Submitted by Sacred Ground.

The summer craze has crescendoed and is quickly transitioning into the calmer winter months. Islanders proclaim that the San Juans have been returned to them. So what are our obligations as we try to foster recovery of the land and animals that have been viewed so heavily in the summer months? How can we continue to protect our imperiled ecosystems with bounding visitation and a rising local population? On Sacred Ground’s Leave No Trace Speaker Series touches on those topics as we cycle back to our 2014 voluntary commitment as a county to uphold Leave No Trace ethics. The LNT Speaker Series is funded by a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee grant from San Juan County.

Leave No Trace and the Island Marble Butterfly

Sunday, Nov. 13 from 5 – 6 p.m. at San Juan Island Library Conference Room

Come learn about the Endangered Island marble butterfly (Euchloe ausonides insulanus) and how it copes with winter storms and the simple things we can do to best its chances of surviving another year. Wildlife Biologist, Jenny Shrum formerly of the National Park Service and currently On Sacred Ground’s Island Marble Butterfly Program Director, will share highlights of her 9 seasons studying this quirky critter and what LNT practices on the prairie will do to support the island marble butterfly.

Leave No Trace and the Southern Resident Killer Whale

Sunday, Dec. 4 from noon 1 p.m. at San Juan Island Grange

Listen to Dr. Deborah Giles, Science and Research Director of Wild Orca and UW’s Center for Conservation Biology, share whale tales of the Salish Sea and how LNT on the water is vitally important to our way of life in the San Juans. Learn about her particular twist on LNT practices to support Southern Resident killer whales.

Leave No Trace – Where Do We Go From Here Workshop

Monday, Dec. 12 from 6-8 p.m. at Wayfinder Wellness, Surina Business Park

What does Leave No Trace look like when you start to apply these ethics to your everyday life and not just your backcountry or from country experience? What does it mean now for San Juan County to be a voluntary LNT county eight years after we have declared that intention? Is it just for tourists? Should it be applied even more rigorously to our way of life in light of our recent population growth? Join Sarah, On Sacred Ground’s Executive Director and Co-Founder for conversations on how to up our LNT game and what actions we can take locally to implement LNT ethics. Please RSVP for this workshop as space is limited. RSVP to sarah@onsacredgroundlandtrust.org