Overview
The San Juan Islands are located at the junction of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Strait of Georgia and Puget Sound. This archipelago's highly diverse marine ecosystem is home to multiple species of salmon, orcas, other marine mammals, and seabirds.
In its position within the larger region the San Juan archipelago is a source of energy and a haven for many fish en route to and from other regions. San Juan County waters and the nearshore are essential parts of the larger picture for salmon recovery in Puget Sound. The San Juans provide over 400 miles of marine shoreline and many populations of Chinook and other species of salmon from other watersheds across the region and the state use the islands during their life cycles, using a corresponding array of habitats and moving through the islands for migration and rearing.
San Juan County is the Lead Entity for WRIA2 and has designated the San Juan County Marine Resources Committee as the citizens committee for salmon recovery. The Lead Entity is a local watershed based organization devoted to recovery of sustainable salmon populations to support the needs of the local ecosystem, wildlife and people in the San Juans. The salmon recovery program is a local process to protect and restore ecosystem habitats and processes utilized by salmon in San Juan County.
The Lead Entity Program with the technical and citizens groups establishes the strategy for salmon recovery work, sets the goals, and creates the work plan of projects. The Lead Entity Program also ensures local projects are funded and completed and is an advocate for the salmon utilizing the waters of the San Juans.