Kwiaht

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Your local laboratory in the San Juan Islands for the science to support good stewardship. Kwiáht is a scientific cooperative. See our current budget.

Kwiáht is a nonprofit conservation biology laboratory in and for the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Kwiáht is a Coast Salish (Native American) word that means a place that has been kept physically clean and spiritually healthy. At Kwiáht we combine the latest scientific research methods in ecology, biochemistry and genetics with respect for indigenous values of place-centered human responsibility for life processes. If you live in San Juan County, we are your local resource for animal and plant diversity information. Contact us if you would like us to identify an unfamiliar plant or animal, or discuss the plant communities, inter-tidal areas, streams or wetlands on your property. Kwiáht’s Articles define its twofold mission as: scientific research in the service of good stewardship of cultural and biological resources in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, and the improvement of local science education. Kwiáht’s scientists, students, and community volunteers (citizen scientists) focus on gaps in our current knowledge of species diversity and ecological processes, and promote local efforts to protect and restore terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The founder of Kwiáht, the late Samish Tribal leader Kenneth Hansen, was a descendant of some of the leading traditional Coast Salish families of Lopez, Cypress, Guemes and Samish Islands. Ken’s family taught him that place-based knowledge and responsibilities are the most important legacies left to us by our ancestors. A family won renown for the abundance of fish, birds, animals, gardens and ancient trees in its traditional places: these were the riches they shared by feasting with others. Kwiáht pursues the indigenous land ethic of the islands with scientific methods: science for stewardship. Our Board of Trustees consists of islanders who share Ken’s vision: community leaders, teachers, scientists and engineers with a love of the islands and a commitment to prudent, sustainable enjoyment of the environment. We have no salaried employees or paid administrative staff: only a network of dedicated islanders who design and carry out projects collaboratively. Federal and state government research contracts and private foundation grants support project expenses. Kwiáht is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Washington State. We can issue tax receipts for donations of cash or useful scientific instruments.

11/06/2026

We will not be stocking the farm stand with fruit today (November 6th)--wind like this blows the apple labels off and gets everything soggy.

11/04/2026

By Russel Barsh

11/03/2026

Thank you everyone who has asked about donating (or already sent a donation) towards the cost of a replacement bat recorder. We have received a pledge to cover the cost of replacement, and of course we appreciate any donations towards our work to study and protect bats (which is entirely dependent on local donations and volunteers). As a non-profit, tax deductible donations can be made directly to Kwiaht

Although volunteers provide nearly 90 percent of the skilled time that keeps Kwiáht monitoring and research programs running, and (as a cooperative nonprofit) Kwiáht has no paid administrative staff, we cannot do without experienced supervising scientists or supplies for our field stations and lab...

11/02/2026

We are sad to report that Kwiaht’s Hummel Lake bioacoustics device, which has been recording flyovers of Lopez Island’s bats continuously since 2014, has been destroyed by vandals, ending one of the longest records of bat species’ diversity and abundance in Washington State, and a $1,400 loss of equipment for our nonprofit. Like other research labs, Kwiaht was already stressed financially by decreases in state and federal funding.

Whoever was responsible was careful to remove data cards before cutting all of the wires and smashing the mother board and microphone housing, in a misguided effort to make the device totally inoperable and beyond repair. Parts were scattered over a radius of 20 feet.

We have been told that some individuals on Lopez have rumored that our bat recorder is secretly spying on people. This is absurd. These instruments only respond to sounds at frequencies greater than 20 kHz, which is higher than people can hear, much less vocalize.

This attack is especially disgraceful because Kwiaht has undertaken the brush clearing and maintenance of the WDFW boat ramp for the past four years, making it more accessible and attractive for fishers and picnickers. And we have sponsored any number of public events at the lake, from fishing and frogging to “bat nights” on summer full moons. The last thing we expect is to have our wildlife conservation work at the lake attacked and our scientific equipment vandalized.

Kwiaht has also provided free technical assistance to over 200 San Juan County homeowners on living safely with bats. Monitoring bat populations acoustically helps us advise homeowners on annual “work windows” when bats have dispersed for the winter--and to detect changes in bat populations that may be due to habitat losses or disease, such as the appearance last year of White Nose Syndrome on San Juan Island. Destroying our acoustic recorders undermines our ability to keep islanders and bats safe.

10/31/2026

We've restocked the Yellow Bellflowers and added newly ripe Winter Bananas from the orchard at LeMaister Farm to the farm stand. Both keep well, and are good fresh as well as baked (though you'll enjoy more of Winter Banana's tropical flavor fresh than baked). Pay what you wish. The farm stand is on the west side of Port Stanley Road about 0.2 miles south of the intersection with Hummel Lake road and it stocked with fruit from noon until dark.

10/27/2026

Thank you so much to Kwiaht and to our event volunteers for such a successful c***r pressing. Not only were hundreds of pounds of apples pressed into c***r and shared, but we had a great turnout of curious folks who were thirsty for knowledge about the heritage apple varieties of Orcas Island.
Kwiaht ***rpress

10/27/2026

If you've wanted your own bat detector Wildlife Acoustics, Inc. is running a bat week sale right now, and a bat year sale all of 2027. Their Echo Meter Touch is the bat detector we use for our bat events at Hummel, Mountain, and Eagle Lakes.

Bat week! Bat Month! Bat Year?!

We're celebrating for a lot longer than just this October. In honor of International Year of the Bat 2027, we're offering special pricing on the Echo Meter Touch 2 for the WHOLE YEAR!

go big or go...batty 🦇

10/26/2026

Hoary bats and Yuma myotis are two of the 10 bat species found in the San Juan Islands. Our bat grid of automated bat recorders monitors their activity every night on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan.

10/24/2026

Come see us at the Orcas Island Public Library and learn about native pollinators! The talk starts at 1pm

Address

211 Lopez Road, Suite 9 (PO Box 415, Lopez Plaza #9)
Lopez Island, WA
98261

Website

http://www.kwiaht.org/

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