Bennett Knox started working as the new director for the Whatcom County parks and recreation department at the beginning of September. Knox joined the county from Louisville Metro Parks, where he worked for 20 years, most recently as parks administrator for the natural areas division and Jefferson Memorial Forest.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in natural resource conservation from the University of Kentucky and master of engineering management in resource ecology at Duke University. The parks department oversees 16,000 acres of land including natural areas, parks, campgrounds, historic buildings and nearly 70 miles of trails. It also manages eight senior centers, a community center and a rifle range.
The Northern Light sat down with Knox and asked him about his biggest priorities for the new position, how he plans to connect with the community and which trails are his favorite so far in Whatcom County.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What interested you in the position?
I had a longtime interest. I initially applied to graduate school in the Pacific Northwest. This job was going to involve types of properties that I had been doing in Louisville’s natural area management, which attracted me as a next step. We did a lot of programming, not as much farmland management and land acquisition. The ability to bring the experiences I have working with the community as well as do a lot more attention on resource management was really attractive.
What are your top three goals in your first year for Whatcom County and how do you plan to execute them?
I’m still developing my goals. In all honesty, I’m in a bit of a learning phase right now. We have a project backlog, so that’s got to be a top priority and involves building staff capacity. One of my big goals for the year, hopefully I’ll make a lot of progress on it early, is developing an understanding of what the community looks like here and how best the parks department can support that.
What are your biggest priorities for the Birch Bay area?
I’m trying to get a sense of how the parks we have right now fit together with the goals of what the community wants to see. I think we have a great plan for the Birch Bay Beach Park. I’m excited to move this project forward. We need to work toward raising the funding to implement the phased plan. Trying to get started on the first phase elements of that plan is really important for next year.
Do you know when the Birch Bay Beach Park could be finished?
It’s probably going to take a few years. The cost estimate we had done in 2016 was around $6 million fully executed and it’s been a few years so there’s been inflation.
What is your take on bringing public restrooms to Birch Bay?
It’s a big part of this plan for Birch Bay Beach Park and that is certainly one of the things in the first phase that we want to get to, in addition to parking. I’m trying to look holistically, take a step back and think about how the parks we have in this area connect.
Where have you visited in Whatcom County since starting the position?
I’ve been all over. The only place I haven’t been yet is Sumas. I’ve been to Everson, Blaine, Birch Bay, Point Roberts, Lynden, Nooksack and Lake Whatcom. I still have a lot to see but I’ve probably hit about 60 percent.
How do you plan on meeting the needs of the remote areas and rural communities?
My background in Louisville was trying to pay attention to communities in need, marginalized communities. Part of my goal is to learn what the needs are. We’re fortunate that there’s been a lot of planning done here related to health equity. There’s a lot of needs related to different parks and how they might connect with trails.
We need to take a look at some of our park needs assessments that we’ve done and reinvigorate those. One of my main priorities for the next year is updating the comprehensive parks, recreation and open space plan. There’s a need to get additional public input. Part of that, for me, is going to be looking at the communities in outlying areas, what their needs are, how we can serve them and incorporate at least recommendations into the plan.
What interested you in this field?
I grew up on a farm so I always had an interest in the outdoors and nature. It’s part of my makeup to want to elevate folks who may not have the same opportunities. I love to look at opportunities where we can help folks who, whether it be youth, seniors or folks who may not have the best access to parks, gain that access. The intersection of nature and trying to help people live a better life.
Are there any upcoming projects or events that we should keep an eye on?
We’ve been doing a lot of work at Silver Lake improving campgrounds, we have active projects to complete some of the shower facilities and move toward an additional facility in the next year. That’s one of the bigger projects that we have and it’s probably one that’s moving forward the most. We have a project at the Plantation Rifle Range to get the indoor range open again. There’s a project there related to the issues of lead contamination, so there will be some public outreach coming up about that. We’ve got a trail connection, EH1, near the Hertz Trail in Lake Whatcom Park. That trail segment will be completed by next year.
What steps do you plan to take to address outdoor recreation’s impact on the environment, such as waste issues, erosion, etc.?
I’m not able to give specifics right now but my background is in resource management. That’s one of the reasons I’m really interested in this job. Finding the balance between approved recreation uses and those impacts on the environment is of critical importance. I know that’s important to the community, especially when we’re talking about activities in the area around any of the lakes and the Nooksack River.
The aquatic resources here are of such importance, culturally and from an economic standpoint, aside from the need to protect the environment. I am eager to find ways that parks can improve our management to be compatible with some of the larger plans as they relate to the impacts of climate change and flooding.
When you’re not working, what types of activities do you like to do?
I play guitar, I love to cook, I love foreign languages – I studied Russian and teach myself Chinese. I like to get outdoors. Before I get too old and can’t do it, I want to learn how to mountain bike, take sailing lessons possibly, and I’m very interested in fishing and hiking.
Do you have a favorite trail so far?
I’m really looking forward to going to Chuckanut Mountain. I’m not going to have a favorite. I’m going to have lots of favorites.
Can you provide an update on the Bellingham Bay to Baker trail? What sort of progress would you like to see made on the project as parks director?
I can’t really speak too much to that right now. I’m still trying to get a sense of all of our different trail systems and their planning. I haven’t had too many meetings on the Bay to Baker trail just yet, but I’m hoping to turn to that.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I’m eager to work with the community. It’s important for the community to realize how powerful they are. Depending on how they approach agencies, and vice versa, we can all swim in the same direction. Coming to the table with positive ideas and a collaborative mindset is really what’s going to make the difference. I’m excited about Birch Bay. I recognize that there are some great community leaders who’ve been doing a lot of great work for a number of years, trying to push things forward.
The public is invited to meet Bennett Knox at any of the following upcoming community meetings:
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here