Work Parties
Work Parties are a great way to make a difference while learning about properties that contain important ecological benefits and how we restore these special places through stewardship. These events are generally held on Saturday mornings in the Spring and Fall from 9am to noon, allowing you to make a big impact in your community in just a few hours! All ages are welcome, and families are highly encouraged to join us. Please bring a reusable water bottle and enough snacks to keep you fueled throughout the event.
RSVP Encouraged: Please click on the name of the event that you are interested in attending and fill out the associated form. Each person attending must fill out the form separately.
Questions? Please feel free to email our Volunteer Coordinator, Madeline Mahler, madeline@whatcomlandtrust.org.
2023 Fall Work Parties
Saturday, September 30th (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Potting Plants and Improving Nursery at Riverstead Barn
Welcome back to work party season! To kick us off, we will be potting baby trees, weeding and
cleaning up our barn/ nursery space to get ready for the season. It will be a lovely morning with
laughter, snacks and baby trees. We hope to see you there!
What to expect: Standing and walking on uneven ground, weeding, tidying, potting trees
Carpool option: Riverstead Barn is about 45 minutes from Bellingham. If you are interested in joining a
carpool, follow this link. https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/wop9mc
Directions: From Bellingham- take Mt. Baker Hwy (SR542) east past Deming. Turn right (south) on SR 9
to Acme. Travel south just past Acme. Turn left on Rothenbuhler Road and cross the railroad tracks.
Look for the purple WLT sign on your left by the barn!
Site address: 5400 Rothenbuhler Road, Acme, WA, 98220
RSVP: Registration is not required but signing up beforehand will make signing in easier! Click
here to pre-register!
Saturday, October 14th (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Orca Recovery Day at California Creek with NSEA & WCD!
Our local water residents need your help! Join the Whatcom Land Trust, Nooksack Salmon
Enhancement Association and Washington Conservation District at our California Creek
property on Blaine Rd. We will be improving salmon habitat by planting native trees and shrubs
adjacent to California Creek while also removing some invasive blackberry. Come help our
Salish Sea Orcas!
For more information and to register, visit: https://nsea.volunteerhub.com/vv2/
Saturday, October 21st (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Nick Saling Memorial at Maple Creek Reach with WA Conservation Corps
Join Whatcom Land Trust and Washington Conservation Corps at this beautiful, riparian zone to
honor Nick who made a wonderful impact on our community. If you would like, please bring a
native tree(s) to plant in honor of Nick. Some options would be Western Red Cedar, Douglas Fir,
Western Hemlock, or Sitka Spruce. Please email madeline@whatcomlandtrust.org if you have a
question about a different tree you would like to bring. Our main project will be removing
Scotch broom from the site as it is crowding out the native plants already there. See you out
there!
Carpool option: Maple Creek Reach is about 45 minutes from Bellingham. If you are
interested in joining a carpool, follow this link. https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/5wbenk
What to expect: Walking a short distance on uneven ground, using weed-wrench,
digging using a shovel
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!
RSVP: Registration is not required but signing up beforehand will make signing in
easier! Click here to pre-register!
Saturday, October 28th (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Make a Difference Day at Ladies of the Lake: Planting & Blackberry Removal with Whatcom Million Trees!
Make a Difference with the Whatcom Land Trust and Whatcom Million Trees as we plant trees and defeat blackberry at
Whatcom Land Trust’s Ladies of the Lake property! Lake Whatcom is Bellingham’s prime drinking source and we need to ensure that it stays clean. Ladies of the Lake is in the Lake Whatcom watershed so planting trees and removing invasives makes a huge impact on our community. Come make a difference in YOUR community!
What to expect: Walking a short distance on uneven ground, digging using a shovel, pulling roots, clipping plants
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!
Address: 4101 South Bay Drive
Carpool option: Ladies of the Lake is about 40 minutes from Bellingham. If you are
interested in joining a carpool, follow this link. https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/i4tdhy
RSVP: Registration is not required but signing up beforehand will make signing in easier! Click here to register!
Saturday, November 11th (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Planting at Saxon Riparian with Indigenous Beginnings
Want to get your hands muddy this lovely November morning? We will be planting native trees out in the South Fork
Valley to improve the riparian buffer zone. This improved buffer zone helps salmon, eagles, elk and other native wildlife thrive in the South Fork Valley. Excited to see your smiling face out there!
