Talk:San Juan Islands

fewer than half are named

There are over 450 islands in the entire archipelago at high tide, but fewer than half are named and fewer than one-sixth are inhabited.

Does anyone have a citation for the fewer than half are named part? I've heard similar things said about lots of archipelagoes, usually without substantiation .. A cursory look at my chart of the islands didn't reveal a single dry-at-high-tide hunk of rock that didn't have some sort of name, however obscure, on the chart.. Mariners really like to have a name to refer to anything they might crash into. Ideas? --Cdc 19:22, 12 Nov 2004 (UTC)

• I don't know whether they are included in that '450' count, but these two places are 'islands (only) at high tide' (zoom to 1:10,000 to see best), and don't seem to be named:

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=5379241.00019292&e=501114&datum=nad83

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=5378875&e=505727&s=200&size=l&datum=nad83

• Also, it's too small to show on the topo map--it would be here:

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=10&n=5380702&e=507159&s=2.952&size=l&datum=nad83

 But these pics show another case that I am sure isn't named:

http://niteowlneils.homestead.com/files/PointHigh.JPG (hard to tell, but top left rock is surrounded by water.)

http://niteowlneils.homestead.com/files/PointLow.JPG (same rock, taken from a bit further left, but at a much lower tide.)

(There's also a bit of rock a bit south of here that is probably above the water at all but 'storm' high tides.)

• Niteowlneils 20:43, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Island pics

Considering the great natural beauty of the islands, I really think this article could use some images beyond the simple map it currently has. Does anyone have any to contribute?

• I can try to rummage thru the rest of my pix when I'm no longer living out of a suitcase; these are about all I have access to at the moment, and none seem good enuf to bother uploading:

http://niteowlneils.homestead.com/files/BigLowRot.JPG

http://niteowlneils.homestead.com/files/LookingEast.jpg

http://niteowlneils.homestead.com/files/Bambi.jpg (yes, that is a baby deer/fawn just above dead center)

• Niteowlneils 20:43, 16 Jun 2005 (UTC)
• I agree. The natural beauty (and diversity) of the islands really warrents some fantastic illustrations here. We have a couple of photos, but none showing the rain forest, orca, and so on. There's a lot more going on in and around the San Juans than, say, Freeway Park, and that should be visually represented in this article.

Long Island

The Long Island in Washington I'm finding is in Willapa Bay out on the coast, not in Puget Sound, which makes me think that it wouldn't be included in the San Juans. Anyone know for sure? Murderbike 05:06, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

OK, unless someone can show that there's another Long Island that's in Puget Sound, I'm removing this one from the list. Murderbike 18:03, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

Expansion

I cleaned up the list of islands section last night by finding all the islands that were linked to disambiguation pages, which brought the number of islands with articles down significantly. Who wants to help do articles for all these islands? Murderbike 16:55, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

I'll make stubs for islands about which I have name origin info, since I am doing a little project of adding info from a book on the topic to various Washington state places. It may be that most of the islands without pages are not in this book though, we'll see. Pfly 19:21, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Maps

The map in this article could definitely use replacing...

Here's one to show the location of the San Juans:

And here's one to show the major islands in the group:

Any objections? Szu 03:03, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, Lummi, Guemes and Cypress are no more part of the San Juans than Saltspring or Whidbey; they should be removed from the map.Skookum1 (talk) 06:31, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

External links

This section is way out of hand, filled with link spam. Anyone wanna help clean it up? Murderbike 19:14, 26 September 2007 (UTC)

Replaced with dmoz link as suggested in Wikipedia:WikiProject Spam#What to do with linkfarms. Brianhe (talk) 06:19, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, I get so flustered with link farms, trying to decide what should go and should stay, but alas, off with their heads! Murderbike (talk) 06:31, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

I support removal of the majority of the links - I checked them all, and most are simply spam/advertising style links. But I did see one that may qualify for re-addition to the article: San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau. I can see where others may question it; but as it's a quasi-governmental organization representing the region, it seems appropriate. I also think the link for the San Juan Journal should be worked into the article, but not in the external links section. Perhaps someone can work on a "Media" section - although unless their are other media outlets of which I'm not aware, it would be a very short section, so maybe not. Opinions? --- Barek (talk • contribs) - 15:44, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

