands and the marine waters of Washington and Southern British Columbia, known as the Salish Sea. Summer’s session will be online July 19-24. This course includes  Continue Reading

From Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Our thanks to everyone who took part in Wolf Hollow’s Earth Month Wildlife Photo Competition during April. There were so many beautiful photos that we had a really hard time selecting a winner in each category. But, after lots of discussions, we finally selected the following winners: Young Photographer:  Continue Reading

From San Juan County Marine Program June is Orca Action Month, a time to celebrate and protect one of our region’s most iconic marine mammals, the Southern Resident orcas. As we launch into summer, the San Juan County Marine Program would like to remind boaters what they can do to be a part of orca  Continue Reading

From The Whale Museum Registration is now open for a summer virtual session of The Whale Museum’s Marine naturalist training.  This program will be six sessions and run July 19-24. The objective of this program is to provide a learning experience that assists adult graduates in becoming qualified regionally as professional or volunteer naturalists. The  Continue Reading