Friends of the San Juans

Friends of the San Juans is currently accepting applications for its 2019 summer legal internship program. Applicants should be current law school students who have a demonstrated interest in natural science or environmental/land use law. Intern candidates should be able to commit to at least six full-time weeks in our Friday Harbor, WA office. Friends ... read more

In the 2019 legislative session, we have the best chance in over a decade to make real change to protect and sustain Washington’s environment! Join Friends of the San Juans at Environmental Lobby Day on January 29 in Olympia. Come help push key environmental legislation to recover the health of Southern Resident orcas, reduce plastic pollution with a statewide Reusable ... read more

Did you know that our local sand and gravel beaches nurture incubating fish eggs? These eggs are virtually undetectable to the naked eye and come from two species of marine fish – surf smelt and Pacific sand lance. These species are among those referred to as “forage fish” for the vital role they play in ... read more

As residents of a community of islands, we are no stranger to coastal storms like the one that hit northern Puget Sound just before Christmas. While winter storms themselves are not uncommon, the larger events that cause serious damage from erosion or flooding are actually quite rare here in the San Juans. Unlike the open ... read more

The Bureau of Land Management is developing a Resource Management Plan for the San Juan Islands National Monument, which will guide their stewardship of these lands for the next 15-20 years. Please help us protect these public lands by commenting on the plan by January 3.  Click here to see Friends’ comment letter. Click here ... read more

Here are five important things you can do today to support our Salish Sea as we close out 2018… Make an Impact to Protect What You Love: 1. Give Southern Residents their fair share of salmon. Ask the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission to allocate 410,000 Chinook salmon for the Southern Residents annually. ... read more

Do you have a digital camera or camera phone? If so, you can help local and regional researchers capture this year’s king tides! Join Friends and King Tide volunteers from your community and across the globe to document the year’s highest tides by taking photos of your favorite local shorelines. A “king tide” is the highest predicted high tide of the year ... read more

Post by Jess Newley, Marine Program Assistant Last week I got to hang out with the forage fish guru himself, Dan Pentilla. Since starting with Friends as the marine program assistant a month ago, I have been busy out on the beaches around San Juan and Lopez islands, collecting sand samples to help us document ... read more

We are excited to welcome Jess Newley to our team as the new Marine Program Assistant!   Jess has been passionate about marine conservation since her first SCUBA dive under the surface 10 years ago. What some would call an obsession, this passion has led her down a path with a career in science education ... read more

The heartbreaking struggle and loss of two Southern Resident orcas this summer opened people’s eyes. What can we do to help protect and recover the Southern Resident orcas? There are many actions to be taken to ensure these whales have healthy and quiet waters that are abundant with salmon. You can help implement some of ... read more