What to expect: walking on uneven ground, digging using a shovel
Carpool option: Saxon Riparian is about 45 minutes from Bellingham. If you are interested in joining a carpool, follow this link. https://www.groupcarpool.com/t/863ant
Directions: From Bellingham take Mt. Baker Hwy (SR542) east past Deming. Turn right and travel south on SR 9 past Acme. Turn left on Saxon Road. Travel east past the intersection with Bowman Road then turn left at the next driveway. You will follow the purple WLT signs on gravel road to access the property.
RSVP: Registration is not required but signing up beforehand will make signing in easier! Click
here to pre-register!
Saturday, November 18th (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)
Planting and English Ivy Removal at Lower Middle Fork Complex with NSEA
The Lower Middle Fork Complex is a special place along the Middle Fork of the Nooksack
River. Come join NSEA and the Land Trust on this beautiful Saturday morning for a
combination of ivy removal and planting. The salmon need our help to create a clear, cold and
clean river system for them. See you there!
For more information and to register, please visit: https://nsea.volunteerhub.com/vv2/
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
Volunteer with our local partners!
https://www.wmbcmtb.org
https://www.n-sea.org
https://www.whatcomcounty.us/1787/Parks-Recreation
Past Work Parties
California Creek Timberline Work Party
Saturday, May 22nd: We cut blackberry, grubbed blackberry, and cut tree branches to prevent blackberry from climbing up the trees.
Earth Day Work Party at Bell Creek
Saturday, April 24th: Volunteers at the Bell Creek Work Party removed English Ivy, Periwinkle and Blackberry.
Earth Day Work Party at Maple Creek Reach
Saturday, April 24th: Volunteers worked to clear about 150 square feet of invasive scotch broom from around plantings at our Maple Creek Reach property. It was amazing to see the difference that just one person made removing this incredibly invasive species! Even though it rained, everyone was happy to be working on the land for Earth Day.
Pratum (Lake Whatcom Watershed)
March 20th, 2021: Volunteers removed about 75 square feet of Vinca Minor (Common name: Periwinkle). The weather held for us and we enjoyed the walk through the property, even stopping to give volunteers an opportunity to enjoy a waterfall.
Lower Middle Fork Complex
March 6th, 2021: We had a great time pulling out invasive English ivy
Bell Creek
December 12th, 2020: We removed English ivy, Vinca (Periwinkle), and blackberry.
Fenton Reserve
December 5th, 2020: We had a great tree planting party at the Fenton Reserve. Everyone enjoyed themselves!
Maple Creek Reach Reserve
November 6th, 2020: We removed a lot of Scotch Broom at Maple Creek Reach. See before and after photos.
Halloween Work Party at Kelsey
October 31st: We planted about 80 trees today at Kelsey! It was a perfect Fall day for planting and the volunteers thoroughly enjoyed themselves in the sunshine.
Make a Difference Day Work Parties
Lower Middle Fork Complex
October 24th: During the coldest day this fall, our volunteers helped remove an entire truck bed full of ivy along a creek bank. Thank You!
White Deer Work Party
October 24th: We had volunteers and staff remove ALL of the (known) patches of invasive Archangel from White Deer! Garbage was also picked up from across the property and Kokanee are not in Austin Creek yet!
Lower Middle Fork Complex
February 29th: We planted 105 trees and removed English ivy from trees and on the ground.
Lower Middle Fork Complex
December 14th: We had seven people show up and planted/blue-tubed 151 trees!! We even got to mulch some!
Work Party at Kelsey
December 7th: Work Party at Kelsey: We planted and blue-tubed more than 200 trees along Butler Creek, and installed caging on the cedars for protection from deer browsing.
Work Party at California Creek
November 16th: Thanks to everybody who showed up at California Creek despite the rain! Together with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association and the Washington Conservation District we planted nearly 300 trees.
Alcoa Work Party at Kelsey
November 8th: Thanks to everyone from Alcoa who came out to Kelsey to get some trees planted!
Superfeet Work Party at Wild Cat Reach
October 11th: A huge thank you to Superfeet for sponsoring this work party! With their help and some awesome Superfeet volunteers we got 500 trees planted at Wild Cat Reach.
Planting Party at Maple Creek Reach
October 5th: Returning to Maple Creek Reach today we planted trees along Maple Creek. Lucky attendees even got to see spawning Pink salmon in the river!
