Current Issue: December 2021 (volume 30, issue 12)
Orcas Visit Bellingham Bay
Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island is known as one of the top spots in the world to view whales and other marine mammals from land.photo: Faith Owens by Faith Owens Tucked into the west side of the central Salish Sea by several islands, Bellingham Bay is [Read More...]
Bellingham Will Process Sewage Into Fertilizer
by Kirsten McDade If you have lived in Whatcom County for more than a few months, you’ve probably experienced the “odeur de manure” that periodically wafts through our air — reminding us that we are a very agricultural community. Spreading animal manure on cropland is a centuries-old technique that helps [Read More...]
Post Point Renovations
This lagoon is located between the Post Point plant and Bellingham Bay. photo courtesy: Coastal Geologic Services of Bellingham Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from an article by Giovanni Roverso about anaerobic digesters and the Post Point plant that appeared in the September 2020 issue of Whatcom [Read More...]
Port of Bellingham Commission
Compiled by Bill McCallum Action Taken at September 7, 2021 Meeting Shall the commission: 103. Approve a terminal services agreement (amendment #6) with the state of Alaska? The original terminal service agreement began in 1989. The agreement with the Alaska ferry (Alaska Marine Highway System) includes staffing for ticketing, reservations, [Read More...]
Habitat Is the Largest Nonprofit Builder in the World
Editor’s Note: There are over 100 organizations in Whatcom County working to provide supportive services to those experiencing chronic poverty and its associated effects: addiction, homelessness, incarceration, mental illness, and unemployment. Whatcom Watch believes these organizations often labor unnoticed by citizens — this column is designed to add daylight to [Read More...]
Stopping Tire Debris From Killing Coho Salmon
Willie Frank III is the Nisqually Chairman. by Willie Frank III and David Troutt Now that we know a chemical in our car tires is killing salmon, we have to act urgently to keep it out of the water. Research published last year confirmed that the preservative 6PPD [Read More...]
Hatchery Fish Are Treaty Fish
by Lisa Wilson Lisa Wilson Tribal treaty rights are being attacked by so-called conservation groups that threaten legal action against our hatcheries. Hatchery production is an essential part of salmon recovery. Along with harvest, habitat and hydropower, it is one of the four Hs that fisheries managers keep [Read More...]
Alexandra Morton’s Latest Book
by Kathleen Grimbly Not on My Watch How a Renegade Whale Biologist Took on Governments and Industry to Save Wild Salmon by Alexandra Morton Random House Canada, 2021 384 pages, hardcover, $26.00 ISBN-13: 978-0735279667 Northern Vancouver Island — mid-1980s: On a kayak trip in the orca-rich Broughton Archipelago/Johnstone [Read More...]
Are You Ready for Winter?
by Joe Meche Bald eaglephoto: Joe Meche With all things considered, we felt that winter was not far away when we crossed the North Cascades after a birthday weekend in Winthrop. The eastbound trip over the mountains and the first day in the Methow Valley held promise for [Read More...]
Soliciting Articles for Publication
Whatcom Watch editor Sally Hewitt. As the editor of Whatcom Watch, I’m constantly on the lookout for new writers and oftensolicit articles for publication. This month, we’re putting out the call for experienced writers. Whatcom Watch has no reporters per se and is mainly a volunteer organization. [Read More...]
poetrywatch
“When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy Do You Enjoy poetrywatch? Artwork by Hilary Cole Want [Read More...]
Tree Stumps in Fairhaven
Since January 2014, Whatcom Watch has been rerunning articles from issues printed 20 years ago. The below article appeared in the December 2001 issue of Whatcom Watch. by Ken Wilcox It’s now been six months, as I write this, since the Harris Avenue tree-nappers made off with our sweet gums. [Read More...]
A Future with Affordable Housing Choices
by Washington State Department of Commerce Funding for housing action plans and transit-oriented development helps communities address years of underbuilding that left middle- and lower-income residents priced out of housing as state’s population boomed. A 2020 report tagged Washington state with one of the 10 worst housing shortages in the [Read More...]
Nooksack Basin Salmon Habitat Restoration Project
Surrounded by local farmers’ fields, the rebuilt landscape features state-of-the-art technology to restore salmon access to miles of stream habitat. Local farmers are unveiling a just-completed fish habitat restoration project that has re-opened miles of salmon stream on a tributary of the Nooksack River. The project installed a state-of-the-art fish-friendly [Read More...]
Whatcom County Council
Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at September 28, 2021 Meeting Shall the council: 212. Designate four wildlife species as “Species of Local Importance?” (Public hearing held.) The Wildlife Advisory Committee recommended the Western toad also known as boreal toad (Anaxyrus [formerly Bufo] boreas), the coastal tailed frog (Ascaphus truei), [Read More...]
Bellingham City Council
Action Taken at September 27, 2021 Meeting Mayor’s Report The mayor appointed Raymond Dellecker to a partial term on the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. The board advises the City Council, mayor, Department of Parks and Recreation director, and other city departments, and provides recreation programs for the general welfare [Read More...]
Washington State Refineries and Climate Change
by Zane Gustafson and Eric de Place In 2020, the Washington state legislature legally committed to reducing emissions by 95 percent by 2050. Decarbonization makes refinery transitions inevitable, even as the precise timeline cannot be known due to shifting market and political forces. With this shift from fossil fuels, there [Read More...]