Submitted by The San Juan Islands Conservation District.

The San Juan Islands Conservation District is celebrating its 75th birthday on Sept. 9 – and you’re invited! The District will host an open house from 4-7 p.m. at the San Juan Historical Museum, 405 Price Street, Friday Harbor. This event is open to the public, whether you’re a San Juan County resident, business, non-profit partner or visitor, you are encouraged to attend.

The celebration will feature guest presenters, free giveaways, tasty treats, and a look back through 75 years of local conservation efforts. In addition, the beautiful grounds of the San Juan Historical Museum will be open for self-guided tours from 4-5 p.m. The museum creates the perfect backdrop for this event, allowing visitors to step back in time to 1894, when life on the island revolved around harvest times and ocean currents (which for many of us working in conservation and agriculture it still does!). Parking is available at St. Francis Catholic Church right next to the event entrance, and for those walking from the ferry, a short stroll up Spring Street will get you there. (If you would like to arrange a shuttle from the ferry to the event, please email paul@sjicd.org).

As one of Washington State’s 45 non-regulatory Conservation Districts, SJICD is committed to conserving and enhancing natural resources in the San Juan Islands by improving conditions from “sea to tree” – working for farms, forests, habitat and all living things. In addition, SJICD provides exciting field training programs for the next generation of land stewards through several popular Conservation Corps programs.

Conservation Districts are a small but mighty force in the movement toward a more sustainable human existence. We support landowners by developing farm and forest management plans specific to their operations, and often providing funding or equipment to landowners for practical “best management practices” that improve water quality, forest health, soil productivity, wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration. The District’s work extends to the islands’ marine habitat as well, where eelgrass restoration projects and Orca recovery efforts are underway.

The creation of Conservation Districts, originally known as Soil Conservation Districts, became a nationwide movement in response to the deadly and devastating soil erosion conditions which existed in the United States during the 1930s. The first district in the U.S. is identified as Brown Creek Soil and Water Conservation District, established in North Carolina on Aug. 4, 1937. In the beginning in San Juan County, independent districts existed on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands before merging together as one agency.

Your local Conservation District is also honored to work alongside amazing community partners to facilitate learning opportunities for county residents. From fireside chats on forestry topics, to farm tours and agricultural summits, none of the district’s work would be possible without our diverse and deeply committed community.

Please join us to celebrate all that we’ve done and consider the next 75 years’ worth of work ahead.

We look forward to seeing you on September 9. Any questions or shuttle requests from the ferry can be directed via email to paul@sjicd.org.