latest news

Please join us in asking the San Juan County Council to impose an immediate moratorium on the issuance of new Vacation Rental Permits. The moratorium should remain in place until the county implements regulations that meet the public need. It will not effect currently permitted vacation rentals. There are currently no county-wide limitations on the number of Vacation ... read more

We enjoyed working with San Juan County students last spring during our marine plastic education and reduction program featured in this video produced by Carl Davis and the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee. Thank you so much to our project funder Keta Legacy Foundation and local artist Brook Meinhardt for helping us bring this important ... read more

Celebrate the power of people coming together to make change and protect what you love. Enjoy seasonally inspired food and beverages while connecting with Friends! Tickets are $50 per person and space is limited. Click here to register today: sanjuans.org/40th. Celebration details: Orcas, Sep. 22 Odd Fellows Hall, 112 Haven Rd., 4 – 6 pm, ... read more

The 2019 Fall Great Island’s Clean-Up (GICU) is coming this Saturday, September 28. This twice a year county wide cleaning event is when residents and visitor’s, individuals, businesses, clubs, school groups, parks and land trusts come together to pick-up litter and marine debris. Friends of the San Juans helps organize the beach clean-ups for San ... read more

You’ll see a timeline of our major accomplishments over the past 40 years, get updates on Friends’ current programs, and discover how you can get involved to protect what you love about the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea. Enjoy! Click here to download our 2019 newsletter. 

Thursday July 25, 4:00-5:30 p.m., San Juan Island Brewing Co., 410 A St., Friday Harbor., WA Join Friends of the San Juans in thanking 20 soldiers from the US Army’s 569th Engineering Dive Detachment who have been removing derelict fishing nets off of the west side of San Juan Island since July 7, 2019. Thousands ... read more

Curious about the role that vacation rentals play in our local community? What about the growth of vacation rentals around the world? A small, diverse group of Orcas community members have been gathering and researching this issue for the past couple of months and they’d like to invite you into the conversation! This community conversation will ... read more

Friends of the San Juans has launched a habitat restoration pilot project for public and private landowners on Lopez Island to prevent the spread of Italian Arum – we need your help. Italian Arum is a noxious weed and toxic to people and animals. Noxious weeds can degrade important wildlife habitat and natural areas and ... read more

Andrew Hursh studies at Vermont Law School, focusing on environmental law, public lands, and international climate change agreements. His motivation for a public interest legal career developed out of his science background and graduate research modeling climate change effects on soils. Andrew is a backcountry enthusiast and reveres special, wild places, which need dedicated public stewards. ... read more

Photographer, filmmaker, former NASA researcher, bird expert, and Lopezian Peter Cavanagh will present a photographic journey of a voyage along the Scotia Arc to Antarctica. Come learn more about the vast polar desert, its amazing wildlife, and how changes in climate there impact us locally and globally. A Photographic Journey: Climate and Antarctica Thursday, May ... read more