Friends of the San Juans

Join Friends, Transition San Juan Island, Plastic Free Salish Sea, San Juan County (who officially proclaimed July to be plastic-free in the San Juans), and other communities world-wide in reducing your plastic waste in July! Plastic Free July® is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – ... read more

Friends is looking for a Legal Director and Staff Attorney (Legal Director) to join our team. The Legal Director leads our legal advocacy and litigation practice and participates in many other organizational activities, including policy analysis and advocacy, public outreach and education, fundraising, and coalition building. The Legal Director has a key role in implementing our ... read more

It’s the “Stop Insuring Trans Mountain: Week of Action” (6/14-21) – targeting the insurance companies enabling the continued operation and expansion of Canada’s Trans Mountain pipeline. Click here to get involved today! 

Research by Linnea Morris and Ela Angevine, Written by Ela Angevine When people tell you that you can do things at home to be more environmentally friendly, live more sustainable, recycling is one of the first things that comes up, right? They say, “Recycling. It’s easy.” Well, I’m here to tell you, to console you, that it is not easy. ... read more

Check out the June issue of our e-newsletter – Highwater Marks! You’ll learn about: where our waste goes in San Juan County from two Spring Street International School students, engaging in important actions for Southern Resident killer whales, how to get involved with the County’s Comprehensive Plan update – and lots more! Read it here.

Judging by construction permits and real estate transactions, the pressure and speed of development in San Juan County has never been greater. Fortunately, the County’s Comprehensive Plan, or Comp Plan, can be a key tool for managing growth and protecting our County’s rural character. Right now, citizen interest is growing in how this tool can ... read more

Where the river meets with a concrete wall, the fish have nowhere to go. Towering one hundred feet in the air and spanning over half a mile, the Lower Granite Dam in southeast Washington is one of four federal hydroelectric dams situated on the Lower Snake River. The Snake River stretches from Wyoming to Washington, ... read more

Jan SanburgOperations and Finance Manager Jan has called Shaw Island home since 1968 and enjoys many aspects of small-scale farming, including the importance of how everything is connected and how we must all work to keep the environment healthy. She and her son enjoy spending time at the beach and camping in the PNW. The ... read more

Tina Whitman Science Directorshe/her/hers Winner of the 2022 Salish Sea Science Prize, Tina is staff scientist for Friends of the San Juans, where she has managed shoreline research, restoration and protection programs since 2002. Tina holds a Master of Science from the University of Oregon focused on the application of biological data to improved land management ... read more

Chris Wolfe Board of Directorsshe/her/hers Chris joined the Friends’ Board in 2019, motivated by the work Friends’ was doing to protect the Salish Sea from shipping impacts. Her previous work with the Environmental Defense Fund had focused on improving air quality at ports and in the shipping sector, and she brings that experience to support ... read more