At this time of year, we reflect on our community’s trust in Friends of the San Juans, a trust that has continued to grow and evolve over our 42 years of service. While we connect the dots between Friends’ decades of work and the still-awe-inspiring beauty of our islands, we acknowledge the truth that there are many pressing challenges upon us such as climate change. So it is with deep gratitude that we celebrate all the members, donors, and partners who are continuing to step up, year after year, to support and make our mission-driven work possible: Friends of the San Juans protects and restores the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea for people and nature — and we always will.
Trust: Over the course of 42 years, Friends has embraced our community’s trust to build a remarkable resume of accomplishments, from on-the-ground restoration projects to scientific and policy successes, to education programming that extends over multiple generations, and much more. Friends’ ability to get the work done, consistently and with efficient determination, has led to a deep level of faith among our members and donors. We strive for transparency and authenticity, and our community’s confidence in us is both humbling and inspiring — we’re all in this together.
Truth: As we observed the damage from the recent flooding in the Islands, it was a stark reminder of the local impacts of the climate crisis — and of the work that remains to be done. With climate change and ever-increasing pressures from development, the urgent truth of Friends’ mission is clear: Protecting and restoring our local habitats, ecological communities, and natural resources requires policy work, education work, scientific work, on-the-ground projects, and coalition-building. As we look ahead to 2022, the indisputable fact is that the work of Friends must grow to address the growing scale of the challenges ahead.
Gratitude: Every day, our members express their appreciation for our efforts and impact. And we, in turn, are deeply thankful for their trust in Friends’ mission-driven work. The membership funds and major gifts that come in at this time of year lay the groundwork for what Friends can get done in the year ahead. If you have already donated to Friends this year, thank you for your commitment and loyalty! If you have not, please consider a donation to support the critical work in the coming year that we must do together. Every donation will be matched dollar for dollar until December 20th.
