Field Fridays
Want to spend some time with the Stewardship Team and learn a bit more about land trust conservation sites? Sign up for a Field Friday adventure generally held on the first Friday of the month. These are working days, and are more difficult than our shorter work parties. Volunteers should be prepared for all weather conditions and have tough, weather appropriate footwear and outerwear ready to traverse rugged, uneven terrain. Volunteers will have the opportunity to visit parts of properties rarely seen by the public, learn about Whatcom Land Trust’s stewardship goals and processes, and participate in restoration and land management activities. Children are not recommended for Field Fridays as these events are longer and more strenuous. Anyone under 17 must have a parent or guardian present.
RSVP is required to participate on these Field Fridays as space is limited and the schedule may change due to weather. Because we plan our activities around the volunteers expected and often have a waitlist, we must receive 48 hours’ notice for any cancellations.
As many Field Fridays are in remote portions of the property, we ask that you stay for the entire duration of the Field Friday and do not leave early unless approved prior.
Questions: Please feel free to email our Volunteer Coordinator, Madeline Mahler, madeline@whatcomlandtrust.org
Summer 2023 Field Fridays
Friday, June 9th (9:00 AM – 3:00PM) – REGISTRATION IS FULL, BUT YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST.
Blackberry Removal, Trail Pruning & Site Visit @ Christie Creek
If you like the sounds of spending the day next to a beautiful creek while listening to the birds sing, then you should sign up for this Field Friday! We will be tromping through the woods to complete our annual site visit and improve the trails out at Christie Creek. We will also be removing yellow arch angel and invasive blackberry. It will be a day full of working under beautiful trees and improving riparian habitat. See you there!
What to Expect: Walking on uneven ground, digging, lopping blackberry, pruning
Directions: From Bellingham take Mt. Baker Hwy (SR542) east past Deming. Turn right (south) on SR 9 to Sedro Woolley. Travel south past Acme. Turn left (east) on Saxon Road and travel to the Saxon Bridge. Park in the pullout on the west side of Saxon Bridge.
Carpool: Meet at Whatcom Land Trust’s office at 8 am to ride with staff to the site. We will be leaving the office at 8:15. Carpooling is now required again for Field Fridays. Please email our Volunteer Coordinator if you don’t feel comfortable carpooling.
RSVP: Registration is REQUIRED for this event. Sign up here!
Friday, July 7th (9:00 AM – 3:00PM)
Blackberry Removal & Site Visit @ Ladies of the Lake
Come join WLT staff on a full adventure day! We will hike around Ladies of the Lake to complete our annual site visit and then work on removing invasive blackberry around our native trees and plants. The only way to completely get rid of blackberry is to shade them out and the only way to do that is for our native trees to survive. Come help us defeat blackberry at Whatcom Land Trust’s, Ladies of the Lake, property right next to Lake Whatcom. It will be a great day!
What to Expect: Walking on uneven ground, digging, lopping
Directions: From Bellingham- take Interstate 5 South to exit 240 toward Lake Samish Rd. Turn LEFT at Lake Samish Rd, and continue to Alger Cain Lake Rd. Continue on Cain Lake Rd. Turn RIGHT on South Bay Drive/Lake Whatcom Blvd and continue about 3 miles. Ladies of the Lake Preserve will be on your right. Look for the purple Whatcom Land Trust signs!
Carpool: Meet at Whatcom Land Trust’s office at 8 am to ride with staff to the site. We will be leaving the office at 8:15. Carpooling is now required again for Field Fridays. Please email our Volunteer Coordinator if you don’t feel comfortable carpooling.
RSVP: Registration is REQUIRED for this event. Sign up here!
Friday, August 4th (9:00 AM – 3:00PM)
Trail Work and Invasive Species Removal @ North Fork Eagle
It is nearing the end of summer and our trails are overgrown! We need help improving the trails at North Fork Eagle. This includes pruning brush back, clearing fallen logs out of the way, grading the trail, etc. This is a great way to dip your toes into trail work and care for the land. North Fork Eagle is a beautiful property along the North Fork of the Nooksack that is full of vibrant wildlife. This will be a Field Friday you don’t want to miss!
What to Expect: Walking on uneven ground, digging, pruning, pulling plants, grading dirt
Directions: Directions: From Bellingham- take Highway 542 east to Welcome. Turn RIGHT on Mosquito Lake Road and travel east over North Fork. Turn LEFT on North Fork Road then in ½ a mile the property will be on the left. Look for the purple Whatcom Land Trust signs!
