Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve

Location: Strait of Georgia shoreline (Click here for map)
Size: 54.1 Acres

Mature forest, forest wetlands, salt shoreline

Georgia Strait shoreline: intertidal creatures, shorebirds, seal pups. Just off shore: loons, cormorants, gulls, grebes, porpoises, sea lions, kelp forests. The San Juan Islands frame the view. To the southeast, an industrial pier. To the northwest, private property. Up on the headland, a tempting spot for a new residential development.

The story of the Point Whitehorn Marine Reserve is a little complicated:  BC Hydro offered Whatcom Land Trust a piece of property south of today’s Reserve. Ecologically, the quality of the property wasn’t that great, but WLT had a plan: In 1999, hundreds of gallons of gasoline leaking from a pipeline in the heart of Bellingham exploded. Through a grant funded by fines levied against those found at fault for that incident, WLT was able to purchase the property from BC Hydro and then offer it to Trillium Corporation in trade for the wooded wetland and .3 miles of Georgia Strait shoreline property that is now this Whatcom County Park. Employing creative strategies and pursuing all available resources, WLT was able to preserve this beautiful spot from development and provide easy access to an additional two miles of shoreline owned by the Department of Natural Resources.

Whatcom Land Trust donated this property to Whatcom County Parks for passive recreational use, but WLT’s responsibilities continue through holding the conservation easement that will ensure that this 54 acres of mature forest, pocket wetlands and shoreline remains as intact, viable habitat forever.  In an area under both industrial and residential pressures, the preservation of this increasingly rare gem is a gratifying accomplishment.