news

This month, Friends’ Community Science and Education Director, Jess Newley, hopped in a van with six students from the Friday Harbor Eco Club and Katie Fleming, San Juan County’s Solid Waste Coordinator. This enthusiastic crew then went to Olympia for a full day of action, fun, and information in the State’s capital!   Representative Alex Ramel, ... read more

The creatures that call these islands home need your help! If you enjoyed a stroll on the beach after the last set of king tides, you might have noticed an influx of debris and trash. During extreme high tide events, plastic waste and styrofoam float to the surface and are carried up further onto the ... read more

We have an opportunity for you to help Southern Residents, salmon, and all the inhabitants that rely on a healthy Salish Sea!   The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) has issued a draft rule to reduce threats to Southern Resident killer whales by improving the safety of oil transportation.  As a result of a devasting ... read more

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

We soaked up some fall sunshine during a follow-up visit to our restoration site on Brown Island near Friday Harbor. Huge thanks to participating private landowners, the Islands Conservation Corps (ICC) and Northwest Straits Foundation for their support of this work! Friends and the ICC removed unnatural rock that had surfaced since our initial 2015 armor removal and beach ... 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 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