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FRIENDS OF THE SAN JUANS |
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Buffum named Director of Friendsposted 07/17/01
"We are fortunate to have someone with such an extensive and diverse environmental background," said Tom Owens, past Board President of Friends of the San Juans. Buffum has more than 10 years' experience working with environmental issues as a planner and as an endangered species advocate. She joins the Friends of the San Juans after seven years with the Center for Biological Diversity - a national organization dedicated to endangered species protection, that was the lead petitioner to list the Southern Resident population of Orca whales as an endangered species. Earlier, Buffum was a land use consultant in Silver City, New Mexico, and also worked with the City of Eugene, Oregon, Planning Department. She has Masters degrees in planning (MURP) and public administration (MPA), and majored in the biological sciences. She has managed a wide variety of projects requiring the integration of staff, citizens, volunteers, attorneys, scientists, environmental organizations and local and regional decision makers. "Stephanie brings creative energy and enthusiasm to the Friends as we face a multitude of challenges in the 21st century. Her intelligence, administrative skills, practicality, and, most of all, her love of the islands and their wild and human residents are rich gifts to both the Friends and to the Islands themselves," stated Lynn Bahrych, President of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the San Juans. Buffum is a Pacific Northwest native -- born and raised in Oregon. She attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and completed her graduate work at the University of Oregon. Buffum has been spending time in the San Juans for the past 19 years. She is looking forward to becoming a full-time resident of Shaw Island this summer. She has already had local success at the San Juan County Fair where her preserves, pickles and relish received 3 blue ribbons last year. She enjoys exploring the islands by sea kayak, sailboat or walking with her dog Kiva. "I am honored to be working with such a dedicated organization whose members and board have been the voice for protecting the San Juan ecosystem for over 21 years. Taking this position with Friends provides me with an opportunity to give something back to the Islands. Now more than ever, our collective voices and actions are needed to protect this precious area --and all creatures which depend on our forests, shorelines, and waters, for some portion of their life cycle," stated Buffum. Buffum will oversee the organization’s Shoreline Stewardship Program, San Juan Forage Fish Project, Marine Protected Areas Programs, and ongoing landuse monitoring. Stephanie Buffum will be the fourth director of Friends of the San Juans - a non-profit environmental group with over 21 years of creating long-term community-based protection and preservation of the San Juan Archipelago and the Northwest Straits marine ecosystem. Ranker resigns as Friends directorposted 06/13/01
Ranker joined the Friends of the San Juans, an environmental protection group, in 1998 as the education and communications director. He became the interim director after Doug Scott resigned in July 1999. The board of director named him director in March 2000. Kevin Ranker's resignation letterJune 8, 2001 Dear Friend, It is with gratitude and regret that the Board of Directors and I announce my resignation as Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans. Gratitude, because I have thoroughly enjoyed the past three years, and regret, because I will miss working with this great organization. However, I will not stop working for the preservation and protection of this very special place. I have accepted a position with an international organization, Surfrider Foundation, to become their Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator, allowing me to continue working here in the San Juan Archipelago. It is incredibly difficult for me to leave Friends of the San Juans. The San Juan Islands are, and will continue to be, my home, and the Friends is the organization that protects why it is I live here. Friends is the organization that works to preserve and protect what is special to all of us — our beautiful natural environment and our unique "island" quality of life. Without our organization, the San Juan Archipelago would be a very different place. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Friends. I am honored to have been your Executive Director and have truly appreciated the opportunity to work with the Friends in this capacity. While I will miss working with Friends as Executive Director, I hope to serve the organization in a new capacity as a member of the Board of Directors in the future. Also, I very much look forward to continuing to work to protect and preserve the San Juan Archipelago in my new role with Surfrider Foundation. We are considering an excellent candidate for Executive Director and plan to have an announcement later this month. I plan to remain with Friends for the next two months so that our new Executive Director and I will have the opportunity to work closely together, insuring a smooth transition. Additionally, Shann Weston, our Environmental Programs Coordinator and Chris Coulter, our Administrative Assistant will remain with Friends. They run our programs, administer the organization, possess institutional knowledge and an organizational understanding, and most importantly, they know you, our members. While situations such as this can be difficult, Friends is in a strong, productive and stable place and is well situated for a smooth transition. Thank you very much for the opportunity to work with you during the last three years. It has been a wonderful and important experience for me. Kevin M.M. Ranker Ranker to direct Friends of the San JuansBy Matt Pranger
posted 03/00
"I lived on Orcas Island off and on as a kid," Ranker says. "I’ve had family roots in the San Juans for decades and my career and education has been focused on protecting the environment…. So, to have an opportunity to come home and to lead this great environmental organization in protecting these island makes me really, really happy." Ranker, a San Juan Island resident, joined the Friends’ staff in 1998 as the organization’s education and communications director. He has served as Friends’ interim executive director since July, 1999. "Friends will move forward with Kevin’s leadership to meet the all-important challenges facing the land, waters and communities of our island home," says the Friends Board of Directors President Tom Owens of Orcas Island. The Friends’ executive director position became open after Doug Scott resigned last year. Scott replaced the Friends’ first and long-time director Nancy DeVaux. "I feel very fortunate to the third director of this organization," Ranker says. "Nancy DeVaux and Doug Scott were two amazing individuals." Ranker maintains Friends has grown from primarily an activist organization to a group representing the voice of a majority of San Juan County residents – islanders who realize how beautiful the islands are and that they need to stay that way. "I plan to streamline the organization while continuing to broaden its focus," Ranker says. Ranker plans to continue educating islanders about how "our open spaces and natural resources are so important to our quality of life." Under his leadership, Friends will expand its volunteer shoreline inventory program. A $30,000 grant from the Puget Sound Water Quality Action Team grant will help provide for more education and monitoring along island shores this summer, Ranker says. Data from the shoreline inventory will be used in an interactive exhibit at The Whale Museum. A computer station will focus on the geography of the region and the ecology of near-shore habitats. Friends will also continue its legal challenges for environmental protection, including a battle against a community dock on Westcott Bay, says Ranker. Ranker has been involved in communications and grassroots organizing for environmental groups on the local, state, regional, national and international level. Most of that took place in the Pacific Northwest, but he also worked as far away as Indonesia, Guam, Costa Rico and Mexico. He has been appointed to several state and federal environmental task forces and serves on Surfrider Foundation’s national board of directors. Although Ranker lives on San Juan Island, he has deep roots on Orcas Island, where his grandmother Beatrice Ranker Lescher taught kindergarten for a number of years. |
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