I suggest submitting the visitors bureau link to dmoz instead. It really makes sense to let them maintain tbe directory. Brianhe (talk) 16:36, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

Fidalgo Island

Is it proper to have Fidalgo Island in the list of San Juans? Traditionally it is not accepted as such (though Anacortes businesses like to promote it as such). Politically, Geographically, and Geologically, Fidalgo fits better with either the mainland or Whidbey Island. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.81.8.162 (talk) 17:00, 17 June 2010 (UTC)

Fidalgo is most certainly in the SJ archipelago. As is Lummi Island and Guemes Island and other islands that are not in San Juan County as another editor stated in an edit summary. Lhb1239 (talk) 02:45, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Nope, sorry, it's just note; see U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: San Juan Islands, which says:

Description: Extends n from the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Rosario Strait on the E and Haro Strait on the W and Boundary Pass on the NW, 20 mi WSW of Bellingham; includes all islands, exposed rocks, shoals and reefs that are within the 1977 boundaries of San Juan County.

Unless Rosario Strait is what's on the east side of Fidalgo (and it's not), then whatever reason you have for this is wrong, according to the USGS.Skookum1 (talk) 02:51, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Regardless of what the USGS says, the archipelago called San Juan Islands includes over 400 islands - including those in British Columbia. Countless websites also attest to the fact that Lummi, Guemes, and Fidalgo Islands (all three in counties other than San Juan County) are part of the archipelago. The problem I see here is not so much that the SJIs only comprise those islands within SJ County, but that San Juan Archipelago goes straight to San Juan Islands. So it seems that either the current article needs to include (or exclude) some islands that you don't think are a part of the archipelago, or there needs to be an article that includes the 400+ islands that are counted as part of the archipelago and titled San Juan Archipelago. I hope this makes sense. Lhb1239 (talk) 02:57, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

You're not a source, and as a British Columbian VERY familiar with historical geography in the Pacific Northwest, you're way out of line. There is no Canadian source, nor American source, defining the San Juan Archipelago as being anything but the San Juan Islands, and the term would be, well, a rubbing-it-in-the-face of Canadians/British Columbians, who in the eyes of their history were robbed of San Juan Island by American acquisitiveness and the petty jealousy of Britain by the arbitrator (Kaiser Wilhelm). The period name for the undivided archipelago was the Haro Archipelago .... Wilkes had the term "Navy Archipelago" but I don't know his boundaries on that, and there was a Spanish name also. But while you don't care what USGS says, or BCGNIS or CGNDB (the BC and Cdn equivalents to USGS/GNIS), fact of the matter in Wikipedia it's only sources that count, and made-up definitions which fly in the face of history, reality and official sources are only that - made-up. Including the Gulf Islands in the "San Juan Archipelego" smacks also of USPOV (American bias/ignorance).Skookum1 (talk) 03:39, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

References to "countless websites" that are inaccurate and definitely unsourced, probably travelogues, blogs, commercial sites with sloppy history/geography - none are WP:RS, and none are WP:VS.Skookum1 (talk) 03:41, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

turns out even the term "Haro Archipelago" is only identical to the San Juan Islands; see google samples. There was a Vancouver-Quadra era name for the group, maybe the Spanish name covers all of it; did it ever include Fidalgo? Hard to say at this point; I'm not sure Vancouver's mapping crews ever found out Fidalgo was an island at that point; pfly may know.Skookum1 (talk) 03:45, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Seriously, do you have to be so out-and-out rude? Just state your case, don't border on a personal attack, okay? I'm not arguing, just trying to get the article right (isn't that supposed to be the goal of all helpful contributors here?) Also, there's no bias coming from me, so please don't make accusations unneccessarily and that you can't back up. I'm okay with blunt matter-of-factness, but honestly, your response(s) here seem plainly hostile (at least to me). I'm pretty certain I don't deserve it. Lhb1239 (talk) 04:09, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

