latest news

During these uncertain times, the staff of Friends of the San Juans are looking for ways to lift your spirits. And we thought that sharing some good news might bring you a smile! Good News! New Forage Fish Spawning Beaches Found! This winter, Friends of the San Juans staff and our team of trained citizen ... read more

Over the past month, necessity has called us all to action and challenged us to create new norms. Here at Friends our mission remains unchanged. Taking care of our planet, our family, and our community remain our guiding principles and with that in mind here are a few Earth Day action items for you. EARTH MONTH PLEDGE April 22, ... read more

One of the three program areas driving the mission of Friends is Thriving Communities which exemplifies our values of giving back, supporting, and protecting our communities. For those of you who have met Michel, our Director of Philanthropy, you know that she has a personal and professional zeal for thriving communities and socializing. As Michel ... read more

These are changing times as directives unfold with caution and deliberation. What we can be certain of is that the sun will rise and set, the tides will rise and recede. Our staff is truly humbled by the opportunity we have to work from home and participate in new ways to communicate, monitor, and survey ... read more

Executive Director Stephanie Buffum has submitted her letter of resignation and retired as of March 1, 2020. Under Stephanie’s 19 years of leadership, Friends has become central to the protection of what is loved by many about the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea, including the health of marine ecosystems, fragile shorelines, forest and ... read more

Do you know what a tardigrade is? If not, it’s time to find out! It could soon become Washington State’s official micro-animal thanks to a partnership between students at Friday Harbor High School, Riverday School in Spokane, Jefferson Middle School in Olympia, along with Lynn Bahrych from the San Juan Islands Conservation District, and Katie ... read more

We walked into 2020 with some great accomplishments. Thank you for joining with us to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea in 2019! Here’s what we achieved together recently: Forage fish spawn on 3 new restored beaches on Shaw Island! Three recently completed beach restoration efforts with private landowners along Blind Bay ... read more

We finished our fourth and final 40th anniversary celebration in Seattle on November 8! We are honored to protect what we all love about the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea with the help of our awesome community! Thank you for your continued support!

Join us next week as we speak up for the Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are holding a scoping meeting on Tuesday, November 12th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Brickworks in Friday Harbor (150 Nichols St.). Click here to see the full ... read more

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