Friends of the San Juans

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

Check out the May issue of our e-newsletter – Highwater Marks! You’ll learn about how to be a green boater in the San Juans this summer, read poetry from a Spring Street International School student, hear from and about some of our members, see what Friends staff is reading and watching – and lots more! Read it ... read more

The rich marine environment of the San Juan Islands offers extensive recreational opportunities such as wildlife viewing, fishing, and crabbing. Last year’s pandemic-related travel restrictions led to huge increases in boat traffic in the islands, and this summer is shaping up to be extra busy as well. All of these extra boats — crowding waterways, ... read more

Poem and photos by Faith Jayaram, junior at Spring Street International School I traveled far to save you,High on childish naïveté.I suppose at the timeI believed myself a heroine; Reality, though, is cruel,And real life is deathBy the dozens,Starved, poisoned, struck. I no longer believe in fate,Or rather I do not believeIn my capacityTo save. ... read more

You know that students hold the power to create change — they are an electrified force. At Friends, Katie Fleming, our Community Engagement Director, embraces that energy. Katie is in her essence, electric! She lights up the classroom talking with students. She illuminates student potential on field trips to Olympia, as a conductor between local legislators ... read more

Check out the April issue of our e-newsletter – Highwater Marks! You’ll hear about our recent victory in court that will help protect the Southern Resident Killer Whales, learn how to report herring spawning in the San Juans this spring, discover more about how to address the growing plastic pollution problem – and more! Read it here. ... read more

Our modern lives are inevitably tied to plastic. The so-called Everlasting Polymer is the epitome of convenience, so it was love at first sight for our consumerist culture. Plastic pollution is a major threat to biosphere health, and the problem is constantly worsening. Single-use plastics comprise about 50% of the 8 million tons of plastic ... read more

This week, Whatcom County Superior Court Judge David Freeman delivered a court victory both to Friends of the San Juans and to the endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales. “We’re very excited about this ruling,” said Brent Lyles, Friends’ Executive Director, “and it’s been a long time coming!” The issue started in early 2019, when the ... read more

Help make the San Juan Islands “Plastic Free by the Sea”! This year’s Great Islands Clean-up is on Saturday, April 24, 2021. Join the county-wide greening event and collect litter from public beaches and roadways. There will be litter clean-up events happening on Orcas, San Juan, Lopez and Shaw Islands this year. Look out for ... read more

Sign this petition to tell Washington State’s Department of Ecology to require the industries that could cause a major oil spill to comply with state regulations, and to identify and fund the reconnaissance and deterrence operations that will be needed to protect Southern Resident Killer Whales from a major oil spill. Tell Ecology to not let ... read more