— from Marcia deChadenedes, San Juan Islands National Monument Manager —

The BLM is hosting gatherings to share and discuss our draft San Juan Islands National Monument Interim Management Policy. As a draft, the document is not complete without your input and feedback. We will integrate responses over the next month before the policy becomes our official basis for management decisions in July.

Public Meeting Locations and Times:

  • · Lopez Community Center, May 27, 6-9PM
  • · Grange in Friday Harbor, May 28, 6-9PM
  • · Eastsound Firehall on Orcas Island, May 29, 6-9PM

Some comments will be useful to inform this stage of management, while others may have a more long term view and will be retained as scoping comments for the Resource Management Planning process. All will be recorded to the public record and will assist us in the weights and measures of daily decisions for the resource and the community interest.

I earnestly invite you to attend these meetings and contribute to the discussion. If you prefer to share your thoughts privately, please send your comments to me directly or give me a call. We can meet in person to discuss this or other management issues, as well. The draft policy is posted on the San Juan Islands National Monument website (https://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/sanjuans/), under the News tab. If you don’t have access to the internet let us know and we will send you a printed copy.

Thanks for your time and your ongoing attention to this fine landscape!