Cover Story
Mud Bay at a Crossroads: Protecting Cliffs, Wetlands, and Community
A Walk Beside the Bay When the tide recedes at Mud Bay, an entire world emerges. Great blue herons stalk across glistening mudflats, bald eagles circle above the sandstone cliffs, and families watch salmon return to Chuckanut Creek. Mud Bay’s … Continue reading
Beaks and Bills
Beaks and Bills Time of Arrivals and Departures by Joe Meche When I was growing up in southwest Louisiana, summertime was day after day of heat and humidity and we always looked forward to the first days of fall. I … Continue reading
Watching Government
Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at August 6, 2025 Meeting Shall the council: 184. Fill the forest product manager vacancy on the Forest Advisory Committee? The committee provides review and makes recommendations to the Whatcom County Council on issues … Continue reading
Watching Government
Action Taken at August 12, 2025 Meeting Shall the commission: 82. Create phase 1 of the Blaine boatyard project? The 2025 budget will be adjusted; ,000 will be moved from infrastructure-unallocated leaving ,245 in that budget. The interim boatyard will … Continue reading
Watching Government
Action Taken at August 11, 2025 Meeting Shall the council: 153. Authorize the mayor to spend 0,000 to purchase 5.92 acres on Toad Lake Road from property owners Robert Cessaro and Christa Russell? The Lake Whatcom Watershed property has one … Continue reading
Climate
Articles You Might Have Missed
Climate Good News Around the world people are taking the initiative to mitigate climate change. Here are some good news briefs compiled by the Climate Issue group of the LWV of Bellingham/ Whatcom. The Bright Future of the All-Electric Neighborhood … Continue reading
Community Service Spotlight
Meet the Whatcom Environmental Council
Community Service Spotlight Editor’s Note: For a brief period of time in the 1990s, there was an association called the Whatcom Environmental Council. There is no connection between the two. by Carl Weimer The Whatcom Environmental Council (WEC) is a … Continue reading
Election Results
Compiled by Bill McCallum This report presents the results, in depth, of the 2025 Whatcom County Primary Election, including final vote counts, ballot return rates and voter turnout statistics. for the pdf of the complete report click the link below: … Continue reading
Life Before Flowers
Life Before Flowers (All mushroom photos are by Fred Rhoades) Part I by Fred Rhoades I’d like to start an occasional part of this series that provides descriptions of different mushrooms that are relatively easy to identify to genus group, … Continue reading
Pollution
Nearly every month for four years, RE Sources’ North Sound Waterkeeper and a team of trained volunteers have studied pollution in Bellingham Bay using its major stormwater outfalls — the spots where roadside storm drains release water from miles of … Continue reading
Salish Sea
Whatcom County Should Require a Full EIS for the Ferndale LPG Terminal
RE Sources, Friends of the San Juans, Whatcom Environmental Council, Evergreen Islands, Sierra Club, and Washington Conservation Action are calling on Whatcom County to require a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for unpermitted expansions of fossil fuel transshipment through the … Continue reading
Talk to Us
Regarding the September Article, Regulatory Capture Is Often Common
Talk to Us Dear Watchers, I have read the September 2025 issue of the Whatcom Watch. The front-page article, “Top 10 Rules Playbook: A Blaine Case Study,” which although discouraging, was well written and important. The regulatory capture is often … Continue reading
Transportation
Sidewalks, Missing Sidewalks, Blocked Sidewalks, No Sidewalks, and Pedestrian Danger
Preston L. Schiller All in favor of sustainable transportation raise your right foot! — David Brower (environmental wizard and hero) Recent decades have seen a burgeoning interest in providing safe and sometimes pleasant ways for promoting walking and cycling. Yet, … Continue reading
Trees and Forestry
Stewart Mountain Community Forest Prepares for Growth
On September 9, the Whatcom County Council voted to support the proposed ownership model for Stewart Mountain Community Forest (SMCF). SMCF will be owned by a nonprofit and governed by a board of representatives from planning partners Nooksack Indian Tribe, … Continue reading