More: If as far as this article is concerned the SJIs include only those islands contained within SJ County, then shouldn't the San Juan Archipelago be a separate article rather than a redirect into the SJI article? The archipelago is made up of islands not within SJC (e.g., Fidalgo, Samish, Guemes and Lummi), after all. Lhb1239 (talk) 04:27, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, and they're being removed because they don't belong here. Simple, done, kaput. "San Juan Archipelago" is identicial in meaning to "San Juan Islands". Period.Skookum1 (talk) 04:33, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Believe me, other editors can tell you, if I wanted to be rude - rather than simply pointed - you'd really know about it. My explanation is that the assertion that what you are saying is true (which it's not) is offensive to Canadian ears and smacks of this interesting ability of American-educated people to not see/think beyond their own national boundaries; it's very common in cross-border articles. And I can back up what Iv'e said - with USGS, CGNDB, BCGNIS and any number of historical/geographical articles frmo verifiable and reliable sources. I just removed a bit about the "Inner San Juan Islands" from Samish Island and no doubt there are others, like Fidalgo's, which make the same uncited and uncitable claim. Rather reminds me, also, of assertions that the San Juans and Bellingham Bay are in Puget Sound (they're not), because of popular/media usage/misusage. I'm gonna be trimming the list of islands of all the dross in the next while; starting with Lummi, which definitely shouldn't be here.Skookum1 (talk) 04:33, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

Wasn't trying to be offensive to anyone's ears nor was I being biased one way the other. I was just trying to edit an encyclopedia article. Lhb1239 (talk) 04:37, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

then please read WP:RS, WP:VS, WP:OR, WP:Synth and WP:Cite. BTW I have "purged" not just the Guemes, Strawberry, Fidalgo, Lummi etc articles (don't think I missed any, maybe) of the San Juans claim in them, and the category, and have just spent an hour in the German, French, and Spanish versions, and left a comment on the Polish page about remaining wording there which was copied/translated over from the English version. This is why it's important to get things right the first time, and to make sure things are properly cited; misinformation propagates very quickly, and remains in other-language wikis without being updated.....Skookum1 (talk) 06:28, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

"This is why it's important to get things right the first time, and to make sure things are properly cited" I have always been under the impression that Wikipedia is meant to be a work in progress and since it can be edited by whomever, expecting it to be "right" the first time (or the second, third and umpteenth time) is an unrealistic expectation. Am I wrong about the nature of Wikipedia? Lhb1239 (talk) 06:46, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

For what it's worth, the San Juan Islands acquired their name from the Spanish, who named them Isla de San Juan, thinking they were a single, large island. They sailed around via Haro and Rosario straits. Their San Juan Island, later found by Vancouver to be an archipelago rather than an island, is our San Juan Islands. I've seen Lummi and Guemes included, even though they are east of Rosario Strait and arguably not part of the San Juans. But Fidalgo? Most people don't even realize it is an island at all. Pfly (talk) 08:18, 3 January 2011 (UTC)

List of islands in the San Juan Archipelago?

With the growing list of islands and such in the San Juans, seems a split-off list may be necessary. We haven't done the same for the Gulf Islands, maybe a better idea would be List of islands in the Salish Sea or List of islands in the Georgia-Puget region (because no, or few, islands in teh Strait of Juan de Fuca).Skookum1 (talk) 02:26, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

the Salish Sea section would have sub-sections e.g. Southern Gulf Islands, Northern Gulf Islands, maybe How Sound and so on, and other than t he San Juan "islands in Puget Sound" would be another subsection.Skookum1 (talk) 02:32, 10 August 2013 (UTC)

Protected?

Are these islands wild life sanctuaries are protected in some way? I get the impression that few people live there, but this article doesn't spell out the status for these islands. 206.130.136.162 (talk) 13:45, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

There are the following:

• San Juan Wilderness
• San Juan Islands National Wildlife Refuge
• San Juan Islands National Monument

Perhaps these could be inserted into the Ecology section of the article. — Myasuda (talk) 14:01, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

NW Skyferry seems to have merged with San Juan Airlines

The cited website for NW Skyferry (skyferrynw.com) is dead, but according to Wayback used to redirect to nwskyferry.com. nwskyferry.com now redirects to sanjuanairlines.com. 207.118.14.85 (talk) 01:20, 27 May 2015 (UTC)