Whatcom Watch

Beaks and Bills by Joe Meche For years, I’ve espoused the concept of birding in your backyard as an alternative to getting out of the house on miserable-weather days, or if you were housebound for one reason or another. This was, in fact, part of the idea behind the Great Backyard Bird Count, a joint venture of the National Audubon Society, the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and Birds Canada.

by Jessica Gillis The 19th Annual Whatcom County Farm Tour, is taking place Saturday, September 12, 2026 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 13-farm tour is part of September Eat Local Month, Sustainable Connections’ annual month-long celebration of the farmers, fishers, food producers, chefs, and businesses that help feed our region. Now in its 19th year, the Whatcom County Farm Tour has spent nearly two decades connecting community members with the people who grow, raise, and produce local food.

Community Service Spotlight by Rebecca Quirke Tenants Revolt has fundamentally changed the conversation about housing in Bellingham, Washington. Our mission is to shift power away from predatory landlords and toward the people who actually call this city home. For too long, landlords have been allowed to commit white-collar crimes against our community without meaningful accountability.

Native Plant Neighbors by Eric Worden I have a friend who knows little about native plants. Nevertheless, she has a system for distinguishing native plants from “normal” ones. Her system is this: If it looks neat and showy, then she assumes it is a “normal” plant, and, if a plant looks rangy and drab, then she assumes it is a native plant! Her system is not very reliable. For example, in the garden, she calls the deer- and winter-abused viburnum shrubs native plants.

Climate Good News Around the world people are taking the initiative to mitigate climate change. Here are some good news briefs compiled and summarized by Jayne Freudenberger, climate committee chair, League of Women Voters of Bellingham-Whatcom County. A Simple Dietary Option Delivers Meaningful Emissions Reductions Here is another good reason to work on salmon recovery. A simple food trade-off in our diets can have an outside effect on climate change.

by Liam Walsh The City of Bellingham’s Rental Registration and Safety Inspection Program (RRSI) has been in effect since 2015. In that time, landlords and property management companies have had increased accountability, and Bellingham’s rental stock has improved. The program (1) came from a city ordinance in 2015 designed to ensure safe living conditions for tenants.

Native Plant Neighbors by Eric Worden We have all heard the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We have all ignored that saying. There is another more pointed tale from the same vein: A man met another, who was handsome, intelligent, and elegant. He asked him who he was.

Twenty Years Ago Since January 2014, Whatcom Watch has been reprinting articles from issues printed 20 years ago. Editor’s note: The below article appeared on the front page of the July 2006 issue of Whatcom Watch. by Wendy Steffensen Fish and other animals make their way, as they can, along Bellingham Bay’s shoreline, but their journey is harder than it once was.

Twenty Years Ago Since January 2014, Whatcom Watch has been reprinting articles from issues printed 20 years ago. The below Being Frank column appeared in the July 2006 issue of Whatcom Watch. by Billy Frank, Jr. What you don’t see can’t hurt you. Right? Everyone who lives in the Puget Sound region enjoys the beauty of the mighty estuary. People see the glimmering water, bordered by snow peaked mountains and bright city lights, and they think all is well with Puget Sound. Unfortunately, they’re wrong.

by Tori Lehman Near the northern edge of Bellingham, the recently completed Little Squalicum Estuary blooms with life. The estuary, completed in 2024 as part of the City of Bellingham’s efforts to rebuild historical wetland habitat, creates foraging ground and refuge for juvenile fish. Residents can enjoy the scenic views as it spills into Bellingham Bay. photo by Joe Meche, taken at the Post Point colony Adult great blue heron with nesting material. Now, fuzzy dinosaur-like locals will join them.