Video above: Vendovi Island caretakers Elaina and Thyatira Thompson share the importance of the island’s breakwater.
Vendovi Island is a 217-acre nature preserve that the San Juan Preservation Trust (SJPT) has owned and managed since 2010. With public access available between April and September, Vendovi welcomes about 2,500 visitors each year. Boaters, kayakers, students, and SJPT-led tours all enter via the island’s North Cove to explore a remarkably intact ecosystem of lush forests, native grasslands, healthy wetlands, stunning wildflower meadows, and tidepool-pocked beaches.
All access to Vendovi depends on one vital structure: the North Cove breakwater that shelters the island’s only dock. But after decades of exposure to tides and storms, the breakwater now needs extensive repair. Without it, safe public access to the preserve could cease, and so could the sheltered cove habitat that nesting birds rely on.
To assist with the estimated $660,000 cost of repairing the breakwater, the Preservation Trust has launched a campaign to raise $280,000 in private contributions over the next 14 months—ensuring continued public access and habitat protection.
Species that rely on the breakwater:
- The sheltered waters it creates are essential for Pigeon guillemots, which nest in shoreline crevices and need calm conditions to raise their young.
- Purple martins, Washington’s largest swallow species, return from the Amazon each year to nest in boxes mounted above the protected dock.
- As part of the project, we will also remove shoreline armoring, allowing natural coastal processes to return—benefiting salmon and other native fish species.
Vendovi is small enough to explore in a day, but large enough to find a sense of solitude. Three miles of well-marked, interconnecting trails stitch together the island’s rich tapestry of habitats. On a calm day, visitors can hear nothing but birdsong from the nearly 60 avian species that find refuge here. Preserving access to that experience requires action now.
Vendovi Island has been open to the public for nearly 15 years. With your support, we can restore the breakwater to ensure the preserve remains accessible for decades to come.
