Local leaders envision Blaine maritime center

Local leaders spanning the maritime, government and education sectors are rallying behind an idea to build a marine center at Blaine Harbor that could be a hub for learning and recreation.

The vision, which is still in the early planning stages, is called MERIS (Marine, Economic and Research Institute for Sustainability). Supporters say they would like to see MERIS become a community hub at Blaine Harbor that promotes environmental sustainability, education, workforce development and growth of the marine economy.

“I think a concept like this could add a whole new energy to this area,” said Drayton Harbor Oyster Company co-owner Steve Seymour, who is leading efforts on the MERIS project.

The hub could provide hands-on learning for Blaine students and Bellingham Technical College aquaculture students. It could also serve as a focus for citizen science efforts on water quality and tracking invasive European green crabs, while also being a draw for tourism with recreational opportunities such as kayak rentals, supporters say.

Organizers see Blaine Harbor as being  an ideal location for the center, with 2.5 million people living within 30 miles and containing six colleges and universities. Near the harbor are two salmon-bearing streams, an estimated 20 square miles of kelp production, and commercial and public shellfish harvesting.

Blaine mayor Mary Lou Steward said she was visiting a Blaine Elementary School civics class a few years ago when she asked what they thought would make Blaine better. To her surprise, a 5th grade student told her, ‘a marine center,’ an idea that had been tossed around throughout the years. She went to Seymour and Rick Beauregard, a Blaine resident active in water quality issues, with the suggestion.

“This is Blaine’s history,” Steward said. “We started out as a fishing community over 100 years ago and this is making use of what geography has given us.”

Seymour brainstormed the idea with Bellingham Technical College instructors when discussing a Blaine satellite location for the school’s aquaculture program. He presented the idea to Blaine City Council in February 2023, gaining the support of council before going out for a grant with help from the Port of Bellingham.

A few months ago, the Whatcom Working Waterfront Foundation received a $100,000 grant from Walmart’s Walton Family Foundation to research the project’s feasibility, which the group used to hire a Bellingham environmental consulting firm. The firm, Maul, Foster and Alongi, Inc., organized a day-long charrette that brought about 60 people to Semiahmoo Resort on March 4. Representatives attended from the city of Blaine, Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County and Bellingham Technical College.

Steward said the project could help protect local water quality while also diversifying Blaine’s economy, which she sees a heightened importance with fewer Canadian travelers. She said she’s met with White Rock, B.C. residents over the past few years who are interested in creating a cross-border partnership to keep Boundary and Semiahmoo bays clean.

Steward, along with Deb Granger, managing director of the Whatcom Working Waterfront Foundation, said they most looked forward to student involvement. Granger founded the Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship program in Whatcom County in 2022.

“The MERIS project provides a really specific opportunity to engage young people from an early age learning about all of the fabulous opportunities on our waterfront,” Granger said.

Jake Beattie, chief executive officer at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, said he’s seen how the Port Townsend center has impacted his community. The waterfront center has grown over the years to provide education in local classrooms, career training, sailing classes, boatshop courses, and attracts tourists for its annual Race to Alaska and Wooden Boat Festival.

Beattie said he was excited that the Blaine center could offer place-based learning to students who may then become inspired to choose a maritime career, something he’s seen from former students in his area who now work on boats around the world.

“Port Townsend, as a community, created a facility to put a mark on what we are as a community and our maritime character,” Beattie said. “And I see there being a similar value in northern Whatcom County.”

Bradley Smith, who serves on the Bellingham Technical College Board of Trustees, said he thought the MERIS project could work jointly with the school’s aquaculture program, especially with kelp farming, a growing industry in which he said the school has been a leader. Smith, former dean of the Huxley College of the Environment at Western Washington University, said the diversity in the MERIS partnerships would help with grant proposals.

Port of Bellingham commissioner Michael Shepard said this proposal was one of the first he’s seen that would increase the maritime economy in Blaine Harbor.

The port has been focused on environmental cleanup in Blaine Harbor that, once finished, could potentially increase land use for the center, Shepard said.

“We want to see the maritime trades grow,” Shepard said. “And anytime we can support initiatives that work toward growing that, especially in sustainable ways, is exciting for me and our staff.”

The group plans to create an action plan that’s expected to be ready in June. It will then work on public outreach through early fall before finalizing its report. Once its board of directors is formed in late fall or early winter, the group will focus on funding.

Steward said the public will receive more information as it’s available and will be asked for feedback. Seymour said anyone interested in getting involved may email him at draytoncsa@comcast.net.

“This could be a model for how a community treats its bay to keep it clean,” Seymour said. “It’s also a place where we could test ideas.”