community science

Calling all community scientists, volunteers, shoreline landowners, and beachgoers!    The European green crab is a hardy and voracious predator native to Western Europe and Northwestern Africa. This species has invaded intertidal zones around the globe and, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, it is considered one of the world’s worst invasive species.  ... read more

The shorelines of the San Juan Islands are dynamic places where land and sea meet in a collision of geology, water, and natural forces. When left unchanged by humans, shorelines and the wide range of life they support are amazingly resilient. But what happens when we modify our shorelines to accommodate our desires to build ... read more

Friends of the San Juans recently completed a multi-year research project for a particular species of forage fish: the Pacific sand lance. Forage fish are an essential player in the Salish Sea marine food web as prey for salmon, rockfish, seabirds, and other marine mammals. Sand lance are especially important in the diet of juvenile ... read more

At Friends of the San Juans (FSJ) we advocate for orca, healthy seas, and natural beaches. Our policy and education efforts rest on a foundation of science, research, and community engagement. The problems our community faces are wickedly complex and your support is fundamental to building organizational capacity to implement solutions. You have the capacity ... read more

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 March issue of our e-newsletter – Highwater Marks! You’ll learn about our new virtual reality education program, get the link for our petition that asks the WA Department of Ecology to require oil spill contingency plans that include the required wildlife response protections for the critically endangered Southern Residents, hear how shifting baselines are ... read more

For the ultimate immersive experience, we recommend using virtual reality headsets to view the video, like the Oculus Quest units that students use in the classroom. The next best option is an inexpensive cardboard viewer you can use at home, like Google cardboard headsets that use your smart phone to transform the 360˚ YouTube video into a ... read more

Do you have a digital camera or camera phone? If so, 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. See below for this season’s King Tides (December 4 – January 7). ... read more