Protecting Our Waters

WHATCOM CREEK ORIGINATES from Lake Whatcom and flows west for 4.3 miles before reaching Bellingham Bay. It’s fed by four other streams, and its waters spread into 7.7 square miles of Whatcom County. The creek even supports salmon runs for coho, chum, and Chinook salmon.

Where Whatcom Creek meets Bellingham Bay, it forms an estuary. Despite all of the vital wildlife that grows in the brackish waters of estuaries, and the salmon that use estuaries as gateways to freshwater streams, parts of the Whatcom Creek Estuary became the Holly Street Landfill in the early 1900s. This landfill on Holly Street in Bellingham’s Old Town district grew to 13 acres of solid waste over roughly a century of use by private and municipal owners, and parts were eventually paved over.

Thankfully, in 2005, efforts to restore the Whatcom Creek Estuary began. 12,400 tons of waste were removed, habitats were restored, and measures to control pollution and waste seeping into the creek were put in place. This restoration was completed thanks to the combined efforts of 14 different federal, tribal, state, and local governments under the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot project, which began in 1996.

Protecting our waters is a crucial, urgent matter that requires steady, consistent effort. Each and every one of us holds a personal responsibility to minimize our impact and contribute to recovery. Here are some organizations with the information and tools to help you help our life-giving waters.

Sacred Lands Conservancy

Sacred Lands Conservancy, doing business as Sacred Sea, is an Indigenous-led non-profit that promotes using ancestral knowledge and practices to protect, restore, and revitalize life in and around the Salish Sea. They focus not only on the waters and creatures that live therein, but also on Indigenous culture and sacred sites by spreading awareness of historical stewardship in the region by native peoples. One project towards this goal is the campaign to bring home Sk’aliCh’elhtenaut (also known as Lolita and Tokitae), an orca who was taken from the Southern Resident Killer Whale L-pod in 1970. Sacred Sea also produces events, art, and even a podcast that promotes the cultures and indigenized stewardship of the Salish Sea, which you can find at sacredsea.org.

Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) NSEA is a non-profit determined to reverse the decline of salmon runs in Whatcom County. They’re community-based in that their mission revolves around educating and engaging residents to power ecological recovery and protection. At their website, n-sea.org, you can learn more about salmon and their habitats, join a work party, and see how NSEA’s restoration efforts have positively impacted rivers and creeks.

RE Sources

This Bellingham-based nonprofit is all about region-wide impact enacted by people given “practical ways to make a real difference.” RE Sources advocates for science-based, climate-aware law and policy, aims to educate adults and the next generation on environmental stewardship, and puts people to work reducing harmful pollution, waste, and habitat degradation. Head to re-sources.org to join the 10,000+ residents who have taken action with RE Sources.

Sustainable Connections

Sustainable Connections wants communities around the North Sound and beyond to thrive, with a focus on growth and positive development. This nonprofit takes stock of what we need to move forward: power and voice to marginalized communities, investment in local businesses and movements, and clean and protected environments. Their efforts to protect our ecosystems include clean energy initiatives, green building programs, and spotlighting other community efforts to protect the creatures and waters of the Salish Sea. Find all of this and more at sustainableconnections.org.