As we step into this cozier time of year—gathering by fireplaces, sipping tea, and enjoying books—it’s also a perfect time to engage with your local Conservation District!
Here’s what’s inside this December newsletter edition:
Youth Conservation Corps: Year-end reflections, holiday fundraising and an inspiring, MUST SEE new video of our youth participants.
Conservation Campus Grand Opening: Highlights from the November celebration.
Riparian Program Spotlight: Learn more about riparian restoration efforts in the islands.
Wildfire Preparedness: Updates on our Wildfire Ready Neighbors program and an invitation to give feedback on our County’s wildfire preparedness plan.
GiveOrcas Campaign: Support Traditional Foodways at the 2025 Ag Summit.
Support Youth Conservation Corps this Holiday Season
Our Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) holiday fundraiser is in full swing! Since 2007, YCC has engaged hundreds of local youth in hands-on conservation projects like trail-building, invasive plant removal, and wildlife habitat improvements, paired with place-based education. YCC crew members solve ecological problems throughout the islands each year, gaining insight, accountability, career skills and a conservation ethic that lasts a lifetime. But YCC needs your support for long lasting financial stability.
This year, we’re excited to partner with the San Juan Island Community Foundation to enhance the impact of your contributions. Through our new non-profit fund, you can now donate year-round and benefit from flexible options like stock transfers, retirement fund gifts, and more.
Your donations directly fund crew member stipends, operational costs, and project supplies, supporting youth conservation work across all islands, not just San Juan Island. By giving, you’re not only nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards—you’re also helping to restore and protect the natural beauty of our islands.
Do you know a 12-18 year old who would be interested in participating in YCC? Applications for our winter program opened today and close 12/31! Click here for more details.
Thank you for joining our Conservation Campus Grand Opening
We moved to a new location- 915 Spring Street- and we had so much fun celebrating the milestone with nearly 100 of you on November 14th!
The building serves as the new home for the 77-year-old Conservation District and as a regional hub for broader environmental stewardship efforts. It supports programming for sustainable agriculture and food systems, ecological restoration, climate resilience, habitat diversity, endangered species recovery, workforce development, youth outdoor programming, and even access to higher education in partnership with Western Washington University.
Highlights of the grand opening included donated brews from San Juan Brewery, an exciting raffle that raised nearly $1,000 for the Youth Conservation Corps, a ribbon cutting, and heartfelt conversations with our amazing community.
We were honored to welcome special guests such as Senator Liz Lovelett, Councilmember-elect Kari McVeigh, and Washington State USDA Rural Development Director Helen Price and her team, who were instrumental in helping to finance the purchase of the building.
Couldn’t make it? Read about our programs on our website (www.sanjuanislandscd.org) and reach out to Julie@sjicd.org if you’d like to come by our campus for a tour!
Winter Spotlight: Riparian Restoration
Riparian areas are the transitional zones between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, like forested stream sides. According to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 85% of Washington’s wildlife species use riparian habitat! Riparian areas that provide shade, shelter and habitat at the water’s edge also have a huge impact on the survivability of fish within the waterways. Despite common misconceptions, many San Juan waterways have a history of hosting salmonid species, including salmon and trout. Salmonids are still very present in Garrison Creek on San Juan Island and Cascade Creek on Orcas Island, for example, underscoring the importance of ecosystem restoration.
Our Riparian Restoration project team and the Islands Conservation Corps are hard at work with public and private landowners throughout the San Juans, steadily improving water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.
Curious what this work looks like on the ground and in the stream? Check out our new Storymap, highlighting key projects and achievements from the past year!
Wildfire Preparedness in San Juan County
SJICD staff has completed over 100 Wildfire Ready Home Visits and 45 Forest Health Consultations across 5 islands. Ready to get yours this winter? There’s no wrong time to prepare for a wildfire, except for when it’s too late. The Wildfire Ready Neighbors program is open to anyone—homeowners, renters, or business owners—who wants to learn how to better protect their structures from fire risks. Wildfire Ready Home Visits focus on the Home Ignition Zone- the 100 foot zone around the perimeter of your home. Forest Health Consultations are an additional service for landowners with an acre or more of forest. Sign up for your FREE Wildfire Ready Home Visit and/or Forest Health Consultation below.
Have thoughts on how our county should prepare for wildfire? We are working with a team to update the County’s 2012 Community Wildfire Preparedness Plan and we are inviting the public to give feedback to help shape the plan. Learn more on our webpage and then take this survey to share what concerns you regarding wildfire in the islands.
GiveOrcas: Traditional Foodways
We are excited to support Traditional Foodways, a cornerstone of the annual Agricultural Summit, which is part of the OICF’s GiveOrcas catalog which ends TODAY (12/12).
Traditional Foodways is much more than a gathering—it serves as a vital space where Indigenous leaders, local farmers, land stewards, and community members come together to foster meaningful dialogue and learning about traditional food systems and land stewardship practices.
Check out WSU Extension’s Facebook page to learn more about how the event’s reach extends beyond the Ag Summit: inspiring year-round initiatives, long-lasting partnerships, meaningful collaboration, and tangible outcomes for the future of food and farming in our islands.
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