San Juan County may soon make it easier to build renewable energy projects but not without debate. Read the full story by Sydnee Chapman at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/10/08/s...

San Juan County residents are taking action 🌿 From ferries to forests, the community is shaping a bold, sustainable future through the county’s new climate plan. salish-current.org/.../islander...

Bellingham "Despite its beauty, Samish Crest Open Space faces threats from a growing population. I have spent much time contemplating how to balance protecting wildlife corridors, trails, and scenic views with the need for more housing. ... I believe it is possible to achieve both objectives."

This Friday, Oct. 3, the Whatcom Museum hosts Free First Friday with free admission from 12–9 pm. Join Salish Current from 5–7 pm in the Lightcatcher studio for a Live Newsroom. Meet our reporters and share the issues you want covered.

The Cub’s students amplifying community voices, young journalists prove the press still shines light and gives voice where it matters most. Read the full story on the Salish Current’s sponsored Doctober films and what young journalist are doing in our community.

Hundreds joined the 20-mile Seattle Super Saunter, led by “professional pedestrian” Holden Ringer — next stop: Bellingham, Oct. 4. Read the full story by Christ Carley at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/30/s...

Samish Crest is under threat...again. This irreplaceable forest, home to deer, bobcats, owls, cougars, and centuries-old trees, could be lost to development. salish-current.org/2025/09/29/b...

Is your organization seeking public funding? Do you want to have a say in how municipal monies are spent? If so, this free workshop is for you! www.eventbrite.com/e/understand...

After a record-breaking earthquake swarm near Mount Rainier, researchers around Mount Baker continue to plan and prepare for volcanic activity. Read the full story by Margaret Baumgartner at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/25/m...

Researchers inch closer to answers after latest ‘tour of grief’. Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/23/o...

It’s not the calm before the storm. It’s the storm before the calm. Each summer, Tribal Canoe Journeys bring Indigenous communities together across the Salish Sea for weeks of paddling, protocol, and healing. salish-current.org/2025/09/22/s...

Community Voices: “Violence is not, nor can it ever be, the solution to political disagreements. I believe there is simply too much at risk for all who call this country home, and for the fundamental democratic values it was founded on.” Read the full opinion piece by Jane Fuller at the link below:

The role of chaplain is one providing spiritual and emotional support for all patients, regardless of religion. Several minutes into one particular conversation, a patient asked if Joyce had come to tell her she was going to die. Read the full story by Matt Benoit at the link below.

Lummi Island residents are facing steep new ferry fare hikes that more than double costs for some drivers, while modestly raising pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle rates. Read the full story by Matt Benoit at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/15/l...

Stoked to have my first piece out with Salish Current! This is also my first post on Blue Sky. How well I maintain a new social media profile remains to be seen. ✌️

The first week of our “Voices of the Northwest Knowledge Festival” was incredible! Thanks to @lyndamapes and Abe Lloyd for their community discussions. There are THREE FREE events left. You can make reservations at the link below: salish-current.org/events/ Stay Current!

What’s the craic, Bellingham? The city’s Celtic heartbeat is back as the Bellingham Celtic Festival celebrates its 10th year Sept. 17–21.

All pumped up with nowhere to practice. Finding a place to play isn’t easy for Bellingham’s musicians but a new nonprofit hopes to change that. salish-current.org/2025/09/10/a... Stay Current!

Lynda Mapes was terrific last night. If you hadn't thought of environmental reporters as charismatic, you should have been there. I want to pass on one of her recommendations for local action: www.c4rf.org

The Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest is among areas where existing protection from road-building would be rolled back under a Trump administration proposal. Read the full story by Jacob O’Donnell at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/08/w...

Warning: side effects may include flourishes, spins, and too many new friends. Read the full story on Bellingham’s dedication to dance by Margaret Bikman at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/09/c...

Join us for our FREE Knowledge Festival starting this week. These eight speakers will be leading discussions on culture, environmentalism and government from September 9th through to the 18th. salish-current.org/events/ Stay Current!

🎬 The North Sound Voices Film Festival comes to Bellingham’s Pickford Film Center on TONIGHT, Sept. 4 and Sept. 6, 2025. Read the full story on the film-makers by Mickey Mann at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/02/l...

State’s public defense system “on the verge of collapse” due to burgeoning caseloads, lawyer shortages and insufficient funding. Read the full story by Sydnee Chapman at the link below. salish-current.org/.../local-co...

Eduardo Fausti’s prints reflect the energy of Orcas Island. Channeling forest hikes, lake walks and the starry night sky, the Argentinian artist makes an impression with monotypes and mezzotints. Read the full story by Brangien Davis at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/09/02/n...

