Let’s DO This

A campaign to educate, inspire and act

There are 2 barriers to overcome to achieve a wise future for San Juan County.

The first barrier is “Don’t Know”.

If you’ve read the “buildout” tab, you know the rough numbers on the ultimate buildout population for San Juan County. Many of your neighbors and locals on other islands may not have crossed this barrier.

The second barrier is “Don’t Care”.

Often this barrier is due to a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. The problem revealed in the “Don’t Know” section seems just too big. It may be that residents “care” but need help knowing more and assistance in how to transform helplessness to effective hope.

To overcome these barriers, our non-profit needs financial, logistical, artistic, outreach support. One kayak won’t move an aircraft carrier, but a flotilla of boats, all shapes and sizes, will.

Your contribution in dollars, time, skills, organization support, editorials, workshops, and other means of reaching out to overcome these barriers is the only thing that will make a difference.

Right now the team promoting this effort could be counted on one hand with a few fingers missing.

We Need More Fingers!

What

Create and deliver an educational campaign to inform residents and visitors of the big picture issues embedded in the arcane and confusing language of the Comprehensive Plan in order to make this taxpayer-funded plan fully understandable and actionable to meet the intentions and goals of the Growth Management Act and, in particular, our locally-grown Vision Statement.

how

The educational campaign will be delivered through familiar and frequent multi-channel outreach (web pages, social media, emails, all county mailings, workshops, presentations, meetings with key decision makers and stakeholders, story telling, letter writing, films, art projects, podcasts).

why

San Juan County decision makers DCD, PC and CC (respectively Department of Community Development, Planning Commission and County Council) have been unable (or unwilling) to allocate sufficient resources to truly tell the real story of our future, a future concretized by the minutiae of the Comprehensive Plan. The county is overdue on the completion of the plan. Taking more time and resources to educate residents is not part of their actual game plan even if they might say otherwise.

Thus if you, a visitor or local, want to really know what the implications of the Comprehensive Plan will be to you and your island community (your island home), you need a dependable, comprehensive and thorough (and likely difficult and controversial) conversation about the complex tapestry of problems and the possible solutions to achieve the Vision that brought and has kept you here.

Bottom line: many hands make light work. Please find it in your heart and head to find a way to contribute. Money helps: it buys supplies for workshops, all county mailings, artistic, film and infographic expressions, posters, surveys, workshop and presentation spaces, social media engagement, handouts, research. More money means hiring real professionals with experienced skill sets to deal with data analysis, scenario options, guiding workshops to be effective.

No county in America has solved the growth problem. We can be the first. We can DO this with your help. Monetary donations can be made online (indicate your donation is for KeepSanJuansWild) or via mail (see the Donations button at islandstewards.org) Donations over $100 will receive a tax deduction letter.

In kind and service donations are truly welcome. Are you an artist? An organizer? A social media maven? Do you have passion for preserving the San Juans as a treasure? Please contact us!