By Stefanie Donahue
The Whatcom Land Trust will begin restoration work on 11.5 acres of land it purchased on California Creek last year in preparation for transferring it to the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD) to turn into a public park.
The land trust purchased the land at 4656 Drayton Harbor Road next to California Creek, in June 2017 for $405,000 using a bridge loan from The Conservation Fund, as well as a generous contribution from the park district and other donors. At the time, it contained a three-bedroom home and two dilapidated sheds.
Since then, the Whatcom Land Trust was awarded a $25,000 grant from the California-based Rose Foundation in fall 2017 to remove the two aging sheds on the site and approximately $73,000 from the
National Resources Conservation Service in June 2018 for restoration work.
BBBPRD is also vying for two grants totaling approximately $700,000 from the Washington State Recreation Conservation Office to pay off The Conservation Fund bridge loan, which must be done within the next two years, and for additional park improvements, said Whatcom Land Trust conservation director Gabe Epperson in an email.
“Our proposal scored well (6 out of 16) for both grant programs and should get funded if the capital budget is funded at levels previous to past cycles,” he said.
This is the first land purchase the Whatcom Land Trust has paid for using conservation funds, Epperson said last year. However, it’s not the first time the nonprofit has acquired land and transferred management to various land owners, public agencies and corporations.
Once the Whatcom Land Trust pays off the loan and obtains a conservation easement, the land will be transferred to the park district, he said. It will be the first physical property BBBPRD has maintained on its own; currently, its activity center and office is leased from Whatcom County at Bay Horizon Park, at 7511 Gemini Street in Birch Bay.
Since purchasing the property, the Whatcom Land Trust used the $25,000 grant from the Rose Foundation to demolish the two derelict sheds on the site in September. Epperson said the three-bedroom home will be rented until the land trust pays off the loan and obtains the conservation easement. He said they’ll likely demolish the home in the summer of 2020.
The land trust plans to use the approximately $73,000 from the National Resources Conservation Service to help control invasive species, such as reed canary grass, blackberries and scotch broom, said Whatcom Land Trust stewardship director Jennifer Mackey in an email. It will also be used to plant native species and add woody debris along the shoreline.
Restoration work will kick off in the fall, and work parties will begin in the spring of 2019.
“We will be partnering with the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) to host a planting work party in spring 2019,” Mackey said. “Otherwise, NSEA is being contracted to do the remainder of the work, including the woody debris installation.”
Planners envision the park as a prime location for coho and silver salmon fishers, kayakers and small watercraft users, trail walkers and runners, and much more. Blue heron, bald eagles and migratory waterfowl are known to frequent the area, which is surrounded by alder trees, thick grass and blackberry bushes.
The site also contains water, sewer and electric hook-ups, which likely means the park will contain restroom facilities. Ted Morris, a BBBPRD director, wants the park to be a connecting point in a trail he eventually hopes will span from Blaine to Birch Bay.
“For the park district, this property provides a missing piece in the long-term goal to create a continuous off road walking and cycling trail from Birch Bay to the Canadian border,” read a press release from the Whatcom Land Trust. “This property will provide public access, educational and stewardship opportunities in one of the most beautiful coastal areas of Drayton Harbor as well as permanent protection forever.”
To learn more about Whatcom Land Trust, visit whatcomlandtrust.org.
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