Waterfront Wednesday News

August 28, 2024

Enjoy a Historic Weekend in Blaine & Point Roberts

The Plover Ferry just returned to service this month. Catch it in Blaine or Semiahmoo for a historic ride across the bay. Photo: Blainebythesea.com

Are you looking for a fun and informative getaway on the waterfront for the 3-day weekend? The Maritime WA National Heritage Area recently highlighted a travel itinerary for Blaine and Point Roberts that features stops at maritime points of interest and waterfront parks. Bring your passport! 

Read more about the proposed itinerary below: (If you end up following it - let us know!)

Maritime Names of Washington by Richard Blumenthal

Graphic courtesy Islandwaterspublishing.com

For those intrigued by our early saltwater history, Maritime Names of Washington offers a delightful niche. This scholarly book delves into the origin and history of place names in Washington state. It meticulously catalogs every coastal and inland name accepted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, many of which can be found on current nautical charts.

The manuscript goes beyond mere listings. It uncovers the stories behind these names, tracing their origins and early European settlement history. Drawing from the observations of our earliest explorers, the book provides rich annotations and insightful quotations. Why were these places named as they were? The explorers’ reasoning comes to light.

To enhance its utility, Maritime Names of Washington features 44 historical nautical charts spanning from 1790 to 1900. These charts vividly display many of the named locations. Additionally, the book boasts 70 pictures and 50 original panoramic landscape sketches, some dating back to the late 1700s.

Whether for research or sheer enjoyment, this book offers a captivating journey into our early nautical history. Order a copy or read other titles by Richard Blumenthal via the link below: 

Port Townsend Readies for Annual Wooden Boat Festival

NW Maritime Center during the Wooden Boat Festival. Photo: NW Maritime Center

Join the NW Maritime Center in Port Townsend this coming month for the annual Wooden Boat Festival, Sept. 6-8. 

The festival has several highlights being featured this year, and recently posted about the hidden gems you may find as you wander the festival docks this year.

The Working Waterfront Coalition & Foundation will host a booth this year featuring our Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship Program. Come say 'Hello' and read about the other highlights you might see via the link below:

SE Alaska Trollers Receive a "Stay"

in 9th District Court of Appeals

F/V Nerka trolling in SE Alaska. Photo Courtesy F/V Nerka

Southeast Alaska’s salmon troll fleet, several of whom are based in Whatcom County, has been fighting a lawsuit for many months brought against the troll fleet and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) intended to prevent the fleet from fishing for chinook salmon. The Wild Fish Conservancy has sued claiming that these commercial fishermen are taking significant amounts of chinook salmon bound for Washington state waters where they could provide needed food for endangered orca populations.

The Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County wrote support letters in 2023 to NMFS and Congressional representatives. The troll fleet was granted a 2023 chinook season while the court waited for a biological opinion from NMFS to be completed.

In late June of 2024, the Coalition reported that the SE Alaska troll fleet was granted a “stay” which allowed them to go fishing in the 2024 summer’s chinook season.

Now, on Aug 18, 2024, the Ninth Circuit announced another victory for the trollers. The ruling states that the District judge, who initially ruled against NMFS and the trollers, must wait until the NMFS biological opinion is completed sometime in January 2025 before deciding if the troll catch is indeed a major detriment to the supply of chinook that the orcas need to survive.

Sailors Search for Dry-Moorage in Bellingham

Boat yards in Bellingham face similar challenges, with laydown area all across Bellingham limited and tight. Photo: Dan Tucker

After the sale of the CityMac building and lot at Squalicum Harbor, long-time tenants of the yard who have stored their vessels on the lot are looking for new space as dry-moorage spots in town are hard to find.

The sale of the lot, which was originally intended to be used by maritime trades and not for a computing store, is an attempt to regain some limited space where trades businesses can expand and grow. The Port is currently accepting proposals for the lot. Dry-moorage is on the Port's mind as considerations and planning are ongoing around other areas of the waterfront, and the Port is confident they'll be able to find a new home for the tenants that have had to move.

Read more via Cascadia Daily News below:

Dockside Market Hosts Education Day Sept. 7th

Dockside market will be hosting several local organizations and agencies this coming Sept. 7th market that will showcase their work and projects on fisheries, the waterfront, and seafood.

Come out on Sept. 7th for Dockside's Education Day, where you can grab your next dinner and learn about it, too!

Port Contracts Public Relations Firm to Assist Messaging

The working waterfront. Photo courtesy Steve Hardin.

The Port of Bellingham recently contracted with Conflux Associates, LLC to provide strategy, planning, and aid in distributing information  to the public following a decline in public awareness of Port projects. Several local newspapers highlighted the need for a more comprehensive approach to distributing information regarding projects and progress the Port is making on various endeavors from clean-ups to economic development.

The Port is hoping to provide the community with new and better ways to have information presented so that the 'gap' of communication closes and the public feels properly informed. Part of that information is sending messaging regarding context to the community, explaining why the Port is operating the way it is, what the final vision is, and what the upcoming steps and projects are.

The approach has come with scrutiny from the community. This scrutiny demonstrates why context is important when distributing messages. Professional contractual help is not uncommon for government entities. The City of Spokane, in 2019, spent over $130,000 for marketing with KREM Marketing Solutions to promote branding, tourism, and business development in the area. The City of Seattle has contracted with marketing and branding providers in the past two decades to promote and educate the public on bike lane infrastructure and usage. Government entities often enter into contracts with providers that do everything from marketing and design, to construction, HR work, cleaning services, and anything that falls outside the normal scope of operations for that particular entity.

The Port's PR project with Conflux Associates, LLC has already begun. As Whatcom's waterfronts continue to develop with many projects spread around the various waterways from Fairhaven to Blaine, the project will have a sizable gap to close regarding public knowledge and perception. The Coalition will be following the project closely as we work to advocate for more connection, engagement, understanding, and interest from our community about our working waterfronts.

To read more about the project, see the recent article in the Northern Light publication:

Blue Drinks Q3 Networking Meet Up

Join the Community Boating Center and Whatcom Working Waterfront this September 18th for Blue Drinks Q3 Meetup. Blue Drinks is a free, open-networking event for anyone interested in the waterfront. This quarter, we're featuring Jackie Dexter of Holdfast Mariculture as she talks about sea grass, seaweed, and cultivating life in our waters for habitat restoration and for harvest.

Registration not required, this event is free and open to the public.

Blue Drinks Q3 Meet Up
September 18th, 5:30-7:00pm
Community Boating Center
555 Harris Avenue, Bellingham