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Join us December 28 for the next Ground Truth Table Talk. After a year of listening, 2026 will be the year we turn those insights into real pathways. This session is a chance to pause, reflect, and orient ourselves before the work begins in earnest.
Our first Ground Truth Table Talk brought together residents from across the islands to talk honestly about water, housing, growth, ferries, energy, and what “enough” really means here. We’ve published a clear, plain-language summa
Happy Thanksgiving! While everyone’s settling into the day, a quick heads-up: Island Stewards is hosting a Ground Truth Table Talk on Sunday, November 30th at 3:30pm on Zoom, and everyone is welcome. It’ll be a relaxed, practical convers
Let’s Talk Common Ground Transit Because getting around shouldn’t mean wearing it down. We need your voice: 1. Sign the Petition – show our County Council this matters. 2️. Take the Survey – residents and visitors, tell us wh
🚐 Your Voice = Better Transportation for the Islands 🌿 No public transit means fewer options, higher costs, and more strain on the place we all love. Common Ground Transit is building solutions — but we need your input! 🖊 Sign the petition.
🌿 Hey neighbors! Have 10 minutes? That’s all it takes to shape the next 10 years of island life. 🗣️ Take the Island Stewards survey and make your voice count: 👉 www.islandstewards.org/communications/fun-updates-and-a-call-to-be-counted Whi
You live here. You care. That makes you an Island Steward. The islands are changing. Don't just watch- weigh in. Let's get to work. Comp Plan: Island Life and You Community Survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdo6ihzAu6q2WEALknM3qCgLKi8O
The San Juan Islands are changing. Let’s decide how — together. Island Stewards is hosting three community surveys to ask the questions that matter: How much growth can our resources support? Who gets to live here — and who’s
Island Stewards began this year with a simple belief: the future of the San Juan Islands should be shaped by those who live here: people rooted in place, memory, and responsibility. We began by listening — Turns out, islanders had a lot to sa
Wired people: Strong but tired
https://youtu.be/Hsa8itxNkV4?si=gB_J-gAoJQGQPOKR Give me land, lots of land under starry skies above Don't fence me in Let me ride through the high flyin' city that I love Don't fence me in Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze And listen to the
San Juan Islands - from Orcas to Lopez #robinroams
Another day on Lopez… I did not know climbing was disrespectful to trees 🤔
Featured
Gathering Our Bearings: Island Stewards End-of-Year Update
Gathering Our Bearings: Island Stewards End-of-Year Update

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.

November 30th Meeting Recap
November 30th Meeting Recap

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.

Is This Imposter Syndrome?
Is This Imposter Syndrome?

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.

Intro Path Less Taken
Intro Path Less Taken

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.

As the Veil Thins, Before the Snow Flies
As the Veil Thins, Before the Snow Flies

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.

Before the Door Closes
Before the Door Closes

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

Common Ground Transit Survey Links
Common Ground Transit Survey Links

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.

At the Speed of Island Life| Why Transit is About More Than Transit
At the Speed of Island Life| Why Transit is About More Than Transit

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.

Fun Updates and a Call to be Counted
Fun Updates and a Call to be Counted

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.

Goldilocks Gate 2025:
Goldilocks Gate 2025:

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.

Welcome from Island Stewards!
Welcome from Island Stewards!

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

Thank You for Showing Up
Thank You for Showing Up

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. 

PS- Free Downloadable coloring pages!
PS- Free Downloadable coloring pages!

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.

Population, planning, and your perspective
Population, planning, and your perspective

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?