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As the San Juan Islands burst back to life this Spring, San Juan Islands Conservation District is excited to launch a new quarterly newsletter, which is emailed (add yourself to our list by clicking here), and posted here as a blog. Inside, you’ll find inspiring stories of conservation in our community, updates on our programs, and ways you can get involved. But, first! What even is San Juan Islands Conservation District? Glad you asked. We are a non-regulatory government entity working since 1947 to help, not enforce, landowners conserve natural resources. We're part of a nationwide network of nearly 3,000 Conservation Districts, established to protect soil health in response to the Dust Bowl. Here in San Juan County, we assist landowners and residents with technical and financial resources to achieve regional natural resource conservation goals. We're passionate about promoting responsible stewardship of our beautiful islands' natural resources. In 2023, the Islands Conservation Corps converted over 400 brush piles to biochar which sequesters carbon dioxide and supports growth of new native prairie species and Garry oak restoration. Photo credit: SJICD Staff 2023: A Year in Review Our board and staff of SJICD would like to thank our community members, partners, and donors for their support and participation as we look back on a successful year of programming in 2023. Together we implemented dozens of restoration projects across the landscape that are improving local agriculture, forest health, wildfire resilience, fish and wildlife habitat, stream conditions, water quality and more - all right here in the San Juan Islands… Wildfire Preparedness Programming Coming this Spring As more and more large and destructive wildfires are reported in the headlines each year, wildfire is becoming top of mind to many San Juan County residents. Could the same thing happen here? Many landowners are taking matters into their hands and reducing wildfire risk near their homes. While we are fortunate to have low fire danger most of the year, our warmer, drier, and longer summers are cause for concern. Staff have been working hard to develop programs to provide home ignition zone assessments and funding for mitigation practices to prepare San Juan County landowners for a potential wildfire. Formal program will be announced during the Wildfire Awareness Month of May. Did you know we also have a quarterly forestry newsletter, which started in December 2023? To be added to our list, hit the subscribe button below and be sure to check the “Forest” box. San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit: A Resounding Success! We’d like to express our sincere gratitude to our partners and the 200 attendees who made this year’s Agricultural Summit a resounding success! The Summit offered a wealth of information. In addition to presentations from our staff on carbon legacies, biochar, securing farm funding, and methods to create fungal-rich compost, we participated in workshops to get a deep dive on how to incorporate water rights, climate resiliency, and traditional foodways into agricultural practices. The momentum doesn’t stop here! We’re carrying the spirit of collaboration and innovation forward through our extensive offerings in our Farm and Agricultural programs. YCC crew member removes dead branches to reduce wildfire risk during the YCC winter program in partnership with Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation. Photo credit: Chase Anderson We are hiring! Interested in getting involved with conservation work and not sure where to start? We have great opportunities for hands on learning with our youth and adult Conservation Corps crews. Current openings include: Youth Conservation Corps Crew Leader (Orcas Island): Lead a team of 10-15 young people in conservation and stewardship projects across Orcas Island. Youth Conservation Corps Crew Member (ages 12-18): Gain valuable experience working on environmental projects alongside your peers. Islands Conservation Corps Crew Member (ages 18 and up): Contribute to vital conservation projects throughout the islands while taking courses through the WWU College of the Environment to earn an Ecological Restoration Certificate, or go on to earn a M.A. in Environmental Studies. In addition to the above field-based positions, we are seek support in our office: Bookkeeper (part-time): Support the management of financial transactions, maintenance of accurate records, and general financial operations of the Conservation District.

