Cover Story

  February 2020

Bellingham’s Homeless Update

Whatcom Watch

by Lynnette Allen The recent full moon and eclipse seemed auspicious, especially with the world happenings right now and it being the beginning of a new decade and an election year. Also rain, snow and threateningly cold temperatures this week … Continue reading →

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  February 2020

Plastic Recycling — The Long Con

Whatcom Watch

by Vicki Thomas Plastic recycling is largely a myth, a huge, decades-long public relations fairy tale, told by plastic producers to foist responsibility for plastic pollution onto individuals and society at large. It has been enormously successful. We dutifully put … Continue reading →

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  January 2020

Heavy Impacts at Cherry Point

Whatcom Watch

by Eddy Ury The County Council’s bold moves to protect Whatcom, ban coal and restrict fossil fuel expansions Part 2 For more background and context, read Part 1: February 2019, Whatcom Watch. For over 60 years, oil companies operating in … Continue reading →

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  January 2020

Climate Change Will Impact Local Farms

Whatcom Watch

by Stevan Harrell Two national newspapers sounded alarms in early November. The Washington Post ran a story about a South Dakota farmer who committed suicide because he was going broke, and The New York Times published an op-ed on how … Continue reading →

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  December 2019

Páatstel Creek

Whatcom Watch

by Allan Richardson On October 29, the Washington State Committee on Geographic Names finalized its recommendation to change the name of Squaw Creek northeast of Lynden to Páatstel Creek. Páatstel is the original name for this creek in the Nooksack … Continue reading →

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  December 2019

Lake Whatcom Needs More Rigorous Action

Whatcom Watch

by Laura Weiss and Karlee Deatherage A restored and permanently protected Lake Whatcom Reservoir to serve as the primary source of clean drinking water for current and future Bellingham and Whatcom County residents that requires minimal chemical treatment to exceed … Continue reading →

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  October-November 2019

Bitter Invader

Whatcom Watch

by Fred Rhoades A bitter invader — Marasmiellus peronatus “fuzzy foot” The subject of this column is a common local mushroom that hasn’t always been in Whatcom County. This mushroom has roundish (convex) yellow to light-brown caps, yellowish gills producing … Continue reading →

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  October-November 2019

Recent Attacks on the Environment

Whatcom Watch

by Simon Bakke September 2019, Week one: Trump administration announces plans to undo energy-efficient lightbulb standards first set in motion by George W. Bush. Week two: The Environmental Protection Agency repeals Obama-era definitions of “Waters of the United States,” cutting … Continue reading →

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  September 2019

5G Is Coming to Bellingham

Whatcom Watch

by Leslie Shankman 5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology, is headed to Bellingham. From July through December of 2018, the city of Bellingham went through the process of creating regulations for the deployment of small cell telecommunication facilities in … Continue reading →

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  September 2019

Whatcom Transit Authority Is Losing Riders: What Could We Learn From Kingston, Ontario?

Whatcom Watch

by Preston L. Schiller How Kingston Transit Doubled Its Ridership in 10 Years Part 1 The Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) is a transit provider whose ridership has been stagnant or in decline in recent years after a dramatic growth of … Continue reading →

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