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Whatcom Watch
Cover Story
June 2021
Whatcom’s Recyclers Face Uncertainty
Old Town Prepares for Redevelopment Whatcom County’s curbside recycling system went through a bit of a shakeup recently. Sanitary Service Company Inc. (SSC) trucks still collect recycling from customers in Bellingham, Ferndale, Blaine, and much of unincorporated Whatcom County and … Continue reading
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June 2021
Barrier Removal Brings Coho Back to Goodwin Creek
Coho salmon rely on streams and side channels for spawning and juvenile rearing before their migration to salt water to feed, grow and mature. They typically spawn between the ages of three and four in their natal streams. Coho and … Continue reading
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May 2021
Invasive Mussels Threaten Drinking Water
The small mussel, about the size of a grain of rice, appeared on an aquarium moss ball sold at a Seattle Petco earlier this year. It sounded the alarm across the United States, prompting agencies to work with Petco … Continue reading
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May 2021
Lake Whatcom’s Decline Is Unabated
Editor’s Note: The Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project was initiated in the 1980s to measure and track long-term lake data for temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, turbidity, and nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus. The work is performed by WWU’s Institute for … Continue reading
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April 2021
Proposed Whatcom County Jail
1983 The current Whatcom County jail in downtown Bellingham opened. 1996 Oct. 1 The county executive formed a blue ribbon panel to address criminal justice issues. On 3/20/1997, the panel recommended a 750-bed minimum security facility be funded by a … Continue reading
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April 2021
Bellingham Pondering Single-Use Plastic Ban
The city of Bellingham’s Public Works and Natural Resources Committee began discussing a draft ordinance on single-use plastic in 2020. The ordinance would ban most forms of single-use plastic foodware and hotel personal care mini-containers. However, in March 2020, it … Continue reading
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April 2021
Reimagining Jail Sentences
Part 1 Navigating Through an Overcrowded Jail Three hundred twenty-two inmates were packed inside a jail built to house 148 in the early 2000s. This was the most crowded Corrections Lt. Caleb Erickson ever saw the Whatcom County Jail. (1) Despite … Continue reading
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March 2021
Bringing the Beach Back to Birch Bay
After decades of erosion, the county is restoring the bay’s natural shoreline. When a storm hit Birch Bay in 2018, it was accompanied by towering 11-feet-tall king tides, much like the storms the town had seen before. The waves managed … Continue reading
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March 2021
Blaine Air Force Station
The Blaine Air Force Station was one of 28 stations that was built as part of the Air Defense Command. In the early 1950s, the United States Air Force saw a need for increased aerial protection in certain sectors of … Continue reading
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March 2021
Zero Energy Buildings Promise Affordable Housing
If people had more affordable housing options to choose from, more people struggling with homelessness would be able to find a place to rent, John Moon, Habitat for Humanity Whatcom executive director said in a statement. When it comes to … Continue reading
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