🐹 Smolt Sprint 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

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

Friends, thank you for your patience during my summer hiatus. It was so lovely to see all of you out on beaches and hiking trails during my adventures. But most importantly, The Wheel rolls once more! 😁

I’ll be processing through the backlog of emails and event submissions over the coming days. If you sent something important, please feel free to bump it to the top of my inbox and I’ll try to reply promptly.

Have fun, and stay safe out there!

~ Evan

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

On Friday, the City of Bellingham shared this fabulous photo of Cornwall Park, 👇 I’m guessing it was taken around 1910, along with an update about a new reforestation project. After years of heavy use, parts of the park’s forest “are showing signs of wear, including compacted soil and the loss of native plants and trees.”

Over the next three to five years, portions of Cornwall Memorial Park will be fenced off so native understory plants can recover. The work is intended to strengthen the urban tree canopy, improve salmon habitat and water quality in Squalicum Creek, and help the park continue supporting recreation over the long term.

The map above shows the sections of the parked that will be impacted by these restoration projects and closures. The city’s project page indicates that volunteers will be enlisted to work on the replanting so I’ll keep my eyes peeled for those announcements. This would be a fun project to work on. 🌿

Last week, the Whatcom Conservation District announced that registration is open for the 14th annual Run with the Chums 5K Fun Run. It’s a free, family-friendly event in Birch Bay that’s scheduled for September 12 this year and is open to runners, walkers, families, strollers, and leashed pets.

More than 400 people took part last year, including kids racing through the Smolt Sprint obstacle course. How cute is that. 😂 You can register for the whole fam to run on the Whatcom Conservation District website.

Traffic Alert: The Washington State Department of Transportation has announced a lane closure on northbound I-5 just south of West Smith Road (milepost 261) in Ferndale that will impact traffic today and tomorrow.

Additionally, a section of Main Street in Everson will be closed today while crews resurface the roadway. Westbound and eastbound traffic will alternate with flaggers so expect delays if you’re traveling through Everson. That section is from Blair Drive to Kirsh Drive on State Route 544.

LOCAL READS

Bellingham’s Post Point Heron Colony on the Move
By Tori Lehman · Whatcom Watch
Great blue herons have adapted repeatedly as development reshapes Bellingham, from relocating to Post Point in 2000 to establishing a new colony near the restored Little Squalicum Estuary. Tori explains how years of community advocacy helped protect the Post Point nesting area and why conservation efforts are now following the birds to their newest home. Read more →

· · · · · · · · · · · · ·

Feeling the Burn
By Samantha Boulware · The Planet
A proposed restructuring of the U.S. Forest Service and the elimination of its research budget have raised concerns among firefighters, scientists, and conservation groups about the nation’s ability to prepare for increasingly severe wildfire seasons. Samantha reports that Washington experts fear the loss of research offices, experienced staff, and institutional knowledge could weaken wildfire management for years to come. Read more →

CIVIC CORNER

Monday
Bellingham City Council, 10:30 am w. regular meeting at 7pm, City Hall

Tuesday
Bellingham Tourism Commission, 3:30 pm, City Hall
Whatcom County Council, 6:00 pm, County Courthouse
Everson City Council, 7:00 pm, City Hall

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Friday-Sunday
Olsen Creek: Join the Washington Trails Association as they develop this multi-use recreation opportunity just outside of Bellingham. Part of the Baker to Bellingham Recreation Plan adopted in 2018, this will be the first sanctioned non motorized recreation in Whatcom County on DNR managed lands. Resister

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

New Prospect Theatre
Bits of the Bard (theatre) | Wed

New Prospect Theatre
Agnus of God (theatre) | Thurs-Sun

FHS Performing Arts Center
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (theatre) | Thurs-Sat

BAAY
Exorcism Gone Awry (theatre) | Fri & Sat

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
Sunset Silent Disco - Zuanich - Sat 7:30 pm
Beginner Ballet - Karate Church - Sat 10 am
Beginner Contemporary - Karate Church - Sat 11:30 am
Salsa Collective - The Majestic - Sun 5:30 pm
Open Floor Conscious Dance - Bellingham Fitness - Sun 10:30 am

Tom McDermott brings a solo piano program to the FireHouse Arts & Events Center tonight, July 27, from 7 to 8:30 pm. A longtime New Orleans musician, McDermott moves between ragtime, traditional jazz, R&B, and Brazilian choro, a style he began studying through repeated trips to Brazil. His career includes work with the Dukes of Dixieland and the Grammy-winning New Orleans Nightcrawlers. Admission is $20 at the door.

Clea Johnson and Cayley Schmid perform at The Admiralty Lounge tomorrow, July 28, from 7 to 9 pm. The Bellingham musicians have played together for more than 20 years, building a shared repertoire across many gigs and sessions. Their fiddle-and-cello duo draws from Irish, Scottish, and North American folk traditions, with the familiarity of longtime collaborators shaping the evening’s music.

Whatcom Family Village is hosting a Babes in Arms meetup at Larrabee Lager tonight from 4:30 to 6:30 pm. The free gathering offers new parents a casual place to talk, connect, and spend time together with babies welcome throughout. Larrabee Lager will offer $1 off pints and other discounts during the event.

Florry and Friendship perform at The Shakedown tomorrow, July 28, with doors at 7:30 pm and music at 8 pm. Philadelphia-based Florry blends country, indie rock, and Americana. Friendship brings a quieter mix of indie folk-rock and alt-country. Sunflecks open the evening. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show.

Good Neighbor Night with Kulshan Carbon Trust, Stones Throw Brewery – Summer trivia runs from 5 to 9 pm with questions about wildfires, forests, the Salish Sea, and related topics, while 10 percent of beer sales supports Kulshan Carbon Trust’s biochar and soil health work.

All Comers Track & Field, Civic Field – An all-ages meet from 6 to 9 pm with running, jumping, and throwing events for first-time competitors and experienced athletes, with check-in beginning at 5:15 pm.

Monday Music & Trivia →

Tuesday Tunes: Bilongo, Barkley Village Green – Bilongo performs Latin jazz and original music from 6 to 8 pm, with food trucks on site and the concert benefiting Whatcom Humane Society.

Bingo Night Fundraiser, Zeeks Pizza – Free all-ages bingo runs from 6 to 8 pm with prizes after each round. 10 percent of event sales supports the WWU Cheerleading Team’s 2027 National Championships trip.

Tuesday Music & Trivia →

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