The board and staff of the San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) would like to thank our community members, partners, and donors for their support and participation as we look back on a successful year of programming in 2023. Together we implemented dozens of restoration projects across the landscape that are improving local agriculture, forest health, wildfire resilience, fish and wildlife habitat, stream conditions, water quality and more - all right here in the San Juan Islands. As Zach Chan, owner of New Hannah Farm, explains, “Without SJICD’s proactive team and amazing cost-share program, my farm would have been forced to invest our limited capital to implement an underwhelming ‘Band-Aid’ solution to our irrigation woes. Instead, we are now installing an extensive and cutting-edge irrigation system that we expect to double our water efficiency, increase crop yields 20%, and collect valuable data to inform our future plans. The project will be essential as we navigate the challenges of climate change, such as longer droughts and other weather extremes. We are absolutely thrilled and incredibly grateful for the SJICD’s work and look forward to working together again to protect our shared natural resources.” Like in Chan’s case, much of the work is accomplished by landowners themselves, with technical assistance and funding support from the SJICD. In 2023, 35 landowners received technical assistance, with $80,000 in cost share dollars expended to support projects to protect the natural resources on their land. Simultaneously, 87 passionate conservation corps crew members, ages 12 and up, were equipped with the tools, skills, and knowledge to tackle climate change and natural resource concerns on the ground through our Youth Conservation Corps and Island Conservation Corps programs. We partnered with tribes, private landowners, and agencies at the local, state, and federal level to get this work done with over 90% of the funding coming from competitive grants and less than 7% from local taxpayers. SJICD has been dedicated to serving our community’s natural resource needs in a non-regulatory, no-cost manner since 1947. Over the past five years our services and resources have grown substantially in response to a changing climate and the growing needs of landowners. Your support allows us to continue this vital work. Please visit our website at sanjuanislandscd.org to learn more about our programs and consider making a tax-deductible donation. Together, we can ensure a healthy and vibrant future for the San Juan Islands.

Happy New Year from the San Juan Islands Conservation District! We’d like to kick off our first blog of 2024 with some exciting updates from our forestry team. Whether you are new to the area, a long-time resident, or somewhere in-between, there’s something for everyone in this forestry newsletter. Check out the topics below to learn more. • How to check your status or join the SJICD Forest Plan Waitlist • Latest on financial assistance programs • Wildfire resiliency resources • Opportunities for involvement: ◦ Coastal Redwoods Study ◦ WA Farm Forestry Association Carbon Workgroup ◦ WSU Extension Forestry Coached Planning Course Find more information on our newly revised Forest Stewardship webpage, where you can request technical assistance, learn more about obtaining a forest stewardship plan, connect with partner services, or catch up on some weekend forestry reading. If you have any questions, or would like to receive this forestry newsletter via email each quarter, please contact cathi@sjicd.org. Forest Plan Waitlist If you are on our forest plan waitlist, thank you for your patience! After a seven-month pause in forestry funding, we are back and ready to assist you. If you are uncertain about your waitlist number, please send Cathi an email at cathi@sjicd.org for an update. In the interest of efficiently and effectively serving our forest landowners, if your parcel is under five acres, we may elect to provide you with an abbreviated version of a full stewardship plan. If your primary interest is to obtain approval for a forest tax program, we may refer you to a consulting forester. Financial Assistance Update The Washington Department of Natural Resources has funding available for wildfire resilience and forest health treatments on small forestlands. The program will typically pay about 50% of the treatment cost, or more if several neighbors get involved together as a group. With funding from the Washington State Conservation Commission, SJICD is also developing a cost share assistance program for forest landowners that will focus on forest health and home hardening treatments. We hope to roll out this program in the next few months, so please stay tuned. Wildfire Resiliency The San Juan Islands Conservation District has received funding to provide wildfire resiliency assistance to our forest landowners. We are currently developing materials and preparing to provide this service. In the meantime, here are some quick tips to protect your home from wildfire: The first line of defense is to focus on and around the home itself. See the checklist (right) to learn more about what you can do to protect your home from wildfire. Conduct defensible space treatments within a 100-foot radius from all buildings. To learn more about defensible space, see Preparing Homes for Wildfire. Additionally, there are two wildfire programs that can support your efforts: Individuals can sign up for the Wildfire Ready Neighbors program. This provides a Wildfire Ready Plan and a consultation from wildfire experts on your property. This program will be new to San Juan County sometime next spring, so stay tuned. As a community, you and your neighbors can join the Firewise USA® recognition program. This program provides a collaborative framework to help neighbors get organized, find direction, and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community and to reduce wildfire risks at the local level. Forest Stewardship Opportunities Coastal Redwoods Study This opportunity comes from Stacey Dixon, a fellow forester at Snohomish Conservation District and PhD