This year’s Jr. Stewards program will wrap up on Friday, Aug. 27th.  Participants need to turn in their completed  Reflect & Respond sheets, included in their booklet. This will get them entered into a drawing for cool prizes. It will also give us feedback on how we can make the program even better. So, get your Reflect & Respond sheets in today!

This multi-sport event replicates the journey of the salmon. Whatcom Land Trust’s Traverse team will race and raise funds for land preservation (including salmon habitat) and restoration.  Come cheer our Chum!

8:00am – 2:00pm (Time may change to afternoon/evening if temperatures are running too high)
Leader: Doug Huddle
Limit: 10

NOTE NEW DATE!!! Observe mountain goats heading to high country on Barometer Mountain, Lasiocarpa Ridge and Chowder Ridge. Tour will include strenuous, ½ mile hike each way. Contingent on weather, this hike offers chances to see mountain goats, golden eagles, pikas, nesting raptors and neo-tropical birds. Call or email the Whatcom Land Trust office to register 650-9470.

Gear: Ten Essentials Day Pack suggested. Good hiking boots, layered clothing, rain gear, sack lunch, water, binoculars, spotting scopes, cameras with lenses, sunglasses and bug repellant strongly encouraged.

Come join us on Saturday, June 12th for the kickoff of the 2010 Jr. Stewards program!  We’ll be at Marine Park in Fairhaven from 10:30 – 12:30 to experience the low tide (at the beach) and distribute booklets (at the shelter).

The Jr. Stewards program is a free, environmental education program for kids and their family. Kids get a booklet of activities to do at 3 specific locations, and 1 location of their own choice. By the end of the program (Aug. 27), they complete a Reflect & Respond page and send it to us. Depending on how many places the child visited, s/he receives entries into a drawing for great prizes!

We hope you’ll join us at the kickoff to get your booklet! If you have questions, feel free to call Connie at 650-9470.

Saturday, June 12

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Join WLT and NSEA at WLT’s Bell Creek property for some knotweed stompin’!  We’ll be working on North Fork Island, just a hop, skip, and a jump across the field from Bell Creek itself.  This is going to be a super fun work party, not too strenuous, and great for ages 10 and up.  Come in groups, come by yourself, we’d love to have you there!

Sturdy clothing and rain gear recommended, rain boots especially.  Tools, snacks, and gloves provided on site.  To register and get directions, call (360) 650-9470.   If possible, help us conserve parking space and the environment by carpooling.  See you there!

Thank you to all of you who came out to Dr. Otto’s place on May 1st for WLT’s nest box tour.  Dr. Otto showed attendees the Wood Duck nest boxes placed around her property.  Wood Duck eggs and Saw-whet owl hatchlings were among the attractions.  Thank you, Dr. Otto!

Photos by:  Karen Haard (see more pictures on her Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsunomi/)

On April 22, 2010, a.k.a. Earth Day, REI and Whatcom Land Trust partnered up to tackle the English Ivy found along the Interurban Trail in Bellingham.  Along this gorgeous stretch of the Chuckanut Ridge Wetlands near Arroyo Park, volunteers got down and dirty pulling this persistent vine, and their hard work paid off big time.  We ended up with 32 big trash bags full of English Ivy, piled high in the beds of three pickup trucks. 

Thank you Crystal and Pat for donating the use of your trucks for the event!  After everything was loaded, Crystal, Pat, and I took everything to the City of Bellingham’s Clean Green Transfer Facility, where the eco-friendly can take their yard debris.  A huge thank you to everyone who came!  You guys are great!

Follow the link to see even more pictures of the event: http://www.pbase.com/patrickkennedy/earth_day_2010

May 8, 2010, 5-9pm at the Lakeway Inn

Please join us for Whatcom Land Trust’s 10th Annual Auction.

This event sells out every year, so don’t wait. Make your reservation soon!  The early bird deadline is April 2nd.

Reservations are only $60 per person if received by April 2nd, and $75 afterwards.  Be a table captain and invite your friends!  Full tables of 8 are $400 before April 2nd, and $500 afterwards. Call 650-9470 to register!

The following local businesses have generously donated food or materials to recent Whatcom Land Trust work parties: Starbucks Coffee, The RE Store, Avenue Bread & Deli, Avellino, Cascade Joinery, & Erin Baker’s Wholesome Baked Goods.

We are entrusted with an extraordinary natural heritage. Saltwater shorelines, forests, lakes, farms, mountains, and wildlife habitat are all part of a legacy that only we can preserve for future generations. The desire to share this heritage with our children and grandchildren unites all who treasure Whatcom County.