Whatcom Watch

To celebrate 20 years of publishing Whatcom Watch, we will publishing excerpts from 20 years ago. David Laws has been generous enough to volunteer to review the Whatcom Watch from 20 years ago to find suitable material to reprint. The below excerpts are from the October 1992 issue of Whatcom Watch.s- Carpenter Creek: Model of County and Community Cooperation

by Elaine McRory

Lake Whatcom kokanee and cutthroat trout can once again spawn in the upper reaches of Carpenter Creek due to the cooperation of the County Division of Maintenance and Operations and volunteers involved in Kris Kloehn’s Eagle Scout fish ladder project. […] The importance of small streams as some of our most productive spawning areas for salmon and trout (as well as to all water quality functions) is understood by too few. These little streams are far more than the drainage ditches most have become and they are critical to the health of the larger water systems of which they are a part.

Aloha Lumber Company is considering clear cutting 11 acres on the northeast slopes of Chuckanut Mountain. The land is owned by Trillium but the trees are owned by Aloha. The land is between Arroyo Park and the land being considered for inclusion in Larrabee State Park. […] clear-cutting the parcel would have a negative impact on Chuckanut Creek and wetlands in the area. Aesthetically, the VIEW from the north and east would be pretty obscene — you would have to cloak your children’s eyes.

Do you think … prior to building the runway extension the FAA would have allowed jets to land at the airport if it were dangerous? Why have the Commissioners repeatedly told the public a longer runway was needed for safety?

Did you know … the FAA “noise money” is not solely to mitigate the noise around the airport. It is wanted and needed to buy land the Port lacks to build the runway extension and to expand.

Did you know … if the Port had already developed a responsible and effective “noise policy” it would not qualify for FAA “noise money?” […]