Cover Story

  April 2018

Yes on Initiative 1631

by Edgar Franks and Eddy Ury

Last summer, Whatcom County saw firsthand the consequences of a changing climate: Wildfire smoke shrouded and choked the region while salmon died in shallowing rivers. Yet Washington State’s legislature failed to pass meaningful climate legislation this year, despite strong and … Continue reading →

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  April 2018

Washington Becomes 14th State To Pass New Voices Law

by Jennifer Karchmer

The New Voices Bill Preserves and Protects Students’ Freedom of Speech and the Press “We have to be the check on their power. If we don’t hold them accountable, who will?” – Tom Hanks as Ben Bradlee, editor of The … Continue reading →

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  March 2018

State Proposes Adding “Motorized Trail Systems” in Whatcom County

by Amy Mower

News Update: As of 2/27/18, the Whatcom County Council voted 7 – 0 to remove from the 2018 Planning Commission Docket the DNR suggested amendment to the Commercial Forestry zone. That suggested amendment would have permitted ORV trails on DNR … Continue reading →

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  February 2018

BP Versus Northwest National Parks

by Eric de Place and Britany Kee’ ya aa

This article originally appeared on the Sightline Institute website sightline.org and is reprinted with permission. What a Refinery Expansion in Whatcom County Means for Views in Cascadia Cascadia’s biggest oil refinery is angling to get even bigger. Yet BP’s proposed expansion … Continue reading →

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  February 2018

Whatcom Land Trust Preserving and Protecting Whatcom County

by Lorraine Wilde

For more than 34 years, Whatcom Land Trust (WLT) has been bringing people and businesses together to help preserve and protect the wildlife habitat, scenic, agricultural and open space lands of Whatcom County for future generations. By securing interests in … Continue reading →

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  January 2018

Abridged Article: Lake Whatcom’s Low Dissolved Oxygen (DO) How Did It Get That Way And What We Can Do To Fix It

Whatcom Watch

Editor’s Note: The following is an abridgement of the full scientific article that can be found on the Whatcom Watch website. What a beautiful lake and great place to live. We who live around Lake Whatcom, along with the city … Continue reading →

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  January 2018

Lake Whatcom’s Low Dissolved Oxygen (DO) – How did it Get that way and What WE can do to fix it?

by EJ Ledet and Richard Bauman

Editor’s Note: This is the full scientific article that was abridged in our print issue. What a beautiful lake and great place to live. We who live around the lake, along with the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County and our … Continue reading →

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  December 2017

What Can We Do? Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

by Ray Kamada

Part II What a difference a decade makes. In the summer of 2008, then-congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA) grilled commodity traders and oil execs as to why crude oil had rocketed to $146 a barrel. (1) Gasoline had hit $4.11 a … Continue reading →

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  December 2017

Whatcom Water Use — With and Without Permission

by Eric Hirst

With rare exceptions, everyone in Washington must have a water right to legally draw water from streams, rivers, lakes or from groundwater wells. Some farmers in Whatcom County, however, are using water without state authorization. Informal and undocumented estimates from … Continue reading →

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  Oct/Nov 2017

Changing Climate: Adaptation or Extinction

by Ray Kamada

Part 1 Let’s begin as a devil’s advocate. What is it with the alarmists? The world is warming, but so what? The Earth has always warmed and cooled. Why keep global warming under 2.0 degrees C.? For example, between 15 … Continue reading →

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