Creosote pilings impact nearshore habitat by leaching toxins into the water and sediments; creosote can create toxic conditions for aquatic life for many decades. In 2009, Friends of the San Juans (FSJ) identified and mapped all of San Juan County’s creosote pilings and degraded creosote docks. FSJ also identified specific sites in priority habitat for creosote piling removal by overlaying the location of creosote pilings with priority habitat and species data including eelgrass, herring spawning grounds, and juvenile salmon habitat utilization. The creosote removal project removed toxic creosote from critical shallow water habitat areas in San Juan County to improve water quality and overall ecosystem health for salmon and salmon prey. Original objectives included: 1) to improve spawning success of Pacific herring through removal of creosote pilings; 2) to improve water quality conditions for salmon and salmon prey in priority regions of the county, as well as in low flushing areas and areas with high concentrations of creosote pilings; and 3) to foster public and private community stewardship through outreach and education on the topic of creosote toxins and the nearshore marine environment. FSJ partnered with the WA Dept. of Natural Resources to achieve these objectives. As a result of this project, 85 tons of in-water creosote (90 pilings and 6,750 square feet of overwater structure in piles, docks and boathouses) was removed from multiple sites in San Juan County. Grant funds were used by FSJ to raise awareness of the problems associated with inwater and beached creosote, solicit participation/permission for removal of both inwater and beached creosote, and removal (construction and disposal) of the inwater creosote. Costs of removal and disposal of beached creosote reported through FSJ's outreach efforts (as well as site secured by DNR), were not covered by this grant, but by others in place at DNR, with labor support from the Samish Indian Nation and the Washington State Conservation Corps.