student at the University of Washington: “We're excited to share an opportunity to contribute to our coastal redwood research project at the University of Washington. Our team is investigating how coastal redwoods are growing in Washington, an area beyond their native range. If you are a landowner (or know a landowner), in Washington with redwood trees five years or older, in a stand of 1/2 acre or more, we'd like to invite you to be a part of our study. Your participation will involve granting our UW research team access to the redwood stand for a brief period (approximately 1-2 days) to conduct measurements and assessments on the redwoods. Your forest will help us better understand how these remarkable trees are adapting to the Washington environment.” If you meet these criteria and are interested in participating, please contact Stacey at sedixon@uw.edu. Your involvement can make a significant difference in our research. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to collaborating with you. WA Farm Forestry Association Carbon Workgroup Interviews WFFA’s carbon workgroup is developing a series of policy proposals due to the legislature in June, with the goal of guiding the state in deciding how best to deploy funding to mitigate CO2 impacts. They are currently conducting interviews to learn more about the practices and incentives that will be most useful in different areas of the state. Interested forest landowners are encouraged to contact the group; get involved to share the unique perspective of forest landowners in San Juan County. For more information, see this recent article. Friday Harbor Forest Stewardship Coached Planning – Spring 2024 Intensive Course WSU-Extension Forestry’s Coached Planning class is coming to San Juan County! This comprehensive university-based forestry course for property owners will help you understand the answers to many of your forest questions, along with coaching you in the writing of your own forest stewardship plan. Whether you have just a few wooded acres or a larger forest tract, if you have trees on your property, this course is for you. When: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. March 28 – 30, 2024. Location: San Juan Island Grange, 152 First Street North, Friday Harbor For more information: https://forestry.wsu.edu/nps/events/cpsanjuan/

Thank you to everyone who took our Best Management Practices (BMP) Survey! Congratulations to our 21 raffle winners. Winners will be receiving either a water meter, soil tests, or pasture sticks. Didn’t get a chance to fill out the survey? Want to help us tell the story that agricultural viability and critical areas protection are not mutually exclusive? While the raffle is now closed, your participation in the survey is still valued. Click here to share your stewardship activities and highlight the great work happening around San Juan County. Raffle Winners Include: Kathy Morris Rick Perry Amanda Zee Charles Dalton Warwick Hubber Sandy Richard Linda Lee Hudson Lori Ann David Are you a farmer or agricultural producer in San Juan County? The San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) wants you! We are requesting that all farmers and agricultural producers in San Juan County please take a short survey to identify Best Management Practices (BMPs) that are currently in place on the land you farm or that may be beneficial to your operation in the future. The survey takes roughly fifteen minutes and can be found online here: https://www.sanjuanislandscd.org/vsp-survey. A short list of common Best Management Practices is provided in the survey for users to choose from. BMPs are conservation practices that focus on resource concerns with soil, water, animals, plants, air, humans, energy, and climate change. BMPs can be used to address resource concerns such as poor water quality, degraded soil health, lack of biodiversity, etc. For farmers in the San Juans, these often include infrastructure like fencing to exclude livestock from surface and groundwater; “heavy use areas” to prevent occurrences of high mud and erosion in animal confinement areas; covered manure and composting facilities to improve the reuse of nutrients and reduce runoff into waterways; and drainage systems for water flow issues, among others. Why is the SJICD tracking BMPs? As part of the Voluntary Stewardship Program (VSP), the Conservation District is conducting this inventory of infrastructure in place to protect and enhance critical areas in the county. VSP was implemented in San Juan County in 2018 as an alternative to the Critical Area Ordinance (CAO) and regulations on lands where agricultural activities take place. Rather than leading with enforcement, counties enrolled in VSP use financial incentives and voluntary engagement with agricultural landowners to establish actions that protect critical areas and improve long-term agricultural viability. VSP defines five “critical areas” with fragile and/or hazardous natural resources: wetlands, frequently flooded areas, critical aquifer recharge areas, geologically hazardous areas, and fish and wildlife habitats. The San Juan Islands Conservation District is tracking and measuring the effectiveness of practices installed in the county over the last decade. It is important to understand if conditions of natural resources are improving, declining, or remaining the same. This will allow us to further improve our ability to offer assistance with practices in the future and ensure that community conservation goals are being met through voluntary efforts. If VSP were to fail, agricultural activities would be subject to regulation under the Washington State Growth Management Act. What does this mean for you? Because of the unique drainage features of the islands, all of San Juan County is considered a critical aquifer recharge area. This means that all agricultural parcels within the county contain critical areas and are eligible to participate in VSP. Interested parties can receive technical assistance or seek financial assistance in the form of cost share funding to implement BMPs on the farm. Your participation helps to ensure continued program success.

