August 2019 (volume 28, issue 8)

How Is Whatcom Dealing With Recyclables?

by Nichole Schmitt In 2018, the United States became suddenly aware of how ill-equipped we are for handling our own waste. Without much advance notice, China stopped accepting the world’s garbage. Shipping containers were turned away at the port and … Continue reading

Birding by the Seasons

by Joe Meche This is always the toughest column of the year to write, considering that it’s the time I’ve always referred to as the Dog Days of Birding. From mid-July and into late August, people actually complain that there … Continue reading

Thank You, Contributors!

You might notice Whatcom Watch isn’t covered with ads, like some publications. Whatcom Watch exists thanks to the names on the back page, our subscriber-donors. Last year, they contributed 58 percent of our revenue; advertising was responsible for 31 percent … Continue reading

Whatcom County Council

Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at June 4, 2019 Meeting Shall the council: 119. Authorize the executive to sign a 8,916 contract between with Catholic Community Services of Bellingham for resident support services at Francis Place? The 42-unit apartment … Continue reading

Bellingham City Council

Action Taken at June 3, 2019 Meeting Shall the council: 100. Accept a donation to replace the defunct public swim dock at Bloedel Donovan Park? Docks for Kids and the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club have proposed to donate a swim … Continue reading

Port of Bellingham Commission

Compiled by Bill McCallum Action Taken at June 4, 2019 Meeting Shall the commission: 68. Small Works Roster: Contracts under 0,000 fall within the executive director’s spending authority; they only require commission notification. Select tree removal at Bellingham airport, ,159. … Continue reading

Local Entities Address Climate Crisis

by Betsy Gross Buildings Work Group Architecture 2030’s Erin McDade was the first of three presenters for the Buildings Work Group at the June 5 Bellingham Climate Action Task Force meeting. She provided a comprehensive analysis of Bellingham’s current building … Continue reading

Field Days

by Peter Heffelfinger During the past month I attended two field days at the WSU Agricultural Research Station in Mount Vernon. The first was hosted by the Bread Lab for a tour of their extensive wheat, rye, barley and buckwheat … Continue reading

poetrywatch

Boris Schleinkofer, poetrywatch editor “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.” — … Continue reading

Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan

by John Bremer   In April, Hillary S. Franz, the Commissioner of Public Lands, published a report titled “Baker to Bellingham Non-Motorized Recreation Plan.” The report is available on the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website. It is a … Continue reading

Recreation Northwest’s New Parkscriptions Program

by Lorraine Wilde and Katrina Lyon Many people choose Bellingham and Whatcom County as their home because of the quality of life here. A major contributor to that quality includes the variety of year-round opportunities to get outside — to … Continue reading

Pact Gains Added Cherry Point Protection

by David M. Schmalz Since January 2014, Whatcom Watch, has been rerunning articles from issues printed 20 years ago. The below article appeared in the August/September 1999 issue of Whatcom Watch. Editor’s Note: August/September 1999 was the first issue reporting … Continue reading

Had Enough? Living Without Plastic

by Tucker Cooke I was headed off to college in 1967 when Dustin Hoffman appeared in the movie “The Graduate.” He played the part of a new college graduate and was given the advice for his future career to go … Continue reading