Spieden Island
Encyclopedia
Spieden Island is a privately owned island (James Jannard
—founder and major shareholder of Oakley, Inc.
) in the San Juan Archipelago in the U.S. state
of Washington. It has a land area of 516.4 acres (209 ha) and no permanent resident population as of the 2000 census.
across the Spieden Channel. The unusual climate of the area causes the island to be virtually barren on its south-facing side, while the north side is heavily forested.
during the Wilkes Expedition
of 1838-1842, to honor William Speiden, the purser
of the expedition's Peacock.
In the 1970's the island was used for big game hunting
; game animals were imported and a hotel, airport, and small hangar built to accommodate visitors. This no longer occurs due to the risk of shots carrying across to highly populated San Juan Island
.
The Island Institute, an environmental education camp run by Jane Howard, was located on the island. It is no longer in operation.
The resident animal population still includes exotic animals such as Mouflon sheep
from Corsica
, fallow deer
from Europe, and Sika deer
from Asia
.
James Jannard
James "Jim" Jannard is an American designer and businessman, and founder of eyewear and apparel company Oakley, Inc. and RED Digital Cinema.He sold Oakley in mid 2007 for over $2 billion and placed 376th in Forbes Magazine ranking of World's Billionaires in 2010, with a net worth of $3.0 billion.He...
—founder and major shareholder of Oakley, Inc.
Oakley, Inc.
Oakley, Inc., based in Foothill Ranch, California, makes sport equipment including sunglasses, sports visors, and ski goggles, as well as watches, clothing, bags, backpacks, shoes, prescription glasses, football and hockey eyewear, Golf gear and other accessories...
) in the San Juan Archipelago in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington. It has a land area of 516.4 acres (209 ha) and no permanent resident population as of the 2000 census.
Geography
Approximately two miles long and a half-mile across at its widest point, it is located directly north of San Juan IslandSan Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
across the Spieden Channel. The unusual climate of the area causes the island to be virtually barren on its south-facing side, while the north side is heavily forested.
History
Spieden Island was named by Charles WilkesCharles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
during the Wilkes Expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
of 1838-1842, to honor William Speiden, the purser
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
of the expedition's Peacock.
In the 1970's the island was used for big game hunting
Big game hunting
Big game hunting is the hunting of large game. The term is historically associated with the hunting of Africa's Big Five game , and with tigers and rhinos on the Indian subcontinent. In North America, animals such as bears and bison were hunted...
; game animals were imported and a hotel, airport, and small hangar built to accommodate visitors. This no longer occurs due to the risk of shots carrying across to highly populated San Juan Island
San Juan Island
San Juan Island is the second-largest and most populous of the San Juan Islands in northwestern Washington, United States. It has a land area of 142.59 km² and a population of 6,822 as of the 2000 census....
.
The Island Institute, an environmental education camp run by Jane Howard, was located on the island. It is no longer in operation.
The resident animal population still includes exotic animals such as Mouflon sheep
Mouflon
The mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
from Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, fallow deer
Fallow Deer
The Fallow Deer is a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae. This common species is native to western Eurasia, but has been introduced widely elsewhere. It often includes the rarer Persian Fallow Deer as a subspecies , while others treat it as an entirely different species The Fallow...
from Europe, and Sika deer
Sika Deer
The Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to various other parts of the world...
from Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.