Cover Story
Eelgrass Meadows, Our Tidelands Nursery
by Ron Kleinknech Part 1 If you have ever been to Whatcom County beaches during a minus tide you have likely seen eelgrass — the long green slender blades that drift in the tide. It turns out these marine grasses … Continue reading
Agriculture
Our Environmental Future Depends on Viable Local Farms
by Fred Likkel and Brad Rader In the April 2017 issue of Whatcom Watch, one of the leaders of RE Sources effectively presented the environmental group’s position on dairy farming. Simply put, their position is that most of our 90-some … Continue reading
Beaks and Bills
Birding the Olympic Coast South by Southwest
by Joe Meche Part 1 Every year when March and April come around, the first shorebirds begin showing up on local beaches. At the same time I think about the Washington coast and the large-scale migration of these unique birds. … Continue reading
Dear Watchers
9th Circuit Refuses to Hear Culvert Case Appeal
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals earlier today (May 19, 2017) refused to hear the state of Washington’s most recent appeal of the culvert case. The U.S. government filed the case in 2001 on behalf of the tribes. The decision … Continue reading
Being Frank
by Lorraine Loomis An earlier start to the annual salmon season-setting process helped the tribal and state salmon co-managers finish their work right on time this year. Steadily shrinking salmon populations have made the process of establishing fishing seasons increasingly … Continue reading
Watching Government
Action Taken at April 10, 2017 Meeting Shall the council: 63. Send letters to Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Rick Larsen regarding the federal budget? The letter addresses a proposal to zero out Housing and Urban Development … Continue reading
Watching Government
Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at April 4, 2017 Meeting Shall the council: 58. Authorize the executive to accept a ,375 state grant for water safety patrols? The grant will fund patrols by the sheriff’s office during the peak … Continue reading
Watching Government
Action Taken at April 4, 2017 Meeting Shall the commission: 42. Modify a lease and a surplus personal property transfer agreement with Bitter End Boatworks and authorize the executive director to sign a certificate for surplus port property? Bitter End … Continue reading
Northwest Gardening
Expand Your Food Growing Horizon
by Peter Heffelfinger Compared to the rest of the continental United States, the Pacific Northwest is unique in offering a relatively cool, year-round gardening season, akin to the maritime clime of England and coastal Northern Europe. The tempering effect of … 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
Salish Sea
Canadian Pipeline Poses Major Threat to Salish Sea
by Fred Felleman and Jamie Stephens This article appeared in Crosscut.com on November 18, 2016. It is reprinted with permission. There is a dichotomy that defines the Salish Sea, the network of waterways that includes Puget Sound, the San Juan … Continue reading
Twenty Years Ago
Life Forsaken: Notes on the Ecological Holocaust in Nooksack
by Steven D. Redman To celebrate 26 years of publishing Whatcom Watch, we are printing excerpts from 20 years ago. The below excerpt is from the June 1997 issue of Whatcom Watch. Editor’s Note: Steven D. Redman is author of … Continue reading
Unsung Heroes
Maru Mora Villalpando and Latino Advocacy
by Kathryn Fentress Maru Mora Villalpando was born and raised in Mexico City. She first came to the United States in the early 90s for economic reasons. She returned to the United States in 1994 for political reasons. She lived … Continue reading
Watch Out!!
Trump’s Budget Dumps on the Struggling
by Bob Schober This section is devoted to studying the local impacts of specific issues the Trump Administration or Republican Congress will propose. “Words may show a man’s wit, but actions his meaning.” — Benjamin Franklin “Actions speak louder than … Continue reading
Whatcom: Chronic & Acute
Outdated Healthcare Ignores Evidence
by Robert A. Duke Algorithms Can Treat Physician Fallibility Part 2 I’ve learned by assembling the following information that the politically touted “best health care in the world” at primary and acute care levels is outdated and at least 10 … Continue reading
by Lyle Harris Sr. The president has no clothes. David Brooks, the respected conservative columnist for The New York Times, wrote that Trump has the “dangerousness of an immature man” under the headline, “When the World is Led by a … Continue reading
by Terry J. Wechsler There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty. — John Adams, Notes for an oration at … Continue reading
