CONSERVATION INSPIRATION

Celebrate a belated Indigenous Peoples' Day (1010/22) by reading five inspirational stories about some conservation programs that are showig positive results. Read all about them HERE.

THE WORLD'S LONELIEST WHALE MAY HAVE FOUND A FRIEND

You may have heard of the Hertz 52 Whale, so named by marine biologists who heard his distinctive whale call years ago and determined that he may be the last of his kind left. Well, it seems that a second similar whale call has been heard. Everyone needs friends, fingerds crossed he's found one too. Read more details HERE.

Meridian School District Newsletter

The Meridian School District will be adding a new elementary school in north Bellingham in the near future. And with the growth we are seeing in Cordata, there may be more to come. So whether you have children in a Meridiasn school or not, it's useful to keep informed about what is happening in this excellent school system.

You can read their most recent newsletter HERE.

FOREST FIRES

We are all concerned with the threat of forest fires as they destroy natural habitat and resources, threaten the lives of others, and blanket many areas with dangerous smoke. Two recent articles about the ongoing work to limit uncontrolled fires are included below.

The first article describes some indigineous practices around forest fires that may have benefit to a wider audience. You can read teh details HERE.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes -- and Nose and Throat.

The second piece I'm sharing is in regard to the recent smoke that we all noticed mid-October. Amanda Monthei is a former wildland firefighter who now writes about fire fires. On October 16, 2022, she shared some interesting news about smoke--what causes it, when it will get worse, how to prepare for it, and other useful information. You can read more about it HERE.

Ways to Get Involved and Stay Informed with the City of Bellingham

Volunteer on a local board, commission or committee: Volunteer to advise policy makers or provide support to city services. From transportation and greenways committees to library and museum boards, to learn about current vacancies, visit cob.org/bc

Watch City Council meetings:  Presentations, public hearings, deliberations about pending actions, and more: Bellingham City Council meetings are televised live on BTV, available on video, and are an excellent way to tune in to what’s happening in your City. For agendas and video recordings of meetings, visit meetings.cob.org

Share your perspectives on Engage Bellingham: Engage at the time and place of your choosing on issues like zoning, housing and climate action. Sign up at EngageBellingham.org

Submit service requests with SeeClickFix: Be part of the solution. The browser and smart phone app, SeeClickFix, is a handy way to alert the City to infrastructure needs. Learn more at cob.org/fix

Sign up to receive City news: From weekly construction reports to breaking news, receive updates when we have news to share. Subscribe at cob.org/news

Follow us on social media: Follow any or all of our more than two dozen social media sites. See cob.org/social

Climate updates: Sign up for occasional climate updates at cob.org/climate

Parks & Recreation newsletter: Subscribe to Parks and Rec Newsletter - City of Bellingham (cob.org)

The CITY OF BELLINGHAM 2023-2027 ASSESSMENT OF FAIR HOUSING Draft for Public Comment is now available. The document summarize the fair housing issues, significant contributing factors, and goals. Also include an overview of the process and analysis used to reach the goals.

This began in December 2021 when the City staff developed a broad list of stakeholders and community organi-zations and finalized the Community Participation Plan in February 2022. The outreach included launching an Engage Bellinham site as well as several surveys. In addition to the online survey and Engage Bellingham, staff reached out to several local stakeholder groups and conducted in-person listening sessions, targeted surveys, and other engagement activities.

You can read the draft HERE.