“Good Stewards” Honored for Island Stewardship

From the Stewardship Network of the San Juans

Seven islanders and one former federal cabinet officer have received awards for their environmental leadership from the Stewardship Network of the San Juans this past week.

The Stewardship Network is a coalition of private and public organizations whose vision is a healthy, thriving ecosystem in the San Juan Archipelago from land to sea. Since 2008, the Stewardship Network has honored special individuals, families, teachers, students and businesses that have demonstrated, through their actions, conservation ethics that benefit our entire island community.

Many nominations for the Good Stewards award program were received. This years’ award winners are:

• Louisa Nishitani of San Juan Island for her life-long devotion to botany and her unwavering activism;
• Sarah Waugh of Lopez Island for her environmental education efforts at the Bureau of Land Management;
• Eric Sable of San Juan Island for his enthusiastic leadership in the youth-based San Juan Island Conservation Corps;
• Ken Akopiantz of Lopez for his leadership in the GMO-free San Juan Islands campaign;
• Walter and Ruth MacGinitie of San Juan Island for the outstanding care they have taken of their shoreline property;
• The LIONs (Less Ivy on Waldron) of Waldron Island for their large-scale ivy-eradication effort;
• Johannes Krieger of San Juan Island for his volunteer stewardship of the Spring Street rain garden in Friday Harbor.

An honorary Good Steward award was also presented in person to Ken Salazar, the former US Secretary of the Interior, at the celebration marking the creation of the San Juan Islands National Monument on April 1.

Full profiles of these amazing islanders (and previous years’ award winners) can be accessed at www.stewardshipsanjuans.org after May 13.

The award winners will be presented with their awards at the Stewardship Networks’ Earth Day Event, held at the Lopez Center for Community & the Arts on Saturday, April 20. We encourage islanders to attend the event beginning at 3pm. Come enjoy a Procession of the Species parade organized by the Lopez Island Conservation Corps, potluck, music, activities and booths hosted by Stewardship Network members.

Information on this event can be found on the Stewardship Network website or contact Karrie Cooper at info@stewardshipsanjuans.org.