latest news

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

It’s Native American Heritage Month, and here at Friends, we’re reflecting amongst ourselves and with our partners, exploring what it means to be good allies to Tribal Nations. Our work takes place on the homelands of the Lummi, Saanich, Klallam and Samish who have a deep history rooted here in their traditional fishing grounds—though many ... read more

In October 2022, we provided background on the Comprehensive Plan and the ongoing County Update process. You can still access that information here. This month, we’re providing an overview of the progress of the Comprehensive Plan update for San Juan County and sharing what we might expect in 2023. Attending public hearing in person is the ... 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

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

According to the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, about one million people visit our archipelago each year to immerse themselves in our Pacific Northwest wonderland. That’s a huge impact on people and nature alike. Whether you are a resident looking for tools to share with your guests or are planning a visit yourself, there are ... read more