Friday Harbor, Washington In 2022, the San Juan Islands Conservation District (SJICD) celebrated its 75th year serving the San Juan County community. Our staff and board would like to thank all of the community members, partners, and long-time supporters who helped us celebrate, and get this far in the first place! Here is a look back at a variety of our program achievements in 2022. As your local Conservation District, SJICD is honored to work alongside dedicated community partners to facilitate learning opportunities and implement best management practices to improve ecological conditions for all county residents. Whether you are seeking to improve management practices on your land or participate in other ways to enhance our local ecology, the District can provide programs, expertise, funding, equipment and resources to help.

Friday Harbor, Washington I don’t breathe oxygen, I photosynthesize” exclaimed an excited youth crew member as they learned about a local native plant. By the end of the YCC 2022 season, you may have mistaken one of the crew members as a natural feature within the environment, as 23 students spent eight weeks deeply immersed in local ecosystems. With the mission of promoting a stewardship ethic among local youth and maintaining the beauty and balance of our natural island ecosystems, the San Juan Islands Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) provides summer activities and real job experiences to hundreds of local youth. This last August, the 8-week program for students between the age of twelve and eighteen successfully wrapped up its sixth summer season operating under the San Juan Islands Conservation District, culminating over 3,245 hours of conservation work performed by dedicated crew members. The YCC crew was put to work helping over twelve local partner organizations address needs related to trail maintenance/construction, noxious weed removal, solid waste diversion, marine mammal conservation, beach cleanups, public outreach, education, and more. To see a full list of 2022 projects, see our 2022 End of Season Report here. YCC is not only an excellent resource for local youth and partner agencies, but for parents and families living in the San Juans. The low and no-cost options of this program, plus its holistic approach to outdoor activity and education, make it a “win-win” summertime activity for families. Five crew leaders were hired to support this summer’s programing, bringing a rich set of skills and knowledge to daily activities. Huge thanks to Luke, Emily, Izzy, and Hannah, and Steve for your hard work and dedication to inspiring and supporting the next generation of conservationists. Crew members work closely with program staff, conservation professionals, and partner education programs on stewardship/restoration projects, inquiry-based experiential outdoor education, technical field skill building, and professional development. This summer, weekly themes helped drive project goals and complementary educational materials. During the week focused on Marine and Nearshore Environments, YCC partnered with SJC Department of Environmental Stewardship to talk to local business about the WA State Single-use plastics service law. Students were very nervous about reaching out to local businesses, but absolutely thrived when discussing ways to reduce single-use plastic usage. Other weekly themes included Team building & Anti-Bullying; Sense of Place; Local food systems; Land management ethics; Endangered Species Recovery, Forest & Fire Ecology, and Art & Environmentalism. YCC’s cornerstone program operates every summer from the end of June until mid-August. is also actively expanding into year-round programs to engage students in a greater variety of fall, winter, and spring stewardship work. If you are interested in learning more about the program or participating in the summer 2023 program, please visit our page here or contact Kelsey Kittleson, YCC Program Coordinator, at Kelsey@sjicd.org. Stay tuned! Crew member applications for the 2023 season will open on February 15th, 2023. .