endangered species
FRIENDS is involved as a co-petitioner in numerous petitions to list local species as endangered, including Orca, the Island Marble Butterfly, and Cherry Point Herring.
Orca Protection
The orca whale is the icon of the San Juan Islands, the much-loved symbol of the natural wonders of the islands, and one of the biggest draws for summer visitors. Sadly, the orca population in the San Juans is in serious decline.
 The problem of the decline in population is huge, given the difficulties of reversing chemical pollution, food supply and of possible harassment by over-eager whale-watchers. Working towards the common goals of several conservation groups concerned about the plight of these magnificent mammals, FRIENDS co-petitioned the Federal government to list the Southern Resident Orcas as threatened.
On November 15, 2005 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries
Service) announced that the Southern Resident Killer Whales were not just "threatened" but actually ENDANGERED SPECIES. A species listed as threatened is at risk of becoming endangered; an endangered species is one at risk of extinction. "This is a remarkable step in the protection of Southern Resident Orca and the recovery of Puget Sound," stated Stephanie Buffum Field, Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans and one of the ESA listing co-petitioners.
"Recent information and further analysis leads our agency to conclude that the Southern Resident killer whale population is at risk of extinction, and should be listed as endangered," said Bob Lohn, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries Service's Northwest region. "By giving it protection under the ESA, we have a better chance of keeping this population alive for future generations." Click here to read the full announcement about the listing of the our local Orcas.
Protecting endangered landscapes and wildlife
 Grasslands, prairies, and grass oak woodlands provide habitat for three species: The Island Marble butterfly, Taylor's checkerspot butterfly and the Streaked horned lark.
Friends of the San Juans, The Xerces Society, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the Island marble (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) as endangered under the Endangered Species Act on December 10, 2002.
Today, the Island marble (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) remains largely unprotected and one catastrophic event could lead to its extinction. September 28, 2004 - The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Center for Biological Diversity, Northwest Environmental Defense Center, and Friends of the San Juans filed a lawsuit in federal district court in Seattle to compel the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Island Marble butterfly.
The Island Marble (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) is a beautiful white and green butterfly with a marbled texture under the hind wing. It historically inhabited open grasslands and Garry Oak woodlands on many of the San Juan Islands in Washington and on Gabriola and Vancouver Islands in Canada. It had not been seen since 1908 and was believed extinct until one small population was found on San Juan Island in Washington State in 1998.
Taylors checkerspot petition.pdf
Streaked horned lark petition.pdf
Island marble petition.pdf
Cherry Point Herring 
NOAA Fisheries Service, the federal agency charged with protecting marine fish under the Endagered Species Act, recently ruled that the Cherry Point Stock of Puget Sound herring did not qualify for protection under the Act because it did not meet the standard for a "species" under the law.
In May 2004, FRIENDS of the San Juans along with a coalition of conservation organizations requested federal protection for the Cherry Point herring under the Endangered Species Act. Cherry Point herring are a distinct population of Pacific herring that spawn along the open shoreline north of Bellingham. “Once our State’s largest herring population, Cherry Point herring have plummeted by 90 percent over the last three decades and they are not recovering,” said Dave Werntz, Science Director with Northwest Ecosystem Alliance. “If we lose them, much of Puget Sound’s wildlife that rely on them for sustenance – from chinook salmon to sea lions, porpoise and orcas – will face even greater hardship.”
Despite numerous state and federal policies intended to protect marine resources, Cherry Point herring are on a trajectory toward extinction. The State’s recent “Aquatic Reserve” designation for the Cherry Point area not only allows industrial operations to continue unabated, but also allows new and potentially destructive construction of a huge Gateway Terminal development and Georgia Strait Crossing Pipeline.
“More than 70 spills have dumped tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil and poisoned water over the herring’s spawning grounds since the Cherry Point refineries were built in 1973,” said Fred Felleman, Northwest Director for Ocean Advocates, “Just like the oil spill near Everett last week, another major spill at Cherry Point is inevitable. One big oil spill during spawning season would be a disaster and could completely wipe out the remaining herring in this area.”
Cherry Point herring are distinct from other Pacific herring in many respects. Their unique spawning location and timing have reproductively isolated Cherry Point herring from other Puget Sound herring, and recent studies indicate that Cherry Point herring are the most genetically divergent herring population in Washington. Unlike other herring that migrate out to sea, young Cherry Point herring move to freshwater influenced environments, like estuaries, to feast on the copepods that occur there.
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