Western Washington University Masthead Logo Western CEDAR The lP anet Western Student Publications Winter 2002 The lP anet, 2002, Winter Levi Pulkkinen Western Washington University Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University Follow this and additional works at: https://cedar.wwu.edu/planet Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the Journalism Studies Commons Recommended Citation Pulkkinen, Levi and Huxley College of the Environment, Western Washington University, "The lP anet, 2002, Winter" (2002). The Planet. 36. https://cedar.wwu.edu/planet/36 This Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Western Student Publications at Western CEDAR. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Planet by an authorized administrator of Western CEDAR. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Dear Reader, For most of history, rivers both created and destroyed communities. Some of the Editor-in-Chief: oldest civilizations exist today because people formed communities to maintain Levi PulI^J^inen dikes and prevent flooding. If the dikes failed, so did the community; floods Associate Editors: Kate Koch smashed homes and harvests, leaving the people to shiver and starve. Sarah Loehndorf People found life easier near the river where they could farm and fish freely. Science Editor: Long before Europeans began moving into the Pacific Northwest, American Colin Dietrich Indians had already developed a rich culture along the area’s riverbanks and shore­ Designers: lines. The salmon in the Nooksack River and the shellfish in Bellingham Bay sus­ Mary Berkley tained them, as they would white settlers during 19th and 20th centuries. The city Kelsi Giswold of Deming grew where the North, Middle and South forks of the Nooksack join, Photo Editor: before winding through Everson, Lynden, Ferndale and Bellingham. Sarah Galbraith Today, the Nooksack River runs through almost every major township in Staff Photographers: Whatcom County. Its water irrigates fields, nurses salmon and, because of a Chris Goodenow diversion completed in 1962, bathes and satiates more than 85,700 county resi­ Quoc Tran dents who draw water from Lake Whatcom. The river defines this community Staff List: more than Mount Baker or Bellingham Bay; yet the community raised on it may Adam Argento be the river’s undoing. Alison Bidderstaff In 2000, the Department of Ecology released a study showing high levels of fecal Matt Bucher Jenny Buening coliform bacteria in the Nooksack. A high fecal coliform count — which can point Eric Conn to the presence of deadly pathogens such as E. coli and Hepatitis — comes from an Gerald Craft increased amount of human or animal fecal matter in the water, often because of Carley Graham careless development or farming. A fecal coliform test is a common way hydrolo­ Tam Huynh gists determine a water body’s health; that the Nooksack failed it so completely is Vivian Lian Paul Olund cause for alarm. Amanda Patterson Two of Whatcom County’s other water bodies linked to the river, Bellingham Kim Voros Bay and Lake Whatcom, are also imperiled by growth and agriculture. The bay’s Planet Radio Producer: floor is covered with one of heavy industry’s leftovers — mercury — while Sudden Alyson Chapin Valley’s sewage regulator. Water District 10, dumps untreated sewage into the lake. Planet Radio Reporters: Whatcom County’s wounded waters, however, can still be healed, and through­ Eric Conn out the county people are working to right past environmental wrongs. Josh Haupt Farmers work under a new state mandate to protect the Nooksack’s tributaries Bradley Pavlil^ from excess manure, a necessary step toward a healthy river. Meanwhile, commu­ Online Editor: nity organizations like the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association are clean­ Kate Granat ing up the river’s banks and replanting them with native species; hopefully, these Advisor: improvements will bring Chinook salmon back to the area by limiting sedimenta­ Scott Brennan tion and decreasing the river’s temperature. The Planet Perhaps the most heartening progress is being made at Whatcom Creek, which c/o Huxley College was scorched by a pipeline explosion on June 10, 1999. Today, the mother of one of Western Washington University three boys killed that day aids in the creek’s restoration, helping replace what was Bellingham, WA 98225 destroyed while coming to terms with her child’s death. On April 22, a suit brought 360.650.3543 against Olympic Pipeline by two of the bereaved families begins, offering another [email protected] chance to reconcile a company’s mistakes with its moral obligation. http://planet.wwu.edu In the Nooksack, the Whatcom County community has an opportunity. It is well This issue of the Planet is printed on within our collective power to leave this river better tomorrow than it is today Living Tree Paper's Deja Vu Matte. The paper stock is 50-percent