April 2016 (volume 25, issue 4)

Three Birding Hotspots in Northern California

by Joe Meche In response to an invitation to my sister’s housewarm­ing in San Francisco, Cindy said, “Let’s go!” At first I was taken aback by her quick response but it was proof positive that we were ready for one … Continue reading

Port of Bellingham Commission

Compiled by Andrew S. McBride Action Taken at February 2, 2016 Meeting Shall the commission: 31. Renew a rental agreement with the state of Washington? The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife maintains an office at Harbor Mall, Suite … Continue reading

Whatcom County Council

Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at February 9, 2016 Meeting Shall the council: 23. Appoint applicants to vacancies on two county boards? Fred Likkel was appointed to the Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District and David Ramirez to the Whatcom … Continue reading

Bellingham City Council

Compiled by Boris Schleinkofer Action Taken at February 8, 2016 Meeting Shall the council: 19. Authorize a redevelopment proposal for property located at 301 and 315 N. Samish Way? (Public hearing held) One complete proposal was submitted by the Bellingham … Continue reading

Organic Commodities Less Risky than Conventional

by Bill Davison Editor’s Note: The following was originally published under Local Food Frontier, Local Food Systems and Small Farms, “Ag Lender Cites Organic Commodities as Less Risky than Conventional” http://web. extension.illinois.edu/lmw/eb343/ entry_10550/ Reprinted with per­mission. by Bill Davison Changes … Continue reading

Poetry Watch

“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.” — John F. Kennedy by … Continue reading

Fairhaven’s Hundred Acre Wood Wildlife Habitat or 1,464 Unit Planned Community

by Erika Wittmann and Coby Hoff­man To celebrate the 24th year of publishing Whatcom Watch, we will be printing excerpts from 20 years ago. David M. Laws has been generous enough to volunteer to review the Whatcom Watch for 20 … Continue reading

Lorena Havens: Writer, Teacher, Activist

  by Kathryn Fentress Lorena was recommended for this column as one of three women who had the original vision for the Whatcom Watch. She is an activist, a journalist, a meditation teacher, and writer. She and Carl Franz co-authored … Continue reading

Local Organizations Oppose Exporting Wood

Editor’s Note: The following letter was signed by 11 local organizations and sent to the Port of Bellingham Commissioners on March 15, 2016; the letter opposed the leasing of the Bellingham Shipping Terminal to Bio-Fibre Manufacturers Inc and DKoram Inc. … Continue reading

Whatcom Conservation District Election Results

Last year, there was a lot of controversy about ballots. This year the Whatcom Conservation District did not count the ballots to allay questions of fairness. The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office was paid to count them. The auditor’s office provided … Continue reading