Cover Story

  August 2017

After 25 Years, EPA Cleaning Up Toxic Site Near Ferndale

Whatcom Watch

by Andrew Wise On a marshy piece of land sitting in the shadow of the British Petroleum Cherry Point Refinery, just west of Ferndale and south of Blaine, sits a rusting collection of large industrial tanks connected by a spider … Continue reading →

Comments Off on After 25 Years, EPA Cleaning Up Toxic Site Near Ferndale

  August 2017

Restoring Grizzlies to the North Cascades

Whatcom Watch

by John Simmons Grizzly bears. Icons of the Wild West and the fear of campers everywhere. Many people would like to see grizzlies return to their natural ranges for their cultural importance and ecological benefits; others oppose their return for … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Restoring Grizzlies to the North Cascades

  July 2017

Noxious Fumes Hit Whatcom County

Whatcom Watch

by Michael Riordan The smelly plume of sulfurous gases that wafted over Bellingham Saturday evening, June 3, 2017,  was apparently not an unusual occurrence.[1] It was caused by an overpressure event on the Italian tanker Mare Siculum anchored east of … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Noxious Fumes Hit Whatcom County

  July 2017

New County Council Districts Explained

Whatcom Watch

by Richard May Whatcom now has a five-district system to elect the council that governs our county. We will still have seven council members, but we will no longer elect all seven by a vote of the whole county. Each … Continue reading →

Comments Off on New County Council Districts Explained

  June 2017

Eelgrass Meadows, Our Tidelands Nursery

Whatcom Watch

by Ron Kleinknech Part 1 If you have ever been to Whatcom County beaches during a minus tide you have likely seen eelgrass — the long green slender blades that drift in the tide. It turns out these marine grasses … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Eelgrass Meadows, Our Tidelands Nursery

  June 2017

Our Environmental Future Depends on Viable Local Farms

Whatcom Watch

by Fred Likkel and Brad Rader In the April 2017 issue of Whatcom Watch, one of the leaders of RE Sources effectively presented the environmental group’s position on dairy farming. Simply put, their position is that most of our 90-some … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Our Environmental Future Depends on Viable Local Farms

  May 2017

Clean Water: Lake Whatcom Water Quality Update

Whatcom Watch

by April Markiewicz Clean water. Each of us gets up every morning, turns on the water faucet and expects to have clean, fresh water at our disposal. We make coffee with it, prepare food, brush our teeth, take a shower, … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Clean Water: Lake Whatcom Water Quality Update

  May 2017

Character The Content of Bellingham’s Neighborhoods Part II

Whatcom Watch

by Dick Conoboy This article was first posted on nwcitizen.com on April 11, 2017 Editor’s Note: From here forward, Whatcom Watch will allow authors to offer a rebuttal to an article critical of their article in the same issue. Correcting … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Character The Content of Bellingham’s Neighborhoods Part II

  April 2017

Ecological Restoration at the Aiston Preserve

Whatcom Watch

by Meredith Moench and Rebecca Rettmer The silence is startling, broken only by rhythmic lapping of water on the shoreline. A heron takes flight across Smugglers Cove and lands in a tree on Abner Point, and three cormorants warily watch … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Ecological Restoration at the Aiston Preserve

  April 2017

Pollution or Profit? The True Cost of Doing Business

Whatcom Watch

by Lee First When the pressure is on, we have to increase our resolve to work together to share the land, air, and water we depend on. Industry and environment can and must find a way to thrive simultaneously. One … Continue reading →

Comments Off on Pollution or Profit? The True Cost of Doing Business