County council recommends name honoring Wolf Bauer

By Oliver Lazenby

Whatcom County Council on February 23 passed a resolution recommending that the point at the mouth of Terrell Creek be named Wolf Bauer Point.

The finger of land at the delta of Terrell Creek, across the street from the Will’O Pub & Cafe, is already being informally called Wolf Bauer Point by shoreline scientists and the local community, according to a report prepared for the council.

Wolf Bauer died on January 23 at the age of 103. Bauer was an influential mountaineer, kayaker, conservationist and shoreline restoration pioneer. Most importantly in regards to Terrell Creek, Bauer’s 1975 report titled Birch Bay Shore Resource Analysis is the foundation of the Birch Bay berm restoration project currently underway.

The council doesn’t have the authority to actually name the landform. Instead, it will request that the Washington State Committee on Geographic Names recommend Wolf Bauer Point to the Washington State Board on Geographic Names.

The committee meets twice a year to consider proposed names, but the board usually doesn’t consider applications for commemorative names until five years after the person died, according to its application packet.

The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce and nearby property owners support the name, according to the council’s report.