Free shoreline workshops coming up for waterfront property owners 

||| FROM ELISE COPE for FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS |||

Are you a waterfront property owner in the San Juans looking to better understand the unique features of your coastal landscape? Your shoreline property is part of a beautiful, complex, and dynamic marine ecosystem supporting salmon, rockfish, seabirds, whales, and humans. Stewardship and resilient communities start with empowered residents like you, protecting and restoring your investment into the future! Friends of the San Juans offers free assistance to waterfront property owners in San Juan County through the Shore Friendly program. 

Join a workshop this March with fellow shoreline property owners! Geology, engineering, and local habitat experts from the Northwest Straits Foundation, Blue Coast Engineering, and Friends of the San Juans will guide you through shore-friendly property management options. Following the workshop, you’ll head to a nearby beach to see real-world examples of shoreline ecosystems and management techniques that protect and maintain healthy habitats. Join fellow island stewards like you for this opportunity to connect and explore the crucial ecosystems that encompass over 400 miles of shoreline in San Juan County. Leave with practical tips for managing your waterfront property for future generations. Visit sanjuans.org/events to sign up!

San Juan Island landowners on a Shore Friendly property visit with Friends of the San Juans and coastal experts.

• Thursday, March 14^th: Lopez Island Grange,* 12 to 3 pm. *Note, the Lopez location changed to the Grange. 
• Friday, March 15^th: San Juan Island Grange, 2 to 5 pm. This workshop works best with interisland ferry timing and is walkable for those coming from other islands. 
• Saturday March 16^th: Orcas Island Senior Center, 9 am to 12 pm 

 This workshop offering is funded wholly or in part by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Estuary & Salmon Restoration Program. 

Hear what other shoreline property owners in the San Juans have shared about Shore Friendly assistance through Friends of the San Juans: 

“We believe that our property is more valuable if we and our neighbors protect the shoreline. Orcas need salmon. Salmon need forage fish. Salmon and forage fish need the protection of eelgrass and kelp. Eelgrass and kelp need clean water.” — Val and Leslie Veirs, San Juan Island 
 
“A huge thank you for working with us on our project! As average homeowners, there was no way that we could have completed the work successfully without your guidance and expertise. They were an extraordinary partner throughout the entire restoration process.” — Kris and Susan Kline, Orcas Island