Carpool: Meet at Whatcom Land Trust’s office at 8 am to ride with staff to the site. We will be leaving the office at 8:15. Carpooling is now required again for Field Fridays. Please email our Volunteer Coordinator if you don’t feel comfortable carpooling.
RSVP: Registration is REQUIRED for this event. Sign up here!
Friday, September 1st (9:00 AM – 3:00PM)
Scotchbroom Removal & Site Visit @ Maple Creek Reach
Join Whatcom Land Trust for this Field Friday at Maple Creek Reach; one of our most beautiful, most popular properties that is full of wildlife. Help us keep the property this beautiful by removing the invasive species that threaten to overtake it. Scotch Broom is a nasty invasive that will take over if given the opportunity. Eventually this invasive will be shaded out by native trees but in the meantime we need to do some maintenance. We will also be completing our annual site visit so this is a great chance to see the full property!
What to Expect: Walking on uneven ground, using weed wrench
Directions: From Bellingham take Mt. Baker Hwy east to Maple Falls. Once through Maple Falls, follow the highway for two sharp beds followed by crossing Maple Creek. The entrance to the property will be on the right-hand side at the bend in the highway after a straightaway. Look for the purple Whatcom Land Trust signs!
Carpool: Meet at Whatcom Land Trust’s office at 8 am to ride with staff to the site. We will be leaving the office at 8:15. Carpooling is now required again for Field Fridays. Please email our Volunteer Coordinator if you don’t feel comfortable carpooling.
RSVP: Registration is REQUIRED for this event. Sign up here!
COVID-19 Update:
The safety of our volunteers and community remain our highest priority. If you have tested positive for COVID-19, have any symptoms of illness, or think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you MUST stay home even if you have already RSVP’d. Please understand that if you choose to participate in a field Friday event, you do so at your own risk. While these precautions may reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, that risk still exists. By choosing to volunteer, you are knowingly and accepting the risk of contracting COVID-19.
Liability Waivers
Liability waivers need to be filled out prior to volunteering with Whatcom Land Trust. The liability waiver is good for the remainder of the calendar year (January – December), and a new one will need to be filled out each year after. Both electronic copies and printed copies will be accepted.
If you are 17 years of age or older, simply fill out the adult liability waiver below.
Adult Liability Form
Minor Liability Form
How to fill out these forms if a volunteer is under 17 years old:
– If the volunteer is under 13, a parent will need to sign both the adult liability form and the minor addendum form.
– If the volunteer is between 13 and 17 years of age, the teenager will sign the adult liability waiver, and a parent will need to sign the minor addendum form.
Click on one of these links to learn more about our volunteer opportunities:
Work Parties | Field Fridays | Become a Volunteer Land Steward | Other Volunteer Opportunities
Past Field Fridays
Craver
Trail Clearing and Invasive Removal. We removed at least 250 square feet of vinca, cleared around 40 trees, and cleared about a 1/2 mile of trail!
Maple Creek Reach
Removing Scotch Broom
Photo by Jamy Pearson
Photo by Jamy Pearson
Photo by Jamy Pearson
Ladies of the Lake
Removing blackberry
Catalyst Complex
We created blue tubes and cages used to protect young plantings from the frequently trafficked deer and elk. We also planted some trees in areas of high plant mortality.
Black Slough
3 volunteers participated and we removed beaver cages off of 30 trees and limbed the lower branches as well!
Kelsey
We only had two volunteers today but still got so much done! We prepped for the upcoming Kelsey work party in April, transported more then 200 plants across half a mile of uneven terrain, and even had a nice lunch in the sun!
Ladies of the Lake
The group removed an entire blackberry mass at Ladies of the Lake.
Field Friday at Stover
We planted 800 trees and removed a barbed wire fence line with staff from Nooksack Indian Tribe’s Natural Resources at our new Stover property along the South Fork Nooksack River.
Field Friday at Maple Creek Reach!
We had a great Field Friday at Maple Creek Reach! A big thank you to everyone who came out with us and got a lot of good work done. We even saw some bear tracks (but just missed the bear).
Field Friday at Duck Pond!
Today we cleared, and created a trail through about half a mile of one of our newest properties, Duck Pond. Thanks to everybody who braved the rain to come out and get some great work done!