post-consumer through restoration and regulation. waste and 10-percent hemp and flax. More information on Living Tree Paper is avail­ able online at www.livingtreepaper.com - Levi Pulkkinen Cover photo by Sarah Galbraith The Planet staff extends its deepest thanks to Floyd McKay for years of service as a ATUS; Laurie, Dave, Margaret, Melissa and all of the publishing services staff; and professor and chair of Western’s journalism department. Without his support as an the faculties of Huxley College and Western’s journalism department. administrator and vigilance as an instructor, this magazine would not be what it is today. The staff extends a special thanks to the following reviewers for their comments Thank you for the past 12 years Floyd, and good luck in your ... sob ... retirement. on our past issues: Brian Blix, Jodi Broughton, Vicente Hernandez, Julie Irvin, A special thanks goes to Christopher Kanoa Goodenow, our photographer for the Roberta Kelly, Betsy Marston, Sara Noland, Derek Reiber, Jennifer Sahn, JoAnn past two years. His skill and passion as a photojournalist raised the bar here and his gen­ Valenti and Carol Yoon. tle spirit made working with him a true joy. Hope graduation treats you right Chris. The paper used for this issue of the Planet was made available through a partner­ The Planet staff also thanks the following people for their support and assistance: ship with Living Tree Paper (www.livingtreepaper.com). Andrew Bodman; Carol Brach; Robert Galbraith; Elizabeth Joffrion; Robin Matthews; Additionally, we’d li\e to than\ all the readers who love or hate us, and everyone Alethea Maccomber; Keith Seinfeld; the KUGS staff; Dave Knutson and the rest at who looks to coexist peacefully in this world. You make this all worth doing. ‘Totally Unacceptable' by Alison BicJ^erstajf When, on Dec. 14, 2001, raw sewage was discharged onto Sudden Valley Golf Course, few were left to wonder why the situation is “totally unacceptable.” The Nooksack: Assessing Value Winding through History by Gerald Craft by Tam Huynh Regulations on the timber industry are now com­ In Whatcom County’s short history, the monplace, but they may not prevent disasters like the Nooksack River plays a leading role, shaping the 24 1983 mudslides which ravaged Whatcom County. communities that have grown up on its shores and in its watershed. 2 Brink of Extinction by Carley Graham Stewardship Salmon in the Nooksack River were a defining ele­ by Amanda Patterson ment of Whatcom County; but today, they may Though the metamorphosis from small farm to 26 only exist because of fish hatcheries intervention. agribusiness has unsettling environmental con­ sequences, recent progress gives some reason From the Ashes for hope. 6 by Jenny Buening While Whatcom Creek recovers from the 1999 Slopes and Boats explosion, three families grieve for their lost sons by Vivian Lian 28 and wait for meaningful pipeline-safety regulation. From the Mount Baker Banked Slalom to the Ski- to-Sea relay race, the Nooksack watershed provides the region with countless recreational outlets. Everybody's Problem 10 by Paul Olund When cancerous growths and sores were found in Wretched Water fish grown in a Lummi fishery, the tribe was by Matt Bucher 31 forced to shutdown another part of a system that Torn between development and conservation. Lake once sustained it. 13 Whatcom’s future is in jeopardy, and with it the futures of more than 85,700 people who drink from it. An Overdue Solution by Kim Voros The Primary Compound Bellingham Bay’s resurrection may be at hand. Photographs by Sarah Galbraith & Chris Goodenow After six years of looking, a government and Water is an integral part of everyday life. All life in industry consortium has found a way to bring life 18 back to the dead bay. Whatcom County drinks it and plays in it. 34 The Planet is an environmental magazine published three times yearly dedicated to environmental advocacy and awareness through responsible journalism. It is written, designed and edited by students through Huxley College of the Environment. THE PLANET winter 2002 Raker looms over JNOOKSACK: Winding Through History BY Tam Huynh Have you ever heard of fish that you could Whatcom County in shallow channels. It zigzags under walk across their backs there were so many? There was that bridges, through forests and rural backyards before it empties many fish; all the little creeks and tributaries had fish in into Bellingham Bay. them,” Roland Stone said. “My brother and I could catch a Many of the first settlers reached their homesteads by travel­ fish anytime.” ing on the Nooksack. The 63-year-old warehouseman stands on the deck of his “It was a lot easier to load your canoe ... and take the river home in Deming as a blanket of snow covers the Nooksack as opposed to hiking over land,” said Troy Luginbill, Lynden Valley, preserving a silence only disturbed by the river flowing Pioneer Museum curator coordinator.