San Juan Islands – Gems in Salish Sea

The San Juan Islands exist not only as gems in Washington’s state "Top 5 islands in the continental U.S. and Canada", but also as a state of mind. An island culture borne of geographic seclusion and resilient spirit.

Surrounded by the Salish Sea and three great cities – Seattle, Vancouver B.C. and Victoria B.C. - the Islands offer a diversity of authentic experiences that parallel its natural wonders: art and nature converge and enrich each other.

Come with me to a journey where lush cedar forests lead to pristine seas of blue and stars twinkle brighter in the night sky. There’s no place more beautiful for recreation, relaxation and rejuvenation.

Meet Raven Sky, a "Steward for the wildlife through education", an inspirational story.

Q: Tell us about San Juans, their history and location?
Raven Sky: The San Juan Islands are emerald gems that contain magical forests, breathtaking and exciting wildlife, long swept rugged beaches, mountain peaks with incredible vistas, towering cedar trees, and quiet bays.

The sea within the Islands is known as the Salish Sea which is named after the original first peoples of the region, the coast Salish. They were seafaring people who fished, carved totem poles which told of family histories, whose history is steeped in legends.
 
The San Juan Archipelago of Islands are located in the Northwest portion of Washington State, 72 miles northwest of Seattle, close to the Canadian Border. There are disputed reports of how many Islands somewhere around 743 islands, islets and reefs at low tide. Of that many only 172 are named and out of these only thirty are inhabited. The estimated population is around 14,500 year round residents, with half of them on San Juan Island which holds the County Seat.

Orcas Island - where I live -  is the largest and shaped like a horse hoe with a huge fjord in the center known as Eastsound. Orcas is also the most lush of the populated islands and contains the most fresh water streams, highest peaks and protected forests.

They are visual gems, glowing with emerald green conifer forests, mountain peaks, isolated bays and abundant wildlife. They have a mild climate which draws thousands of visitors every year. The Islands were formed roughly around 450 million years ago and are carved out of Glaciers.

Q: What is the best way to reach San Juan islands?
Raven Sky: Access to the Islands is by ferry from Anacortes on Fildago Island linked to the Mainland and Western Washington ((that is the only way), or fly from Bellingham or Seattle)

Q: A  great way to see San Juans? 
Raven Sky: Hiking, kayaking, boating, sailing, walking, driving

Q: You are making your home in Eastsound, would you like to introduce your community, some extraordinary people, share a moment and walk down the road…
Raven Sky: Eastsound is a tiny hamlet or village on Orcas Island.... most of the people here are very environmentally minded and believe in living sustainable… lots of farms, small town atmosphere.. people from everywhere... many have lived here years, others just arrived. It is a seasonal resort town where the season runs from July 4 - September 4, after that visitors leave and the rains come more.

I came to the San Juans a year and half ago after being offered a job at a resort and was immediately drawn the magical energy of the islands, the incredible beauty and peace and solitude. I have no desire to leave in the immediate future and have not traveled to the mainland in 8 months. There is a peaceful and quiet essence to the Islands that captures the hearts and souls of many who land here and stay.

Q: Give as a tour through your cities museums, galleries, boutiques, what is on this summer, festivities, etc? .
Raven Sky: There is one museum on the island and that is the historical museum in Eastsound,

San Juan Island 40 minutes away has a whale Museum… there are many boutiques, restaurants and galleries... from pottery to painting to local jewelers and photographers... we had a fourth of July parade last week, and in June there was a summer solstice parade.. there is music in the park on Sundays by local musicians and every Saturday there is a farmers market in the park where local farmers sell their produce and artists display their wares.

Q: Your plans for the summer… ?
Raven Sky: My plans: to work, I do right now at the health food market part time  and have a pet sitting business on the side... I hope to do some kayaking and more hiking and volunteer work and also to work more on my own artwork, painting and fabric art.

Q: You are active in environmental stewardship and marine naturalist work, tell us about it, what inspired you, what is your aim, success stories?
Raven Sky: My work as an "environmental steward" is to educate others on the fragile and amazing ecosystem we live within, to educate them on how to have more integrity with the environment, such as not using plastic, recycling, changing their own habits to help the animals, the plants and the trees and live in a healthy way.

I volunteer every Tuesday as a Naturalist and docent at the Whale Museum of Friday harbor where I discuss the impact we have as humans on our resident Orcas and other marine mammals. I also will be volunteering for San Juan Nature Institute in the office.

My inspiration has always been my passion for animals and nature. The fact that I see so many humans wanting to destroy what they have and I want to teach people to be more in integrity with living in harmony with all life. I have always loved animals and feel they are an important part of our world as we are all sharing the planet together and we need to recognize that.

Last week I was working as a docent at the Whale Museum and a nine year old girl came to my table. She told me a story of how she was watching "Animal Planet" on television and she was really angry at that in one place they want to destroy all the insects which means the birds wouldn't have any food, she was mad and wants to help all the animals. This touched me greatly and I feel the more we teach kids to care about where they live we can change this world.

Q: You call yourself "Steward for the Wildlife and our Planet  through Education", can you elaborate and explain your calling?
Raven Sky: A steward is one who helps to take care of the environment so when I go to the beach I pick up debris that can kill marine birds and other life. 

I want to be able to help take care of the land and animals and by teaching others to get excited we can all create a collective change in the way people behave and do things…

All it takes is reaching one person and the chain continues!

