HIGHWATER MARKS
news & updates
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At Friends, we are watching in horror and sadness as thousands of people are killed and millions more are displaced in Ukraine. We wish that we were strangers to these awful feelings, but we are not -- these same words apply to the climate crisis, another catastrophe that is unfolding daily on the global stage. Hopelessness is a powerful temptation. Yet our staff, Board, and members find profound hope and spiritual sustenance in the certainty that every day, Friends fights for the protection of not only the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea, but our entire planet. When every human lives in balance with the natural world, when no wars are fueled by revenues from oil and gas, and when love and connection are more important than acquiring wealth, perhaps then the work of Friends will be done. Until that happy day comes, we’ll continue to fight, because we know that nothing could be more important.
Thank you for standing arm in arm with us -- we couldn’t do it without you.
- R. Brent Lyles, Executive Director
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Photo by Andrew Reding, taken at Lime Kiln State Park |
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Friends Scored a Win for Orca Protection |
Friends of the San Juans recently scored a decisive legal victory against fossil-fuel giant Phillips 66, representing an important win for critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales. On February 28th, the Washington State Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Friends in a lawsuit regarding Phillips 66’s expansion of its Ferndale, WA, refinery. |
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Volunteer Opportunity:
Great Islands Clean-Up!
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The Great Islands Clean-Up is back in person! This year’s theme, All Hands on Deck, celebrates our efforts as a community to keep our oceans and roads plastic and litter-free. Come join Friends and your fellow islanders on Saturday, April 23, 2022.
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Lopez: Meet at Lopez Village Park at 10 a.m. to get supplies and be assigned a beach or road.
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Orcas: Meet at the Village Green in Eastsound at 10 a.m. to get supplies and be assigned a beach or road.
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San Juan: Meet at 10 a.m. at the San Juan Island Brewing Co. parking lot (410 A St., Friday Harbor) to get supplies and be assigned a beach or road.
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Shaw: Email Jennifer Woodbridge or text 360-378-7948 in advance, to pick up supplies.
Full details, including how to be assigned a clean-up location ahead of time can be found here.
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Herring spawn near Eastsound on March 13, 2022.
Photo by Mike O'Connell
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Look Out for Herring Spawn
The annual herring-spawn event has arrived! Last weekend we observed herring, which are critical to marine food webs, spawning near Eastsound. Keep your eye on our known herring spawn bays -- East Sound and West Sound on Orcas; Blind Bay on Shaw; and Hunter, Shoal, and Mud Bays on Lopez -- for the “whitewater” shown in this photo. Please email Friends Community Science and Education Manager, Jess Newley and WA Dept of Fish & Wildlife’s staff, Erin Jaco to report any activity that looks like it could be spawning herring and if possible include a photo.
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Kaj Litch is leading a community conversation on housing.
Photo by Eric Kessler
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Voices of the Next Generation: Share your Views on Housing in the San Juans
Following his successful project for the San Juan County Land Bank, Spring Street International School Senior Kaj Litch has launched an exciting community conversation about housing, vacation rentals, and land use. “Using deliberation to stimulate and capture community thinking,” says Kaj, “we hope to inform the outcomes of our County’s decision-makers.” The online tool is a project of Pol.is and the Computational Democracy Project (where Kaj is an intern) and is a proven model for fostering community dialogue. Click below to participate:
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The Value of Membership
Some say membership has benefits, but at Friends, we say membership has value. The value is collectively participating in the protection of the islands you love: the natural shorelines, the healthy seas, the endangered orcas, and much more. As a member, the value is also your new knowledge and engagement, taking action as a well-informed steward of the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea. You’ll appreciate the shared goals, take action on climate change, advocate for environmentally friendly development, and demand protections for the Salish Sea from harmful, large-scale industrial projects on the mainland. At Friends, our members lean in, and together we harness passion, knowledge, and experience to make a positive impact. We invite you to become a member of Friends, and over time, you’ll witness the value of your membership as we work together to protect what you love.
