The following was submitted by San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping.

Captain Pep Barbal, of the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise, accepted a gift of an Orca Protectors pennant (a flag) from San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping members Liza Michaelson and Shaun Hubbard.

Orca Protectors is an outreach arm of SJIFSS, dedicated to education and action to help protect the environmental and economic health of the Salish Sea.

The Arctic Sunrise visited Friday Harbor on Wednesday, June 27 carrying its message, “Protect Water. Stop Pipelines.” The ship’s first mate hoisted the pennant during the open house that evening.

This latest voyage by Greenpeace underscores the threat of the proposed Canadian Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project to the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea.

Now that the population of the Southern Resident Killer Whales has recently diminished to only 75 members, this pipeline threat is even more severe.

Orca Protectors pennants are available for purchase at Kings Marine in Friday Harbor and The Company Store in Roche Harbor.