FRIENDS of San Juans Receives Grant to Increase Shipping Safety

— from Katie Fleming —

FRIENDS of the San Juans’ staff and board proudly accept the $100,000 grant from the Washington Women’s Foundation.

Washington Women’s Foundation has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the FRIENDS of the San Juans to increase shipping safety standards in the Salish Sea, which will reduce oil spill risks and other impacts to wildlife, marine habitat and people in the region.

“Our $30 billion dollar economy depends on safe shipping and so do the 7 million residents that call the Salish Sea home. Increasing shipping safety standards will protect our waters from existing and proposed vessel traffic and is crucial to preserving our culture, our economy and our environment,” said Stephanie Buffum, FRIENDS of the San Juans’ Executive Director.

With multiple projects proposed that could increase coal and oil exports from ports in British Columbia and Washington, potential shipping risks are escalating rapidly. Currently, 16,010 large ships transit through the Salish Sea each year. New, approved and proposed projects could increase that number to 20,736.

To reduce the risks posed by increases in fossil fuel exports, FRIENDS of the San Juans will lead a transboundary effort in both Washington State and British Columbia to designate the Salish Sea as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) under the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

A PSSA designation is a tool that the global community can adopt for an area that needs special protection because of significance for recognized ecological, socioeconomic or scientific reasons and because it may be vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities. There are currently 14 Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas worldwide. Two are within the United States, one in Hawaii and the other in the Florida Keys. To learn more go to the IMO’s PSSA website at https://pssa.imo.org/.

“The Washington Women’s Foundation’s Pooled Fund Grant Award has created the first wave of support in making the Salish Sea the 15th PSSA in the world. FRIENDS of the San Juans will utilize our strong trans-boundary relationships with tribes, government, industry, and non-governmental partners to create protections that are tailored to the Salish Sea, which will have a positive impact for wildlife, marine habitat, air quality, and the people who live, fish and recreate here,” stated Buffum.

Washington Women’s Foundation President Beth McCaw says, “FRIENDS of the San Juans submitted a compelling proposal to our membership. This designation will help to reduce the probability of an oil spill and to strengthen environmental protections for our region. We are proud to support their work.”

Pooled Fund Grants were awarded in each of the Foundation’s five funding areas: Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Health, and Human Services.

The Washington Women’s Foundation grant represents a significant portion of the funds needed to complete this monumental project, but FRIENDS still needs to raise additional funds to complete the PSSA nomination. For more information on how you can help, please contact Stephanie Buffum or Diana Stepita at (360) 378-2319.

About Washington Women’s Foundation
Washington Women’s Foundation educates, inspires and increases the number of women committed to philanthropy in order to strengthen community and demonstrate the impact that can result from informed, focused grant-making. The WWF Pooled Fund Grant Awards are determined annually by a vote of the Foundation’s full membership. The Foundation’s members, now more than 500 strong, have invested $15 million of their own resources in nonprofit organizations over the last 20 years. Membership is open to all women interested in philanthropy. www.wawomensfoundation.org.

About FRIENDS of the San Juans
FRIENDS of the San Juans has been protecting and restoring the San Juans and Salish Sea for people and nature since 1979. FRIENDS restores habitat, protects water, forests and endangered species, while building thriving communities in the San Juan Islands through education, science, law, and citizen engagement. www.sanjuans.org.