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Letters
The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc.
Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors.
Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com.
Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com
Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com
Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com
The city displays holiday lights downtown
s A Blaine Public Works Department employee strings holiday lights on a tree at the intersection of Peace Portal Drive and H Street on November 5. Photo by Grace McCarthy
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The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200 Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 22 Circulation: 10,500 copies
Circulation Independently verified by:
Next issue: Nov. 18 Ads due: Nov. 12 Letters
The Editor:
When I read Professor Harrell’s article in the October 21-27 edition regarding the “Challenges of Climate Change,” I think of the person who keeps crying wolf.
Professor Harrell argues we should immediately move to an all-electric future heavily dependent on solar and wind for that electricity. Don’t emulate California. What happens when the sun does not shine, and the wind does not blow? Battery storage? Really? Solar and wind have their place but not as primary sources. Hydro-electric power provides a reliable and clean source of electricity, but many people want the dams dismantled. Nowhere does he mention nuclear power for generating electricity. There is no way to electrify everything without nuclear power. It is safe and dependable. The hurdles for nuclear power are political not technical.
I have read the proposed Climate Action Plan and there are many assumptions for what the climate will do over the next 30-40 years. Most of which will not come true. There is already talk of “Global cooling based on the greening of the planet” (planting of trees). You know it is not a serious plan when you include the word “equity” and don’t discuss nuclear power.
The creation of the Whatcom County Office of Climate Action is another bureaucracy we do not need. It will not solve anything but grow in size/budget and increase the costs of living and of doing business.
Germany has gone green in a big way and it is a disaster. Look it up. Remember last winter when Texas froze, it was due to overreliance on green energy.
The hot temperatures from the summer may be the hottest we have seen but we’ve only recorded temperatures for the last 150 years so who knows how hot it has been here over the millennia.
To sum it all up, climate change is always going on but you must reject climate change hysteria. There are simple and easy things we can do to keep our environment and economy healthy without “destroying it in order to save it.”
Please do not be a lemming following the Climate Change Piper off the cliff.
Mike Harkleroad
Blaine
Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
CiviC Meetings
Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info and Zoom meeting link: bbwsd.com. The November meetings were rescheduled to Tuesday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 23. Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info and virtual meeting login: ci.blaine.wa.us. Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/2CiMKnk. Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., location varies. Info: bbbparkandrec.org. Virtual meeting info: bbbparkandrec.org/board-meetings. Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330. Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info and virtual meeting link: blainesd.org. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Rescheduled to Tuesday, October 19 at 11 a.m. via Zoom. Info: nwfrs.net.
Op-Ed: What if everyone here had what they needed?
B y M aur I I n G ra M
As we enter the giving season, people nationwide will be looking to give back to the communities that have supported them. They’ll also look to ensure that their heartfelt giving – however they choose to give – will have the most influence. That’s why so many will choose their community foundation.
To the people of Blaine, Birch Bay and beyond: Thank you.
In 2015, the doors opened on the Blaine Pavilion, providing much-needed space for the boys and girls club, Blaine Senior Center and recreation programs.
Last year, the Farm to Freezer pilot project, which included Blaine Food Bank, processed, prepared and distributed nearly 42,000 quarts of delicious soups, stews and sauces made from fresh produce from local farmers who lost traditional markets (e.g. restaurants) during the pandemic. For some farmers, it was the difference between making it through the year or closing. The vision is to continue this creative program that supports local farmers and hunger relief beyond the pandemic.
And last July, Whatcom County leaders received a fiscal map of childcare services, undertaken to identify funding gaps and better understand how to create sustainable income streams that will expand the availability of affordable childcare in our county, which is considered a childcare desert.
These efforts, and dozens more like them, have three things in common: They address pressing needs in our community, involve a variety of committed partners and the Whatcom Community Foundation (WCF) played a key role in making them happen. Which is another way of saying, “local donors like you make progress possible.”
Projects like these demonstrate the importance, and the versatility, of community foundations, which are uniquely situated to improve their regions through supporting innovative solutions and creating powerful partnerships.
By the community, for the community
Community foundations are created through gifts from people and organizations who care about a particular place. There are more than 1,000 across the U.S. Anyone can contribute any amount of money to a community foundation, which builds and deploys assets – and more – to meet local needs and opportunities.