Commentary: Tiny homes help house the unhoused — but we must reduce the risks of homelessness. Read the full story by John Dunne at the link below. salish-current.org/.../north-ha...

During her service with the Peace Corps in Azerbaijan from 2006–2008, Bellingham resident Dana Carr strived to create a safe space for young Azerbaijani women during Camp GLOW, or Girls Leading Our World. Red the full story by Catherine Skrzypinski at the link below.

Despite looking like harmless translucent blobs, jellyfish have an appetite that researchers worry could wreak havoc in the Salish Sea and affect endangered #PNW icons like Chinook #salmon and southern resident #orcas. @salish-current.org#PNW#salmon#orcashttps://bit.ly/3ULaTYn

What happens when 150 people gather in the Olympic Peninsula woods to celebrate fairies, nature spirits, and the unseen world? Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/08/25/c...

Despite looking like harmless translucent blobs, jellyfish have an appetite that researchers worry could wreak havoc in the Salish Sea. Read the full story by Luisa Loi at the link below.

Respite center offers a safe and supportive space for unhoused people to recover after hospital discharge. Read the full story by Rebecca Sutch at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/08/20/w...

A breakthrough discovery: scientists have traced sea star wasting disease, which wiped out nearly 6 billion sunflower stars from Mexico to Alaska, to a bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida. The finding offers hope for recovery. Read the full story by Sam Fletcher at the link below.

This Community Voices article comes from Andrew Reding. Read their thoughts on affordable housing and the way to get it. Full story at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/08/18/s...

We offer three ways for community members to share their thoughts, art, opinions and research. Check out this video and visit our website to learn more. Stay Current! salish-current.org/letters-to-t...

🐷 At Alluvial Farms, pigs spend their lives grazing, wallowing and roaming, part of an Animal Welfare Approved operation that puts care for animals and the environment first. Read the full story by Oren Roberts at the link below. salish-current.org/.../farm-mod...

Two Washington agencies propose to up the oil spill prevention rules for tankers and tank barges up a notch in the busy waterways between Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties. Even with the survival of the region’s iconic killer whales as a motivating force, the push is not exactly smooth sailing.

Signs of a harmful algal bloom are emerging at Lake Fazon, prompting researchers to keep a close watch on five Whatcom County lakes. Read the full story by Luisa Loi at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/08/11/l...

Jail alternative program aims to foster a safer community and reduce incarceration by meeting individual needs and addressing root causes of crime. Read the full story at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/08/07/w...

Bellingham pianist Scot Ranney founded the nonprofit Stage Time in late 2024 to support the next generation of musicians through weekly jazz jam sessions.

What if the key to fighting climate change, protecting marine life, and cleaning coastal waters was hidden in underwater meadows? Scientists at Friday Harbor Labs are in the final year of a five-year study mapping eelgrass in San Juan County. salish-current.org/2025/08/05/f...

Tribal canoes were still en route on the Salish Sea and the Pacific when tsunami warnings were issued down the coast as far as Hawaii. This was a first-time event for the canoe journeys. Read the full story at the link below. salish-current.org/2025/08/04/c...

"... passenger feedback praised the reliability of the daily scheduled service and appreciated the downtown Anacortes terminus, which was walking distance to many businesses and restaurants, unlike at the outlying state ferry terminal." via @salish-current.org salish-current.org/2025/07/18/t...

Two Whatcom nonprofits are unionizing. After a nearly two-year effort, Community Food Co-op employees ratified a union contract with Teamsters Local 231, including structured wages and annual raises through 2027.

Community. Culture. Connections. Celebrate open‑access journalism with Salish Current’s inaugural Knowledge Festival, free to attend this September. Thought‑provoking speakers, local impact, meaningful conversation. Reserve your spot now!

Sensing, not scrolling: Animals as Natural Therapy and Salish Sea School offer unique opportunities for teenagers to practice mindfulness and trade screen time for green time. Read the full article by Oren Roberts at the link below. salish-current.org/.../summer-p...

📢 We’re hiring our next Executive Director! Salish Current is seeking a visionary, community-rooted leader to help shape the future of independent journalism in Northwest Washington.

A once-lost songbird is singing again on San Juan Island. salish-current.org/.../nonprofi...

Trail development is underway on Stewart Mountain, where the new Olsen Creek Trail System adds about 7 miles for hiking, biking, and horseback riding above Lake Whatcom. salish-current.org/2025/07/23/t...

📚 On Aug. 5, Lopez Island voters will decide whether to lift the property tax levy lid for Lopez Library, restoring it to the $0.48 rate approved in 2019.

Facing worsening drought and legal uncertainty over water rights, the City of Lynden is exploring an ambitious water solution: storing river water underground in winter to boost streamflow in dry summer months.