Help Plan Whatcom County’s Newest Park, Speak Up for Trails

Last year almost 9,000 acres of forest lands around Bellingham’s Lake Whatcom were transferred from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to Whatcom County, creating the state’s largest locally managed park. Now the county needs your help to plan the future of the park, including a robust trail system that could include more than 50 miles of new trails for hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners and equestrians.

The first planning meeting is Tuesday, April 29^th. A series of meetings will take place over the next several months.

When: Tuesday, April 29^th, 6:30pm

Where: Bellingham Senior Activity Center – 315 Halleck Street, Bellingham, WA

Washington Trails Association and other groups, including Conservation Northwest, advocated strongly for the county creating the new park from lands previously held by the state for timber harvest.

If you attend the planning meetings

• Let Whatcom County know how you currently use the forest lands around Lake Whatcom and what you do there. The new park lands include the slopes of Stewart Mountain on the southeast side of the lake and Lookout Mountain, also known as Galbraith, on the southwest side of Lake Whatcom.
• Speak up for trails and backcountry campsites – the county has talked about a 50 mile trail system – let them know that you love trails and want to see a well-designed trail system that has a variety of difficulty, including less strenuous, family-friendly trails, and connects to adjacent trail systems.
• Discuss the importance of balancing watershed and wildlife protection with recreation – the new park lands are home to a variety of critters, including threatened marbled murrelet, and is the primary source for Bellingham’s drinking water.

To learn more about Whatcom County’s efforts to develop the park, follow their progress on the county’s park website.