🐹 Rehab For Aves 🦅🦅

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

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

Tag @bellinghamsterwheel on Instagram, or reply to this email to get your photos in The Hamster Wheel.

On Tuesday, the North Cascades Audubon Society is teaming up with the Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for a presentation on Wildlife Rehabilitation for Avian Conservation from 6:30–9:00 pm in the Rotunda Room at Old City Hall.

Speakers Anna Schwabe and Renata Lüders will will share insights from their work at the Rehabilitation Center, a local nonprofit dedicated to “rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing all species of wildlife found in Washington State.” You’ll learn about the most common species treated at the center, the reasons animals are brought into care, and how rehabilitation plays a role in protecting bird populations and broader ecosystems.

Schwabe, the Wildlife Center Manager at WHS, has followed a lifelong path toward animal care through internships and professional roles across the country. Lüders, the Volunteer & Intern Coordinator, holds a degree in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Washington State University and has worked with multiple rehabilitation centers throughout Washington.

While we’re on the topic of birds, I’ve been looking for a chance to mention a lovely photo essay by journalist Jesse Paull that ran in The Planet’s Fall Issue. Titled Is Falconry Feasible?, it’s beautifully written and artfully photographed. Well worth a read. 👍

Holy monster boulder, Batman! We’ve seen plenty of rockslides on Chuckanut over the past few years, some involving SUV-sized boulders, but this behemoth 👇 is on another level. It fell on SR 155 south of Steamboat Rock State Park in Grant County this weekend. Just look at the depth of that impact crater! 🤯

Not going to lie—every time WSDOT posts one of these rockfall images my inner rockhound goes into hyperdrive. 😆 In this case, they indicate that blasting will be required in order to remove the boulder from the roadway, and warn about “auto-flagger controlled traffic and delays.” It’s too far away to impact most of us, but I couldn’t help myself when I saw the photo pop up.

I got a note last week from Chris Moench, Chair of the Whatcom Artist Studio Tour, letting us know that the application period is open for the 2026 tour season. If you’re an artist in Whatcom County and would like to participate in the fall studio tour and associated group shows and promotions, you have until March 15th to familiarize yourself with the requirements, and submit your application.

The Whatcom Artist Studio Tour is a free, self-guided event held the first two weekends of October, showcasing artists working in a wide range of media. Participating artists take part in group exhibitions, shared marketing and promotion, and collaborative volunteer efforts throughout the year.

CIVIC CORNER

Monday
Bham City Council, 1 pm, with regular meeting at 7 pm, City Hall Council Chambers, agenda, watch online
Blaine City Council, 4:30 pm, Council Chambers, agenda

Tuesday
Bham Tourism Commission, 3:30 pm, Mayor’s Boardroom, agenda, watch online
Bham Water Resources Advisory Board, 6:00 pm, Pacific Street Operations Center, agenda, watch online
Whatcom County Council, 8:50 am, with regular meeting at 6:00 pm, Council Chambers, agenda, watch online

Wednesday
Ferndale Planning Commission, 6:00 pm, City Hall Annex and Council Chambers
Drayton Harbor/Portage Bay Shellfish Protection District Advisory Committee, 3:00 pm, W.C. Civic Center Annex (Conference Room - Garden Level)
Whatcom County Ferry Advisory Committee, 6:00 pm, The Gathering Place, Lummi Island

Thursday
What-Comm Administrative Board, 1:00 pm, 625 Halleck St, watch online

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Wednesday
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.

Saturday
Harriet Spanel Park: This park in the York Neighborhood near the Loving Space School needs some love. Join the parks dept. and the York Neighborhood Association to help to remove weeds, spread mulch, and pick up litter to revitalize the space! Register to participate.
Kenney Creek: Support the continued planting of Kenney Creek, a tributary of the North Fork Nooksack River that provides spawning habitat for Chinook, chum, coho, and pink salmon, among other salmonids (steelhead, bull trout, cutthroat trout). This property is owned by the Whatcom Land Trust and NSEA is supporting the large-scale planting that will increase the riparian buffer of lower Kenney Creek. Register to participate.

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

Bellingham Theatre Guild
American Son (theater) | Mon

ʻOno Kitchen & Bar
Comedy Night ft. Jaci Terjeson (comedy) | Wed 8:00 pm

iDiOM Theater
The Illusion (theater) | Thurs & Fri

iDiOM Theater
Serial Killers (theater) | Sat

Larrabee Lager Co
Laughs at Larrabee (comedy) | Fri 8:00 pm

FireHouse Arts & Events Center
Documenting Grace Film Series - Wicket (film) | 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 7 pm
Beginning 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
Int. Cuban Salsa - Cof& - Tues 7:15 pm
Tango Practica - The Majestic - Wed 6:30 pm
Flow Fusion - Karate Church - Thurs 7 pm
Dance Fusion - BSAC - Sat 10:30 am
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 4:00 pm
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Belly Dance - Karate Church - 1 pm

SANOMA is a long standing surf western band from Bellingham, and this week they are playing the Admiralty Lounge. “Also venturing into shoegaze and art rock, their stripped down sets reveal a literate scope of songwriting.” Tomorrow night, January 27, at 7 pm.

Open Mic Night at Underground Coffeehouse is a student-centered opportunity to share music, poetry, comedy, and more every Tuesday in the Viking Union. Sign-ups begin at 6:30 p.m., with performances running from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the third floor of the VU. Hosted by WWU AMP, the event is free, all talents are welcome, and the space is ADA-accessible.

Good Neighbor Night returns to Stones Throw tonight, January 26, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., with this month’s event supporting the WWU Ecological Restoration Club, a student-led organization focused on caring for local land and waterways through hands-on stewardship and community engagement. The evening features environmental trivia, prizes from Stones Throw and local businesses, and a chance to connect with WWU students doing on-the-ground restoration work. Ten percent of beer sales during the event will be donated to support the club’s efforts.

Monday Trivia, Zeeks Pizza – A weekly trivia night from 6–8 p.m. featuring two rounds across a wide range of categories, including current events, music, history, science, and general knowledge, with $2 buy-ins, cash and prizes for top teams, and drink specials during the game.

Monday Music & Trivia →

Top Ten Book Lists: Cozy Romances, Bellingham Public Library (Central Library, SkillShare Space) – Adult Services Librarian Katie Bray presents a curated list of cozy romance reads during this monthly book talk, offering recommendations for romance fans, book clubs, and anyone seeking comforting, engaging fiction, from 5:00–5:45 p.m.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

Advertise in Bham’s #1 Newsletter
Include a note in the Wheel! Learn more

Thanks for reading today’s edition. If you found something helpful, please share it with a friend and encourage them to click here to subscribe. 🙏

Reply to this email if you have news to share, an event you’d like me to know about, or to send me a love note. 💘