— from San Juan County Communications —
In late February 2018, consultants with Confluence Research and Consulting shared their findings from the 2017 surveys at a series of public presentations. We’d like to extend our thanks to all who participated in this process. It was delightful to see so many interested citizens attend these presentations. Those results are now available here:
Local, state, and federal agencies that manage lands or recreation facilities in the San Juan Islands sponsored a study in 2017 to collect better information about use, impacts, visitors, and preferences for management. The study addresses several questions related to San Juan Islands tourism, public lands, and recreation areas.
The study included:
- A survey of ferry passengers (visitors and residents).
- Surveys of visitors to attraction sites (e.g. Lime Kiln State Park, Moran State Park, Shark Reef Sanctuary).
- Counts and observations of use at attraction sites
- An inventory of accommodations on the three main islands (San Juan, Orcas, and Lopez)
- Analyses of visitation from WSF, other passenger ferries, airlines, and marinas
You can learn more about this study from this presentation and see Draft Highlight findings from the study.
Information will be used to inform decisions about development, recreation uses, and ways to manage or better distribute use to enhance the quality or sustainability of visitor experiences.
Where is the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in this survey? How about Doe Bay Fest? These are major attractors of tourists to Orcas. Shouldn’t they be counted and supported like other attractors?