The San Juan Islands of Washington are not that far from mainstream life. Yet they are islands that have a life of their own. Lying in the Salish Sea between Bellingham WA and Victoria BC, the islands are not convenient to access, except for four of the larger islands served by Washington State Ferry. A scattering of residents inhabit the other 168 islands that only are reached by private boat, one or two passenger boats (no vehicles) or by small plane.
In early years before the WS Ferry the islanders had to be more self-sufficient than now. In my books on the Northwest I like to tell the tales of odd moments in island life to make the so-called hard history more palatable. Among them is the story of Decatur Islanders who coexisted with totally wild sheep that had been abandoned decades ago by a farmer who moved away. In 1986 the current residents, mostly owners of small summer homes now, decided the sheep appeared in poor shape and decided to give them some TLC.
One man had a barn on his property, and the residents decided to round up the sheep and herd them into a fenced area to be treated for pests, to dock their tails that were filthy and dragging on the ground, and have some veterinary care. They rounded up the residents to form a very long line and head the sheep out of the hills. Well, after a few minutes of this, the completely wild sheep took off in every direction to return to their hilly, forested wilds. Some even jumped down slopes to the beach and ran for their lives; and boat owners tied up on shore got into the melee of trying to catch them. So much for sheep roundup.
Someone knew a group of border collie owners in Eastern Washington (ranch country) who liked to hold competitive events and considered the Decatur dilemma a real challenge. Two men and their several dogs took a week to round up 157 sheep, treat most of them and turn them back into the wild, and reduce slightly their numbers that were shipped off island -- mostly excess rams.
A mental picture of this whole effort makes me roll on the floor with laughter. Today the husbandry of the wild sheep is paid for by the residents as a historical matter, i.e., they were there since 1890 before the summer residents ever came. The task has been streamlined by now, though, you can be sure. This is not a tourist event, so don't plan to just go there. Most of the island is privately owned. Just laugh with the rest of us.