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Update on Roberts Bank Terminal 2
Friends continues to engage in Canada's review of the application to construct Roberts Bank Terminal 2, which would (1) be located less than a mile from Washington State; (2) be constructed on top of critical habitat for Southern Resident killer whales, Chinook salmon, and migratory birds; and (3) increase container-ship traffic through the Salish Sea by 520 transits each year. The project's comment deadline was March 15. Friends comments both opposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 and asked for additional permit conditions if approved. Friends also facilitated a comment letter from 16 US NGOs. Lastly, our recent action alert resulted in 740 comments sent by members and the public - thank you! Canada will now determine whether or not the project should be approved and what conditions would be required if the project is approved.
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Take Action: Human Orca Mural on San Juan Island March 19th, 11am
Show policymakers just how much we love our orca and wild salmon -- come make a Human Orca Mural! This mural will help amplify the message to breach the lower Snake River dams. Meet at the east end of Jackson Beach. If you can, please wear black and bring a black or white umbrella (if you have one). Wear a mask. This is a family-friendly event; all ages and abilities are welcome. You can RSVP on the Facebook event page or just join in!
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Welcome to the Team, Katherine! |
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Katherine Dietzman Joins Staff |
Katherine joined Friends as a San Juan Islands Conservation Corps intern in 2021. She proved invaluable to both our Science and Education program work and will now assist with immersive education, youth mentorship, forage fish beach surveys, and shoreline restoration and protection. Katherine is excited to be a part of the Friends crew and to give back to the place and community that has given her so much. |
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Thank you to Patty Pirnack, past Board Member and long time member! |
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Friends of Friends - Patty Pirnack
“I’ve lived more than half my life on the islands. The San Juans have been my home since moving to Orcas Island in 1992 from the Skagit Valley. Preserving the beauty and uniqueness of this place is very dear to my heart and soul. Friends has been an avid caretaker and watchdog for these special and magical islands and surrounding waters since the late 1970s. They have strived to protect and enhance through their dogged efforts, through educational and community outreach, habitat restoration projects, protection, and preservation. Friends has always strived for the good of Common Ground to protect our special islands and the Salish Sea. The Friends are so vitally important, and it’s been an honor to serve on the Board in the past and be a long-time member and supporter.”
We are tremendously grateful for Patty’s continued support, especially as one of our past Board members. Patty served on the Friends board for 8 years, including 2 years as Secretary, providing leadership for the mission-driven work and a commitment to protecting the islands she calls home.
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Origin Stories: May 1985 Newsletter |
Take a walk back in time and hear from the Friends Board President about our representation on the Economic Development Council, the Shorelines Hearings Board upholding of the appeal of the permit for the 36 unit Front Street Inn, and other development approvals and withdrawals. |
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Eba, from Wild Orca.org. Photo by Annie Crawley |
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Eba and the Orcas
Enjoy this fantastic short film from the Seattle Aquarium -- Stories from the Salish Sea: Eba and the Orcas. Chris Morgan, wildlife ecologist, conservationist, filmmaker and host of the podcast THE WILD, takes us on a research vessel in the San Juan Islands to witness Eba, an orca-scat-sniffing dog.
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Atlantic Eagle, one of two Canadian Coast Guard emergency towing vessels. Photo from the Canadian Coast Guard. |
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Request for a Rescue Tug in Haro Strait
Officials from the San Juan Islands and the Canadian Gulf Islands have joined forces to make a plea for more oil tanker protection to prevent accidents and oil spills. They have renewed their request for a rescue tug to be positioned on Vancouver Island in Sidney, following concerns of oil spills potentially devastating island communities late last year. Read about it in the San Juan Journal or in the Alberni Valley News.
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Friends of the San Juans respectfully honors the fact that this beautiful place we strive to protect and restore with our mission-centered work is comprised of the ancestral lands, waters, and natural resources of the Coast Salish peoples. These Tribes have cared for and stewarded the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea since time immemorial — and continue to do so — and we honor their inherent, aboriginal, and treaty rights that have been passed down from generation to generation. |
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Or text the word "Friends" to 360-317-2610 to donate. |
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Friends of the San Juans | www.sanjuans.org |
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