Recent Articles

Letter: Local Governments and the Environment

Liz Marshall writes about her concerns of our local governments and their environmental actions

Liz Marshall writes about her concerns of our local governments and their environmental actions

By
• Topics: Bellingham, Environment,

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

Dr. Seuss

These thoughts came to mind after (1) reading Karen Steen's April 28th comment (which I believe and agree with) and (2) upon yesterday's application of Roundup where I live (a Housing Authority project) and a baby cottontail going into seizure:

Inspired by the trees at the City Hall site, what I had read over the years about Mitch Friedman saving forests, and other characteristics of Bellingham, I moved to an apartment in Bellingham because there was a vacancy. I attended Waterfront Futures meetings and related activities with enthusiasm. After about four years of observing the cronyism, nepotism and fruitlessness of citizens' input, and after Hurricane Katrina happened in 2005, I volunteered by blogging for animal rescue nationwide. The muck of physical disasters proved more realistic to try to overcome than political ones. I volunteered in pet rescue networking for 13 years without following local politics much. Then observing routine actions by the Kelly Linville administration and the Port of Bellingham I did not get the impression that Bellingham had progressed in the interim. I thought the election of Seth Fleetwood would be a game changer. Now I don’t see hearty efforts at green construction - just overly dense construction and greenwashing, pollution of the environment, and altars to past industries instead of to the planet.

  Bellingham is located within the Nooksack Basin or Watershed Resource Inventory Area 1 (WRIA1). See  https://salmonwria1.org/. I have volunteered for WRIA1 projects as well as for  the Skagit River system and other watersheds, for example WRIA9, the Green River and Duwamish. Both as an individual volunteer and as a member of groups, I have planted trees, mentored, organized events, published, picked up litter and advocated in other ways. In those other watersheds, Mayors and County Executives as well as government staff, NGOs and businesses were dependably responsive when I communicated with them.

Considering that the climate is croaking, the future of the waterfront and its natural inhabitants looks dimmer than it should be despite cries from citizens who volunteer and speak up. Even with large investment coming from the Federal and other governmental agencies, I agree with those who say there needs to be bigger, braver, more genuine effort at the local level to effect necessary change and respect for the ecology systems that sustain humans as they have sustained the planet’s other residents for much longer. 

Liz Marshall, Downtown Bellingham

Letter: Local Governments and the Environment

By Letter WriterOn May 03, 2022

Liz Marshall writes about her concerns of our local governments and their environmental actions

Medicare Beneficiaries to Uncle Joe: “Thanks for stopping by.”

By Dick ConoboyOn Apr 27, 2022

Biden missed a chance to truthfully address his administration’s actions to privatize Medicare.

4 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Highway Robbery

By Jon HumphreyOn Apr 24, 2022

Or how supposed progressives in our state legislature work against clean energy and the environment

14 comments, most recent 2 years ago

CityView Private Student Dormitory Complex Gains Conditional Approval

By Dick ConoboyOn Apr 20, 2022

Yet another un-affordable rental complex for Bellingham as we slide down the razor blade of housing affordability.

6 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Cantwell, Larsen, And Others Respond To Complaints About Medicare Privatization Attempts

By Dick ConoboyOn Apr 16, 2022

It seems that getting our congressional reps to directly oppose privatization efforts is too difficult a commitment.

5 comments, most recent 2 years ago

The Problems WTA Electric Buses Don’t Have

By Jon HumphreyOn Apr 15, 2022

“Alarmist” article is unfair to needed new technology

3 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Hip Hip Hooray for the Herons!

By Jamie K. DonaldsonOn Apr 01, 2022

Twenty-two years, hundreds of volunteers, thousands of hours, their own lawyer, and the herons won!

8 comments, most recent 2 years ago

“Protect Medicare” Established to Fight Privatization

By Dick ConoboyOn Apr 01, 2022

If this story were a movie, nobody would go because it is so unbelievable.

1 comment, most recent 2 years ago

Medicare Direct Contracting Scam Renamed ACO REACH

By Dick ConoboyOn Mar 25, 2022

If you put lipstick on a pig or polish a turd, you still have a pig and a turd.

4 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Jumping The Gun on In-Chamber Council Meetings

By Dick ConoboyOn Mar 04, 2022

“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”― Lewis Carroll

5 comments, most recent 2 years ago

A Sputtering Blitzkrieg

By Dick ConoboyOn Feb 28, 2022

Krieg it is, but not a blitz. Poor morale and insufficient training are any army’s ball and chain.

15 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Cascadia Daily News Broadband Article Falls Short

By Jon HumphreyOn Feb 25, 2022

The CDN internet article doesn’t question “high-speed” or “affordable” or “coming soon” in Whatcom County.

3 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Been Vaccinated?

By David A. SwansonOn Feb 24, 2022

What is the probability of dying from COVID-19 among the un-vaccinated?

9 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Agent Orange and Vietnam Veterans, Their Children, and Grandchildren

By Dick ConoboyOn Feb 22, 2022

Agent Orange is the “gift” that keeps giving.

3 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Wait a Minute, We Got in This Ukrainian Mess…How?

By Dianne FosterOn Feb 20, 2022

Dianne Foster clearly remembers our 2014 coup in Ukraine. Who are we now calling the aggressor? Let’s take a little minute to review here…

28 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Public Banking Bill Mortus Est

By Dick ConoboyOn Feb 19, 2022

In the early hours of February 17th, Public Banking Bill SB 5188, weakened by toxic amendments, was found lifeless. Heroic attempts to keep it alive since early January this year had been unsuccessful.

1 comment, most recent 2 years ago

Elevators, Smelevators

By Tip JohnsonOn Feb 14, 2022

…Pants on Fire!

9 comments, most recent 2 years ago

No Project Too Absurd

By Dick ConoboyOn Feb 12, 2022

CityView is an oversized, misplaced, unnecessary, and virtually unadaptable apartment complex.

4 comments, most recent 2 years ago

“The Blob” or Peace Health’s Latest Expansion Gambit

By Dick ConoboyOn Feb 09, 2022

The slime of corporate greed knows no bounds, has no morals, and will win out if we do nothing.

4 comments, most recent 2 years ago

Income Inequality in Whatcom County

By David A. SwansonOn Feb 08, 2022

Income inequality is a national issue driving many social and health problems. This article explores income inequality in Whatcom County.

1 comment, most recent 2 years ago