Cover Story

  February 2021

Once Hearty “Hooligans” Declining in the Salish Sea

by Eric Wagner This article was first published in the Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. A river spawning species of forage fish known as the longfin smelt is rare and getting rarer in the Salish Sea. Biologists are looking into the mysterious … Continue reading

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  January 2021

Giant Hornets Could Decimate Raspberry Pollinators

by Nate Sanford Author’s Note: On December 27, 2020,  funding was finally secured through the “Murder Hornet Eradication Pilot Program,” which was signed into law by as part of the government’s massive 2021 omnibus spending package. The program, introduced by … Continue reading

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  January 2021

Drinking Water Harmed by Invasive Species and Pollution

by Karlee Deatherage We all have a lot on our minds these days, and the quality of our water might not be at the top of the list. But Lake Whatcom, the drinking water source for 100,000 Whatcom County residents, … Continue reading

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  December 2020

Washington Conservation Corps Replenishing Bellingham’s Waterways Since 1999

by Giovanni Roverso Like their shoreline neighbors at the heart of the Salish Sea, Whatcom residents are fortunate to live in an iconic region with a taste of the ocean, mountain views and sweeping rainforests, accompanied by a temperate climate. … Continue reading

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  December 2020

City Plans to Cap White Toxic Mounds

by Nate Sanford In 1992, a person walking along the water on Cornwall Beach (located at the south end of Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham) made a startling discovery: glass blood vials, plastic syringes and other medical refuse. The subsequent investigation … Continue reading

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  Oct/Nov 2020

Let’s Renew the Bellingham Transportation Fund

by Stoney Bird Vote Yes on Proposition 2020-14 Ten years ago, Bellingham voters adopted our local Transportation Fund. The fund is responsible for providing us with many of the repaving projects that we’ve been seeing in the last 10 years … Continue reading

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  September 2020

Another Year When Ranked-Choice Voting Would Make Our Votes Really Count and When the Top-Two Primary Cuts Us Off Short

by Stoney Bird Yikes! Thirty-six candidates for governor. Thirteen Democratic candidates for president. Eight candidates for Congress in the Second Congressional District. These numbers are welcome signs of political engagement. It’s too bad the electoral system that we have (the … Continue reading

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  September 2020

Post Point Treatment Plant Renovations

by Giovanni Roverso Big changes, namely anaerobic digesters, are in store for Bellingham’s wastewater treatment plant at Post Point, Fairhaven. The digesters would replace a pair of aging incinerators. They are the core features of the Resource Recovery project which … Continue reading

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  August 2020

The Story Behind My 200 Columns in Whatcom Watch

by Joe Meche Since I was informed this would be my 200th Beaks and Bills column, it seemed appropriate to trace the primary subject matter of the 199 columns that came before this one. And while we’re at it, maybe … Continue reading

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  August 2020

Grant Protects California Creek Estuary and Drayton Harbor

by Lorraine Wilde A new $915,000 grant funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program will enable further protection and recovery of water quality and habitat through the purchase of coastal wetland properties along California Creek, … Continue reading

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