As we close out 2025, I keep returning to the rhythm of the islands and how they reveal it to anyone patient enough to listen. This has been a year of the islands showing their strain, but also a year of honest conversations and quieter forms of resilience. Thank you for showing up with your questions, your lived experience, and your steady sense of care for this place.

Our first Ground Truth Table Talk brought together long-time islanders, planners, conservationists, off-grid residents, HOA members, land bank veterans, and newcomers who have lived here “only” 28 years. What emerged was a clear picture of a community that cares deeply, thinks critically, and is trying to understand how we move forward without losing the very things that make these islands livable.

Looking at the population of San Juan County, it’s easy to wonder how such a tiny place—just 0.000212% of the world’s population—expects to make even the smallest dent in the challenges around us.

Over thirty years ago, islander Joe Symons began writing The Path Less Taken, found in entirety here: —a series of essays exploring growth, limits, and what it means to care for a place like the San Juan Islands.

Dear Island Stewards,

If our previous dispatch was about noticing what’s straining, this one’s about celebrating what’s sustaining! The tides keep shifting, the plans keep unfolding, yet the spirit of these islands endures—resilient, adapting, and alive.

We’ve spent the past months doing what islanders do best — paying attention.

Join us in supporting Common Ground Transit—a community-powered effort to create reliable, affordable, and eco-conscious transportation that connects neighbors, strengthens our islands, and protects the wild places we all cherish.

We’ve always known living here asks more of us—more intention, more interdependence, more care. That’s the tradeoff for waking up to clean air and forest-filtered light. But in 2025, that tradeoff is tilting.

It’s that season again. The sun’s working overtime, the ferry lines are getting longer, and someone’s already claimed the last decent parking spot at Crescent Beach.

What We Heard – Let's Dive Deeper

In the first round of our survey, you told us what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the line. The responses were clear, heartfelt, and striking in their consistency — a collective voice rising from different islands but pointing toward the same crossroads.

Island Stewards needs your participation in shaping the Transportation Element in the San Juan County Comprehensive Plan. The current draft does not include any public transportation options that we know we need. All comments can be submitted directly to the county for review before the planning commission public meeting on April 18th. You can always send your thoughts to Island Stewards at connect@islandstewards.com

Big thanks to everyone who showed up, spoke up, or cheered us on during the last County Planning meeting. You made it count. Transportation concerns were raised—and heard loud and clear. 

Free Island Steward Coloring Pages – Just Download, Print, and Create

Looking for a low-tech way to stay inspired and connected to the land? We’ve got you covered (in ink). Island Stewards is now offering free downloadable coloring pages.

Hi neighbors, 

We’ve been talking to a lot of islanders lately — across ferry lines, in messy inbox threads, through garden gates, and around kitchen tables — and there’s one question that keeps surfacing in different forms: 

Are we at capacity? Or are we just not managing it well?