San Juan County is committed to supporting a sustainable community and acting upon climate mitigation. Since 2020, the County has implemented actions following our 20-2020 resolution to address climate action. The Climate Progress Report outlines activities implemented over the last year by the County to deliver on our environmental stewardship.

• Resolution 20-2020
• Climate Progress Report

Starting in November 2021, the County will be forming a climate advisory committee to ensure coordination and communication of actions across departments and sectors to feed into the existing County advisory committees and commissions.

Sustainable Tourism Management Plan

San Juan County is creating a Sustainable Tourism Management Plan to thoughtfully guide tourism that both supports and enhances the unique quality of life, environment, and cultural heritage of the San Juan Islands. The goal for this project is to deliver a plan of action to tourism that meets the needs of our community, environment, economy, and visitors.

Tourism is a major economic driver in the County that helps support year-round livability for Island residents. It is also a management challenge for our sensitive natural and cultural resources, our limited public and utility infrastructure, and for those seeking consistent employment and affordable housing in the Islands. Each of the ferry-served island communities in the County hold differing interests and preferences regarding tourism but retain commonly held values they wish to protect. Coast Salish Tribes are also interested in protecting their ancestral lands and waters, and the rights they hold here. The Sustainable Tourism Management Plan will lay out the impacts and opportunities that tourism presents in San Juan County and provide a comprehensive roadmap for sustaining our community and resource needs, now and into the future.

San Juan County will be hosting a series of community meetings in 2022 to gather feedback and help guide priorities for the plan's vision, goals and measures. View the draft process and background materials here, and stay tuned for information about the online meetings as they are scheduled.