Dear Safe Shippers,

We recently lost our superhero, Louisa Nishitani, co-founder and inspiration behind San Juan Islanders for Safe Shipping (aka Safe Shippers).

Safe Shippers began in 2012 as a way to coalesce islanders in our fight against the proposed coal export terminal at Cherry Point. There was Louisa, up at dawn, handing out her home-printed leaflets (which she wrote herself) at the Friday Harbor and Anacortes ferry terminals. She knocked on the car windows of those waiting in line — who would be afraid of a then almost-90-year-old woman? — to wake them up (sometimes literally) with the devastating facts of this would-be project. To make a long story short, the people and orcas won!

This wasn’t Louisa’s first crusade by any means, nor was it her last. With her wry humor and cool scientist’s demeanor, she was dogged and determined to do what was humanly possible to stop any bad idea that threatened the environment of the islands and surrounding waters.

Louisa was an inspiring role-model. We should all have her gumption! I hope, in her honor, that we continue to summon our inner superheroes to keep our Salish Sea shipping-safe — because those bad ideas don’t stop coming.

Thank you, Louisa!

Louisa’s Passage: https://www.sanjuanjournal.com/obituaries/louisa-nishitani-passages/

Also, thanks to Louisa’s family for permission to send out this mailing, even though we know Louisa would say “Poo!” to all this fuss about her.