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Low Flow, High Heat & Habitat An Interview with Tom Chance, Manager of the Lummi Nation Salmon Enhancement Program By Claire Johnston, Whatcom Land Trust Communications Director Last week, Whatcom Land Trust received a call from the Lummi Nation’s Salmon Enhancement Program Manager, Tom Chance. He was calling to share that Lummi Nation is preparing …

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“The First 550” of Stewart Mountain Community Forest Since 2014, staff and community members from the Nooksack Tribe, Whatcom Land Trust, Whatcom County, Evergreen Land Trust and South Fork Valley citizens have been collaborating to push forward the Stewart Mountain Community Forest Initiative—a community partnership with an ambitious plan key to saving salmon in the …

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 31, 2022 WHATCOM LAND TRUST SEEKS ASSISTANCE TO PROTECT CRITICAL HERON COLONY HABITAT AT POST POINT Bellingham, WA. –  On March 28, Bellingham City Council approved the purchase of 1.43 acres of forested hillside adjacent to the Post Point Heron Colony. This will be added to .29 acres approved for purchase …

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Dear Friends, Because of your generous support last year, we were able to conserve 10 new properties totaling 1,286 acres and more than four miles of riparian habitat. We completed six new conservation easements that include 54 acres of farmland and 216 acres of forestland. We were also successful in acquiring four new fee-title properties …

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Community Partnerships Help Farmers Grow: An Update on Alluvial Farms By Lorraine Wilde and Aneka Sweeney It takes a village to build a farm and keep it viable long-term. In 2015, Katie Pencke and Matthew McDermott founded Alluvial Farms. For over two years, the couple from Seattle and Michigan searched for and bid without success …

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By Amanda McKay and Danielle Taylor Walking through the wet grass, Danielle could hear the rushing river before she could see it. As Whatcom Land Trust’s Stewardship Assistant, Danielle works to monitor Land Trust protected properties throughout Whatcom County, and on this cool, damp day she happened to find herself along the North Fork of …

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Partnering with the Backcountry Horsemen of Whatcom County On a beautiful day in mid-July, four Whatcom Land Trust staff members mounted three horses and one mule to join members of the Backcountry Horsemen of Whatcom County (BCHW) on a trail ride. As we rode through the mixed landscapes of northern Whatcom County, we talked about …

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I’ve always been confused by the term- “work party.” It seemed like a marketing ploy to trick people into doing work without getting paid. However, since I started working with the Land Trust, I’ve participated in quite a few work parties and discovered that as a volunteer, I’ve gotten much more out of the experience …

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Vamos Outdoors Project, Trails and Conservation: What Else is Needed to Build Access and Community? By Andy Basabe, Director of Vamos Outdoors Project “Before jumping right into the article, I would like to acknowledge the people and communities that have stewarded the land in what is now referred to as Whatcom County. I am writing …

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There are so many reasons that Whatcom County is a special place, from its sweeping shorelines and marine estuaries, to its forested mountain sides and rivers. However, another crucial thread of the vibrant tapestry is farmland. Agriculture is one of the three dominant land uses in the County, and an integral piece of its history …

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