🐹 Cephalopod Spring 🐙🐙

Good morning, Bellingham. This is your Monday update from The Hamster Wheel.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Or, hit reply to send me photos via email. 📧

The last few weeks have brought one of my favorite native marine species into the local news on two occasions. It started in mid-April when an enormous Giant Pacific Octopus washed ashore in Bellingham Bay. Photos popped up in a few places but the best I found were by Joaquin Martinez. 👇 Here are a few more.

Based on the photos, this octopus must be seven or eight feet across, which is big, but nothing compared to the 15-foot wingspan these beautiful giants can reach.

It’s interesting to read about the lifespan of these cephalopods. After reaching maturity around two to three years, the hormones in male Pacific Giants take over, their feeding slows, and their focus narrows almost entirely to reproduction. A male will roam more openly than before, following chemical cues in the water, using a specialized arm to deliver packets of sperm to any receptive female he finds. From there, the decline is already underway. Unlike the female, who stays behind to guard her eggs until she starves, the male loses coordination and awareness as his body begins to break down. It’s not uncommon for them to end up in the shallows or onshore during this period, which makes it possible that the animal in these photos had reached that final stage.

Then, on Friday, the Marine Life Center announced that they have a new resident. This time, it’s a small female weighing only 8 pounds. 👇

When able, the port saves octopuses from the commercial fishing industry, providing a safe environment to nurse them back to health before releasing them into the Salish Sea to breed. I believe this is the first Pacific Giant that’s been held at the MLC since Marcellus was released well over a year ago. It’ll be exciting to stop by the marine center for a visit once her tank is unveiled.

Oh man… there’s a lot of awareness behind these big copper-colored eyes. 👇 Little Brooklyn, currently a resident at the Whatcom Humane Society, is an 8-year-old mixed breed that’s looking for a new forever home after her previous owner was not physically able to care for her any longer.

Brooklyn sounds like an amazing pup friend. She walks great on a leash, rides in a car, and is housebroken. And that face! 🥰 Swing by the Division Street shelter or contact WHS to meet this sweetie.

LOCAL READS

Bellingham Breakers Hockey Club Brings ‘AAA’ Hockey to Whatcom County
By Merrick Parnell · WhatcomTalk
The Bellingham Breakers will become the first U.S.-based team in a rapidly growing North American AAA development league with ties to major junior programs. Merrick explains that the club is led by coach Vic Pereira and aims to build a competitive roster while embedding players in the local community. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Community members push back against city’s plan to upgrade Post Point
By Margaret Baumgartner · Salish Current
Debate is intensifying over how Bellingham should handle wastewater solids as activists push to halt incineration and city leaders defend upgrades as the most practical near-term option. Margaret details how legal threats, outdated data concerns, and competing environmental priorities are shaping the discussion. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Monday
Lynden City Council, 7:00 pm, City Hall Annex
Ferndale City Council, 5:00 pm, City Hall Annex

Tuesday
Bellingham Design Review Board, 3:00 pm, City Council Chambers
Bellingham Arts Commission, 5:00 pm, Mayor's Boardroom
Port of Bellingham Board of Commissioners, 4:00 pm, Harbor Center
WTA Board, 8:00 am, WTA's office
Whatcom County Council, 8:45 am, Council Chambers

Thursday
Greenways Advisory Committee, 7:00 pm, Pacific Street Operations Center
Whatcom County Council Community Conversations, 3:00 pm, Fairhaven Library

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
Lakeway Community Garden: Join the city in tending to community spaces at Lakeway Community Garden. Register
Stream Team: Help Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) maintain older sites that need love. Meet at NSEA’s campus by 8 am and your group leader will shuttle everyone to the site. You can expect to be back to NSEA at 12 pm. Register

Friday
Nooksack Cirque: Join the Washington Trails Association for logging out the trail using chainsaws. Register

Saturday
Memorial Park: Join the city, Rotary Club of Bellingham and the Sunnyland Neighborhood Association to clean up the memorials and park grounds for Memorial Day weekend. Register
NSEA Nursery Plant Potting: Join NSEA potting native trees and shrubs to restock their native plant nursery. Register

Sunday
Maritime Heritage Park: Join Re-Sources at the fish hatchery at the end of C Street, then peruse the park and creek banks for any trash and plastic pollution. Register

Uisce Irish Pub
Guffawingham (comedy) | Mon 8:30 pm

Mount Baker Theatre
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (film) | Mon

Bellingham Circus Guild
Cascade Juggling Festival (circus) | Fri

Nooksack Valley High School
Footloose (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

Blaine High School
Legally Blonde (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

iDiOM Theatre
All Our Tragic (theatre) | Sat, Sun

The Upfront Theatre
Various performances

Salsa & Bachata - Viking Union - Mon 7 pm
Bellingham Embodiment Collective - Majestic Ballroom - Mon 6:30 pm
Contact Improv - Aikido Peace Education Center - Mon, class 5:30, jam 7 pm
Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 6 pm
B’ham Hop - Crystal Ballroom - Tues 8 pm
Taster Tuesdays (hip hop) - Lost Giants Cider Co - Tues 6 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Revolution Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Contra - Fairhaven Library - Sat 7 pm
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - Sun 1 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sun 10:30 am

Seattle-based guitarist Milo Petersen joins Loch Clark and Kaden Schmidt for an jazz trio performance this afternoon, May 4 from 3:30 to 5 pm, at the Firehouse Arts & Events Center. Petersen, known for his work across Seattle’s jazz community, brings a collaborative approach paired with Clark’s trumpet and flugelhorn and Schmidt’s bass.

Stillhouse Junkies perform at New Prospect Theatre tomorrow, May 5 from 8 to 10 pm. Known for blending bluegrass with elements of swing, blues, and classical music, the group features Fred Kosak, Alissa Wolf, and Jeannette Adams. Tickets

Louis Ledford and Norah McLaughlin perform tomorrow, May 5 from 7 to 9 pm at the Admiralty Lounge, bringing a set of folk, country, and Americana traditions. Ledford, a longtime songwriter and performer, is joined by McLaughlin, a Whatcom County musician known for her work in Kitty Kitty, Alamo Social Club, and Yogoman Burning Band.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Mount Baker Theatre – A 7 pm screening of the classic film as part of a May the Fourth celebration, with themed costumes encouraged and local vendors set up in the lobby before the show. Tickets

Monday Music & Trivia →

BTC Info Session Night, Bellingham Technical College – An informational open house from 5:30 to 8 pm in the G Building where you will learn about programs, career pathways, campus resources, and support services across different fields of study.

Brassapalooza VII, WWU Performing Arts Center Concert Hall – A free concert at 7:30 pm featuring Western’s brass studios performing in ensembles ranging from quintets to a full massed brass group, with a program spanning Bach, Dukas, Lauridsen, Respighi, Strayhorn, and more.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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