WCF is designed to create benefits for all. It’s like Whatcom County’s very own Swiss Army knife: Ready to help tackle our region’s biggest challenges and leverage its best opportunities with whatever tool makes the most sense. WCF is a connector, bringing together people, ideas and resources to make Whatcom County better for everyone. For example, WCF connects: • Partners to action: In 2019, WCF convened multiple stakeholders for “Whatcom Counts” to ensure a complete 2020 census. In a year like no other, our county exceeded its 2010 response rate and helped Washington achieve the nation’s second highest response rate. • Organizations to grants: Since March 2020, WCF made more than 100 grants to dozens of local nonprofits, totaling more than $2 million in response to the Covid-19 crisis, thanks to hundreds of donors to the WCF Resilience Fund. This included funds to support students in the Blaine school district through outdoor education and enrichment activities. • Donors to possibilities: The planned Birch Bay Vogt Community Library; an artist whose 5th grade art class changed her life and wanted other kids to have the same chance to explore and develop their talents; a family focused on improving mental health; high school students who want to protect Whatcom’s wild spaces and species. It’s up to you! • Ideas to investments: The Garden of the Salish Sea environmental education program started in the Blaine school district. WCF helped connect the program to multiple types of resources, making it possible to expand to other districts and grow more stewards of our local waters. • Neighbors to neighbors: Project Neighborly Grants fund ideas that help bring people together: Intergenerational pen pals on Lummi Island; YMCA’s Beyond the Bell program in Blaine; interpretive signs for Point Roberts community celebrating sites of community history; getting kids from across the county out on the water.
Through connections like these, the WCF has invested nearly $52 million toward Whatcom health, happiness and prosperity over the last 25 years. Last year alone, the foundation deployed $7.3 million toward making Whatcom County a place where everyone thrives. Our gratitude for the gifts, ideas and collaborations of the multitudes of community members who make this work possible is immeasurable.
WCF is just getting started; there are so many possibilities! Here are ways to join forces with your community foundation: Sign up for WCF’s THRIVE newsletter, follow on social media, give to a fund, establish a fund of your own or explore how to serve on a local board. It doesn’t matter how – when you connect with the WCF, you’re strengthening the ties that help Blaine, and all of Whatcom County prosper.
National Community Foundation Week runs November 12-18.
Mauri Ingram, president and CEO of Whatcom Community Foundation, and co-signed by Blaine mayor Bonnie Onyon
CITY OF BLAINE
Due to Governor Inslee’s proclamation in response to COVID-19, this City Council meeting will be conducted remotely. Information on how to watch to the meeting live will be on the City Council agenda which is located on the City’s website homepage under Your Government, City Council, City Council Agenda. Please check the agenda prior to each meeting as the location may change.
Thursday, November 11 City Offices Closed Veteran’s Day
Thursday, November 11 9:00am – Park and Cemetery Board Meeting *CANCELED*
Monday, November 15 4:30pm – Special City Council Meeting
Monday, November 22 4:30pm – Study Session: 2022 Budget 6:00pm – City Council Meeting
Tuesday, November 23 3:00pm – Civil Service Commission Meeting
Contact information for staff & Councilmembers can be found on the City’s website.
Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website. www.cityofblaine.com
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www.blaineimmigration.com • 435 Martin St., Suite 2010 • Blaine, WA www.blaineimmigration.com • 435 Martin St., Suite 1010 • Blaine, WA
One Asian giant hornet found in B.C., but none detected in Whatcom County
Leonard D.M. Saunders, Attorney at Law Leonard D.M. Saunders, Attorney at Law
B y G race M c c arthy
Later this month state scientists will ask the public to end their Asian giant hornet trapping efforts for the year after both scientists and the public have turned up empty-handed on more sightings of the world’s largest hornet since the last eradication.
Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA), the state agency in charge of eradicating the invasive species from Whatcom County and the rest of Washington, hasn’t seen a hornet since the agency eradicated the fourth hornet’s nest found in 2021 on September 23.
The 2021 nests were located in east Blaine near nest zero, the first hornet nest eradicated in the U.S. Scientists eradicated the nests in late summer between early August and late September. No other hornets were found outside of Whatcom County this summer and fall, when the insect is the most active.
Despite the U.S. detections just miles from the border, B.C. officials found no signs of the hornet until late October. On October 22, a decayed hornet was found in a Japanese beetle trap just under 1 mile from the first hornet eradication in the U.S. this year. According to WSDA, the hornet was found in a beetle trap that hadn’t been looked at since September 21. Canadian entomologists are now analyzing the hornet’s DNA to determine whether it’s related to hornets in Washington. Scientists across the border will check their traps until the end of the trapping season.
WSDA is trapping for hornets until November 30, when the queens are expected to start hibernating for winter. State entomologists are still asking the public to look out for the hornets; the first hornet found in the U.S. was discovered in early December 2019. The hornets are known for their orange-and-black bodies that grow up to 2 inches long and almond-shaped eyes.
To report a suspected Asian giant hornet detection, visit agr. wa.gov/hornets, email hornets@ agr.wa.gov or call 800/443-6684.
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s A decayed Asian giant hornet was found October 22 in B.C., less than 1 mile from the nests found in Whatcom County. Photo courtesy WSDA We’re small, but we have it all! In stock, same day or next day service! Your one-stop shop for all your automotive needs!
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