Friends of the San Juans

This page provides detailed background information on Ecology’s rulemaking to amend Chapter 173-180 WAC, Facility Oil Handling Standards and Chapter 173-184 WAC, Vessel Oil Transfer Advance Notice and Containment Requirements Ready to take action? Head on over to Take Action – Ecology Needs to Hear from You! According to the Department of Ecology, each year in Washington State there are ... read more

Position Profile:Executive Director Summary Friends of the San Juans (Friends), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is seeking an experienced, passionate, and charismatic environmental leader to continue its strong community leadership in stewardship and legal protections of the land and waters of the San Juan Islands archipelago and the Salish Sea. Friends is a high performing science-driven ... read more

The Comp Plan in a Nutshell: San Juan County has adopted a “Comprehensive Plan” intended to guide growth in our community by incorporating a community vision into goals and policies. These goals and policies are then supposed to be implemented through the adoption of local codes and other local government actions and programs. An important ... read more

On Saturday, September 17th, the fishing vessel ALEUTIAN ISLE was successfully lifted more than 200 feet from the ocean floor, five weeks after it sank off the west side of San Juan Island. On September 20th the remaining fuel onboard the vessel was removed. Friends of the San Juans is grateful that the threat of ... read more

The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is seeking public input on the rules for vessels operating near Southern Resident killer whales; this input will be used for a report to the legislature. Take this opportunity to speak up on behalf of the Southern Residents! Here are our recommendations for your public input on ... read more

More good news resulting from Friends’ legal victory against fossil-fuel giant Phillips 66: The permit that was litigated has been officially withdrawn and the project to construct two new storage tanks has been canceled. Had the permit been issued, the storage tanks would have increased the Phillips 66 refinery’s operational storage capacity by nearly 10%, ... read more

OPALCO, San Juan County’s cooperative energy provider, has announced its support for adding a Climate Change Element to San Juan County’s Comprehensive Plan. This support comes as the County prepares to finalize its first update of the plan in more than ten years. Authored by Friends of the San Juans (Friends) in collaboration with experts ... read more

On Saturday, August 13th the fishing vessel ALEUTIAN ISLE sank off the west side of San Juan Island. Our hearts go out to the people on board who were directly affected by the accident, and our sincere thanks go out to everyone who has been involved in the rescue of the crew and the response ... read more

Contributed by Michel Vekved, Director of Philanthropy As a nonprofit, you know we rely upon the generosity of members like you who care and are engaged in our work to protect what you love. Since 1979, we’ve been working together tirelessly to protect and restore the San Juan Islands’ ecology and ecosystems. Our mission will ... read more

Contributed by Kaia Olson, grandaughter of Friends’ Board member, San Olson. As a young person, I can’t emphasize enough the significance of seeing older activists continue to advocate for environmental action. Your work truly embodies the proverb: “We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”  Growing up with both ... read more