Letters to The Editor: January 2-8, 2025

The Editor:

Watching birds from the shores of Bellingham Bay and nearby Salish Sea beaches in Whatcom County is a magical experience. I love seeing majestic bald eagles and osprey dive for fish, while graceful herons stand still in the shallows. Flocks of western sandpipers flutter along the shore, and cormorants and gulls glide overhead. Each visit offers a new glimpse into the vibrant bird life in this beautiful coastal ecosystem.

Sadly, climate change poses significant threats to our coastal communities. With projections of rising sea levels significantly affecting areas such as Lummi Island, Point Roberts, Bellingham Bay and others places nearby, and the increased frequency of extreme weather events, our local infrastructure, ecosystems and livelihoods are at risk. The notable decline in our local marine bird populations is a dire warning.

Community engagement is vital as we face these mounting challenges. That’s why the North Cascades Audubon Society is partnering with our statewide organization, Audubon of Washington, on a new initiative called Audubon Around the Sound. This call to action seeks to bring people from across our community together to take steps to protect the Salish Sea and its coastal habitats.  We call this “coastal resilience” and this means preserving remaining coastal wetlands and adjacent estuaries. It also means rejecting development proposals that involve hard armoring of the shorelines, which interferes with the natural processes and degrades the local habitat used by birds and other wildlife.

Addressing coastal resilience is not just about protecting our environment; it’s about safeguarding our economy and quality of life. By taking proactive steps now, we will invest in our current treasured resources and allow future generations to continue to enjoy the beauty and resources of our region, even in the face of climate change.

We urge you to reach out to your local officials and elected representatives at the national, state and local levels to ensure they acknowledge the urgency of this need and commit to making environmental policies and land-use decisions that enhance the coastal resiliency of the Salish Sea.

Jamie Huson, president

North Cascades Audubon Society

The Editor:

Community Assistance Program’s (CAP) Laura Vogee, Birch Bay/Blaine’s Community Toy Store director, has financially struggling families pay for their children’s Christmas gifts that were donated freely by our community to the Toy Store.

Her Letter to the Editor (December 19) states the “proceeds totaled over $3,500.” This money is then split between the Blaine Food Bank, Bridge Community Hope Emergency Fund and Loads of Love, which offers free laundry for two hours, twice a month. This isn’t free for the poor people who have already paid when they paid for Christmas presents at the toy store.

Money from struggling families is now being funneled to their community services. Years ago, Vogee told me it was “a hand-up, not a hand-out.” The actual and real “hand-up” is the free services being offered for these families to stay afloat financially. The “hand-out” is the poor people being made to help pay for their free services. Community services are in place to financially support poor people, not poor people financially supporting community services.

Vogee said these people need pride, so she came up with the idea they should help pay for their children’s Christmas gifts. Instead of pride, did she ever consider they could have a profound sense of gratitude to be able to come and pick out for free, beautiful, quality Christmas gifts for their children? What price for pride?

Someone once said, “It’s funny how people think they’re rich because they have money.” Some of the richest people I’ve met have a sense of pride in their own self-worth because they’re rich in spirit – that has nothing to do with money.

Poor people don’t need more pride. They need more money.

Cindy Kisska

Birch Bay