Q: Tell us about nature and wild life in your islands and how do you intend to preserve it? 
Raven Sky: The nature and wildlife in the islands is unique. There are some natural species and some invasive. For instance when settlers first came here they brought domestic rabbits with the intention of hunting them for food, well a lot of them escaped and ultimately became quite abundant to say the least.... so they are european rabbits gone wild...

We also have native black tailed deer who are also abundant since there is no hunting here.... unfortunately they are starting to hybridize and probably will eventually die out. We also have raccoons, river otters, minks, squirrels, voles, shrews, bald eagles, great blue herons, osprey, red-tail hawks, turkey vultures during migration time, barred owls, northern sawhet owls...

My aim to preserve it starts with changing my own habits... using less water, no plastic, watching the energy I use... and educating others... it begins with us first then passes on!

Q: You adopted a whale, Baba, who had 4 off springs, would you like to share the story?
Raven Sky: I adopted Baba when I was doing Marine Naturalist training, the adoption came with our tuition.  My Adoptee-whale, Baba,  her estimated birth year is the same as me,  had 4 offspring of which only 1 is alive and that is Balena, all the others died, probably due to Toxins in the environment.

Since I have lost family members as well so I was able to relate her.. .I felt as though she was a sister....
 
Q: What one can do and how one can cooperate?
Raven Sky: Everyone can start with changing their habits. Being mindful and respectful of the life around them... recycle, use less energy, eat organic foods as much as possible, don't litter, pick up trash and debris... as mentioned before it begins with us... changing our habits.

ًQ: What are your days like, what inspires your, music, books, family...?
Raven Sky: My days are flowing.. I like to walk a mile or two in the morning through the forest and breath in the scent of the evergreens, the cedars and fir trees. Walk by the horses and say hello to them... on the days I work at the store I am interacting with people all day…some I touch some I don't.. I like to listen to world music from other lands, especially Brazilian and African type music with drums, native American drums... this to me is the rhythm of our own heartbeat... I like to dance to it... I enjoy different types of books from spiritual bases to funny stories, animal stories, real life stories.. 

Most of family is out of state and I keep in touch with them... relatives and friends all over the US. What inspires me is hope that we can clean up the planet for future generations to enjoy.

Q: You say you view life as "Journey and Adventure", can you explain?
Raven Sky: When I say life is a "journey", I mean that there are so many opportunities out there and one must live them. I have traveled, work abroad and in other states.. to me there is more than one thing... you never know what is around the next corner, a new experience, a new person, a new animal, a tree, a flower... the journey is like a ride and the adventure is taking advantage of that.

Your philosophy?
Raven Sky: My philosophy is to do my best and walk my talk.. live life to the fullest and enjoy being in that moment.

Your favorite quotation – of your own making -  is love, laugh, laugh. Do you find enough time to do so? 
Raven Sky: To love myself and everyone else as unconditionally as possible… laughing helps the soul and free it form stress...  I try to find time everyday to be this way.

Q: What do you make of the present state of the world from your end and what can be done differently?
Raven Sky:  I feel the world is truly abundant and we need to let go of the word scarcity... there really is more than enough for everyone and we need to collectively focus on this ideal... I realize there are people out there who want to gain control for their own selfish needs and we need to do everything within our own personal psyches to bring the light out of the dark.

Q: San Juans are becoming also a favorite tourist destination. What can a traveler expect to find there, what sort of habitat, best time to visit?
Raven Sky: The San Juan islands are diverse, there are beaches, wetlands, forests, bays, small resorts. restaurants... best time is June-September... then the rains come and it is cold and quiet...

The main reason visitors come to the San Juans is for the beauty, and the abundant wildlife. Some of the most popular activities are whale watching by charter boats and kayaking.

The islands are the home to a resident pod of endangered Orca Whales, the largest member of the dolphin family. Hiking and boating are other popular activities. Other wildlife includes Harbor Seals, a healthy population of Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Dalls and Harbor Porpoise and the occasional Minke Whale which is the smallest of Baleen Whales.

Q: A word about Moran State Park:
Raven Sky: Moran State park was given to Island by Robert Moran who owned the land at the time in the early 1900's as well as one of the Resorts, Rosario... so this beautiful park was donated to the State by a generous man..

Q: Last thought and wishes:
Raven Sky: My wish is that for all of us to love, ourselves and others, to care about the environment, to not overdevelop and have integrity with ourselves... to send love and healing energy out to the world so we can all heal.

Raven Sky, thank you.

Thoughts by Raven Sky
Am here as a steward for the earth, to bring education to others and help bring our planet back into balance. We live in a sacred place where I believe we should learn to live in harmony with all living things and respect the animals that we share this earth with.  In ancient times, the Indigenous peoples of this world knew how to be in balance and harmony with all animals, plants and rocks.

Over the course of time this has been lost with industralization and our massive growth. Overpopulation is a factor in this crisis, and being a steward for our earth I hope to continue to walk my talk and stand by this mission. The world is in a crisis, yet hope is there for all of us to reach out and do our best to ensure that it returns to balance and order. We have a duty to serve an environment with integrity and love for future generations to enjoy.

ABOUT SAN JUAN ISLANDS
The San Juan Islands were originally mountain ranges, hundreds of millions of years ago. During the Ice Age, the islands were submerged by huge glaciers, scarring the mountains and compressing the lowlands below sea level.

Native Americans visited the San Juans as long as 1,500 years ago. In 1791, a Spanish officer on a ship reconnoitering the area, named San Juan Island after the Viceroy of New Spain.

Picturing Sun Juans