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Friends of the San Juans
Established1979 (1979)
Type Nonprofit
Location
Website http://www.sanjuans.org

Friends of the San Juans ("Friends") is an environmental advocacy Nonprofit based in Friday Harbor, Washington. [1] Founded in 1979, Friends is dedicated to preservation, both locally and internationally. Its mission is "Protecting and restoring the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea for people and nature."

Programs

Friends of the San Juans conducts programs in three categories.

Seas

Friends partners with other organizations with the goal of protecting the waterways of the Salish Sea. Friends is part of Stand Up to Oil [1] and Power Past Coal [2], two regional coalitions working together to hold the "Thin Green Line" [3] that blocks the fossil fuel industry from using the Salish Sea coast as a super-highway. Friends also organizes events in order to raise awareness of the threats of unfettered shipping. [2] [3] In addition to this, the organization petitions government to add critical species to the endangered and threatened species lists and utilizes legal work and raises awareness to achieve protection for the Southern Resident Orca. [4] In the past, Friends led an international effort to add the San Juan Islands to the International Maritime Organization list of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas. [5]

Shorelines

Friends intends to protect shorelines by working in three main categories: by applying policy and law and participating in planning processes to ensure that the best available science is used in decision making, [6] by working with property owners and land managers to help them make sound decisions, [7] and by doing research on shoreline habitat. [8] Shoreline conservation work done by Friends also includes partnering with contractors in order to remove bulkheads and old, creosote laden docks, as well as add appropriately sized gravel to protect beaches and provide spawning area for forage fish. [9] [10]

Land

Friends advocates for local policies like a Critical Areas Ordinance that apply scientific information to protect upland habitats. [11] Friends also files legal challenges to restore wetlands from unpermitted development and advocates to zone farmlands for long-term agricultural use. [12] Friends also works with the San Juan Islands Conservation District, Islands Energy and OPALCO on the Cool School Challenge, a program which engages students in reducing energy and carbon dioxide emissions school-wide. [13] Through Inter Tribal Canoe Journey stopovers, reef net restoration, Coast Salish Mini-University, and community canoe building, Friends intends to improve the public’s understanding of Native peoples. [14]

References

  1. ^ Lindsey Breuer (6 September 2016). Conservation Directory 2017: The Guide to Worldwide Environmental Organizations. Carrel Books. p. 281. ISBN  978-1-63144-051-9.
  2. ^ Lavoie, Judith (August 21, 2013). "Projects threaten to turn Salish Sea into carbon superhighway, groups say". Times Colonist. Victoria, BC: Glacier Community Media. Retrieved 2017-07-11. The meeting, which had scenic Haro Strait as a backdrop, was held simultaneously with a town-hall meeting on San Juan Island, organized by the Friends of the San Juans, and both groups then shared their concerns through a teleconference.
  3. ^ DAY, HAYLEY (November 25, 2016). "Friends of the San Juans joins Kinder Morgan Protest". The Journal of the San Juans. Friday Harbor, Washington. Retrieved July 10, 2017. The Friends of the San Juans coordinated the public candlelight vigil.
  4. ^ "16 Environmental Groups create parade entry about Orcas". San Juan Islander. July 4, 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-14. Friends of the San Juans and 15 other environmental protection groups joined together to put a spotlight on the plight of the Southern Resident Killer Whales.
  5. ^ "Friends gets $100K grant to boost shipping safety". The Journal of the San Juans. Sound Publishing. June 12, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2017. To reduce the risks posed by increases in fossil fuel exports, Friends of the San Juans will lead a trans-boundary effort in Washington and in B.C. to designate the Salish Sea as a "Particularly Sensitive Sea Area" under the International Maritime Organization.
  6. ^ "County ordered to make changes to Critical Areas Ordinance". San Juan Islander. September 10, 2017. Retrieved 2017-07-11. Gaylord noted that there were 90 issues before the Growth Board that were raised by Friends of the San Juans...
  7. ^ "Shifting Shorelines Sea Level Rise Workshops - June 29–30". Friday Harbor. June 21, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  8. ^ "Friends of the San Juans". Organization Overview - Climate Adaption Knowledge Exchange. Retrieved July 13, 2017. Beginning in 2001, FRIENDS began identifying and mapping San Juan Countys nearshore ecosystems, including: surf smelt and sand lance spawning beaches, herring spawning sites, nearshore eelgrass beds, feederbluffs, and shoreline modifications.
  9. ^ "San Juan County Bulkhead Removal Projects". Announcements. Coastal Geologic Services. Retrieved 2017-07-11. Recent bulkhead removal projects have occurred in San Juan County through partner organization Friends of the San Juan's.
  10. ^ "Friends of the San Juans restores shorelines on San Juan and Lopez Islands". The Islands' Weekly. Lopez Island: Sound Publishing. November 6, 2009. Retrieved July 11, 2017. The two projects were initially identified through habitat restoration surveys completed in 2006 and are part of Friends of the San Juans ongoing efforts to work with landowners to remove unnecessary shoreline modifications.
  11. ^ "Critical Areas Ordinance wetlands forums". The Journal of the San Juans. Friday Harbor: Sound Publishing. February 6, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2017. Friends of the San Juans' is holding a public forum on the wetlands section of the Critical Areas Ordinance and how it might affect present and future property development, agricultural practices, and conservation of the islands.
  12. ^ Friends of the San Juans v. San Juan County, SHB NO. 09-010 (Shorelines Hearing Board September 29, 2009) ("The Board GRANTS the Woodmans’ and San Juan County’s Motion to Dismiss this appeal.").
  13. ^ Dustrude, Tim (December 23, 2016). "Cool School Challenge". San Juan Island Update. Students at six county schools on San Juan, Lopez and Orcas Islands have participated in the CSC, taking such actions as creating energy efficiency checklists for classrooms and homes, installing LED bulbs and smart power strips in classrooms, and educating their peers about conservation and climate change.
  14. ^ "Tribal canoes to pass through the San Juans". The Journal of the San Juans. Sound Publishing. July 12, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017. This year's canoe journey is generously supported by Friends of the San Juans, Roche Harbor Resort, National Park Service, San Juan County, San Juan County Parks, and community members of Lopez and San Juan Island.
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