Other News
May 2, 2024: WA State Governor and Assistant Secretary of WSF Talk Ferry Service & Solar Power with SJC Officials
Apr 11, 2024: Community Meeting: Sea Level Rise Adaptation for Outer Bay and Agate Beach Areas on Lopez Island
Mar 11, 2024: Queers in Unexpected Places: Searching for (and Finding) Gender and Sexual Non-Conformity in the Rural and Early PNW
Mar 7, 2024: DRAFT Richardson Marsh Preserve Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Dec 5, 2023: County Council Member Jane Fuller and Senator Liz Lovelett to Host Public Meeting on Lopez
Nov 3, 2023: County and Town Send Open Letter to State Officials Regarding Impacts of Poor Ferry Service
Sep 29, 2023: Conservation Land Bank Announces Special Meeting to Discuss Watmough Bay Preserve Addition
Sep 14, 2023: The mobile dental van is coming to Lopez! // ¡La camioneta dental móvil ya llega a López!
Aug 22, 2023: San Juan County Adopts 32-Hour Work Week in the Name of Fiscal Health, Recruitment, and Islander Wellness
May 25, 2023: Recap of Lopez Neighborhood Meeting Regarding the Relocation of Public Works Facilities
May 23, 2023: District 3 Councilmember Jane Fuller Opens Office on Lopez and Hosts Community Conversation
Apr 17, 2023: Give Lopez Starts April 17th - A two week fundraiser benefiting 15 Lopez Island Non-Profits
Sep 22, 2022: Interim Watmough Preserve Addition Stewardship and Management Plan Now Open for Public Comment
Protect Marine Ecosystems & Island Resources - Become a Green Boater Today!
Jun 14, 2024
By Friends of the San Juans
Boating season is here, and soon our waters will be buzzing with local and visiting boats. Our
amazing group of islands, where boaters find wonder and relaxation, are also where fish and
wildlife find food and shelter.
amazing group of islands, where boaters find wonder and relaxation, are also where fish and
wildlife find food and shelter.
To help our wildlife and boaters thrive during this busy time, Friends of the San Juans is thrilled to announce the launch of our Green Boater program and today we are asking you to become a Green Boater! Visit sanjuans.org/greenboating and take the pledge to anchor out, give whales space, and leave a clean wake this summer to protect orcas and eelgrass. When you sign up, you will receive a free reusable tote bag filled with helpful boating resources including eelgrass depth map placemats; sorbent pads, Be Whale Wise information and a whale warning flag.
Eelgrass, a vital marine habitat in the Salish Sea, supports Dungeness crabs, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, and ultimately the Southern Resident killer whales. Herring, crucial for marine food webs, spawn on eelgrass habitat in just a few locations in San Juan County that are also popular with boaters including Eastsound and West Sound, Blind Bay, Mud Bay, and Hunter Bay. And for the first time in two decades, evidence of spawning herring was observed in Westcott Bay earlier this spring.
Boaters have an important role to play in protecting marine plants and animals. Eelgrass damaged by boat anchors can take years to recover. While the impact of each individual anchoring event may be small, the combined effect of continual anchoring is significant.
One of the easiest ways that you can help salmon and the endangered Southern Resident orcas, is to anchor out in waters deeper than the eelgrass, or if available, use a mooring buoy. Eelgrass is present at most popular bays in the San Juans, so how can you know where it is safe to anchor to avoid eelgrass? You can use the detailed eelgrass depth data for San Juan County found at sanjuans.org/greenboating. If you do not have access to the map, you can almost always protect eelgrass by dropping the hook at depths greater than 25 feet. Within smaller and shallower bays eelgrass meadows can be easily avoided by anchoring at depths greater than 15 feet. If the waters are clear you can watch underwater to see where the eelgrass is growing.
To make it easier for boaters to be "Green", Friends has created new educational signs with maps and data on eelgrass and herring habitats, whales, and handy resources for boaters. These signs are being installed at marine parks, docks, and marinas across the islands.
Additional resources are available to restore eelgrass. Thanks to generous grant funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Friends of the San Juans can help upgrade mooring buoys and remove unwanted or derelict structures such as old ramps or floats from marine habitats. For more information on the technical and financial assistance available through this voluntary eelgrass restoration program please contact [email protected].
As we embark on this boating season, let's prioritize preparedness, safety, and responsible stewardship of our marine environments - be a green boater and leave a clean wake! Have fun out there, and let's ensure these waters remain pristine for generations to come.
Eelgrass, a vital marine habitat in the Salish Sea, supports Dungeness crabs, Chinook salmon, Pacific herring, and ultimately the Southern Resident killer whales. Herring, crucial for marine food webs, spawn on eelgrass habitat in just a few locations in San Juan County that are also popular with boaters including Eastsound and West Sound, Blind Bay, Mud Bay, and Hunter Bay. And for the first time in two decades, evidence of spawning herring was observed in Westcott Bay earlier this spring.
Boaters have an important role to play in protecting marine plants and animals. Eelgrass damaged by boat anchors can take years to recover. While the impact of each individual anchoring event may be small, the combined effect of continual anchoring is significant.
One of the easiest ways that you can help salmon and the endangered Southern Resident orcas, is to anchor out in waters deeper than the eelgrass, or if available, use a mooring buoy. Eelgrass is present at most popular bays in the San Juans, so how can you know where it is safe to anchor to avoid eelgrass? You can use the detailed eelgrass depth data for San Juan County found at sanjuans.org/greenboating. If you do not have access to the map, you can almost always protect eelgrass by dropping the hook at depths greater than 25 feet. Within smaller and shallower bays eelgrass meadows can be easily avoided by anchoring at depths greater than 15 feet. If the waters are clear you can watch underwater to see where the eelgrass is growing.
To make it easier for boaters to be "Green", Friends has created new educational signs with maps and data on eelgrass and herring habitats, whales, and handy resources for boaters. These signs are being installed at marine parks, docks, and marinas across the islands.
Additional resources are available to restore eelgrass. Thanks to generous grant funding through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Friends of the San Juans can help upgrade mooring buoys and remove unwanted or derelict structures such as old ramps or floats from marine habitats. For more information on the technical and financial assistance available through this voluntary eelgrass restoration program please contact [email protected].
As we embark on this boating season, let's prioritize preparedness, safety, and responsible stewardship of our marine environments - be a green boater and leave a clean wake! Have fun out there, and let's ensure these waters remain pristine for generations to come.