September 2018 (volume 27, issue 9)

Governors Point: Working Together

by Rand Jack The Whatcom Land Trust conserves special lands in Whatcom County by working with willing owners. For decades Whatcom Land Trust has sought a willing owner of Governors Point, an iconic 125-acre wooded peninsula separating Bellingham and Samish … Continue reading

Clues Emerging in Salmon Deaths

by Christopher Dunagan Editor’s Note: This series was originally published in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. An intensive research program in the U.S. and Canada is studying why so few salmon in the Salish Sea are returning home to spawn. … Continue reading

Return of the Shorebirds

by Joe Meche Just like clockwork, and further to my last column, by late July the shorebirds that passed through on their northbound migration had begun heading south. The great thing about it is that birding activity in general will … Continue reading

Tribes Support Sea Lion Removal Legislation

by Lorraine Loomis Federal legislation allowing lethal removal of more sea lions in the lower Columbia River is a good step toward reining in out-of-control populations that are hurting salmon and orca recovery efforts throughout the region. Treaty tribes in … Continue reading

Port of Bellingham Commission

Action Taken at July 10, 2018 Meeting Shall the council: 97. Authorize the executive director to sign a ,998 contract with DH Environmental of Seattle to manage the Environmental Compliance Assessment Program? The port began the program in 1992, when … Continue reading

Whatcom County Council

Action Taken at July 10, 2018 Meeting Shall the council: 107. Make initial appointments to the Whatcom County Business and Commerce Advisory Committee? The committee was created at the 5/22/2018 meeting, vote #86. It will advise the County Council on … Continue reading

Bellingham City Council

Action Taken at July 9, 2018 Meeting Shall the council: 94. Docket amendments to the 2018-2019 Bellingham Comprehensive Plan? (Public hearing held) State law allows cities to amend their comprehensive plans once a year. The first step in the amendment … Continue reading

A Condensed History of Governors Point

Compiled by Laura Leigh Brakke 1947  Pacific Reality (Larrabee) sells land to Lee Simenson Logging Company. 1953  Governors Point Development Company forms, buys land, logs the land and installs water pipes. 1958  Carl Sahlin buys out all other partners of … Continue reading

Is Governors Point Wildlife Habitat Threatened?

by Laura Leigh Brakke The headline in The Bellingham Herald (February 25, 2018) announces that Governors Point is preserved and then goes on to state that public access is determined to be the way to this end. Therefore, one must … Continue reading

The Autumn Turn of the Year

by Peter Heffelfinger With the coming of fall, the garden enters its third major seasonal shift. After the plantings of early and late spring, and the harvest of summer, autumn is the time of final plantings before the onset 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

Skookum Creek: Supporting Salmon Life Cycles

by Amanda McKay The life cycle of the salmon is one to be admired: a consistent rotation of spawning, hatching, feeding, migration and the ultimate end-of-life sacrifice. With its cold, clear waters, Skookum Creek has the potential to provide salmon … Continue reading

Bellingham Citizens Propose Protecting Lake Whatcom

by Tim Paxton Since January 2014, Whatcom Watch, has been rerunning articles from issues printed 20 years ago. The below article appeared in the September 1998 issue of Whatcom Watch. An initiative created by input from a large group of … Continue reading

The Danger of Trump’s Threats to the Press

by Lyle Harris Sr. “I don’t carry an AR (automatic rifle) but once we start shooting you f—ers you aren’t going to pop off like you do now. You’re worthless, the press is the enemy of the United States people … Continue reading

Confounding Health Care

by Robert A. Duke Humor Man goes into Doctor’s office. “Doc, I have pain in my right shoulder.” Doc consults, examines and orders ultrasound and X-rays. Man gives X-ray order to imaging Reception and follows Tech to X-ray machine. “Why … Continue reading