Digital Subscription

tool name

close
tool goes here

County to debate forest management at proposed Lake Whatcom park

RALPH SCHWARTZ; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: Jan. 26, 2013 at 4:30 a.m. PST — Updated: Jan. 25, 2013 at 5:42 p.m. PST
0 comments

If Whatcom County is to take ownership of land around Lake Whatcom, officials must decide how to manage the thousands of acres of forest.

County Council members will meet Tuesday, Jan. 29, to discuss forestry management on 8,844 acres of commercial timberland now under state control. The council is considering whether to approve a transfer of that land to the county, for use as a park. The meeting, the second of three to discuss plans for the proposed park, starts at 9:40 a.m. at the county courthouse, 311 Grand Ave., Bellingham.

The preferred forest plan in the early stages of planning for the land transfer, or reconveyance, was to allow the trees to revert to an old-growth condition, county Parks and Recreation Director Mike McFarlane said. The county could opt to thin the forest, to encourage more diversity of tree species, or call on the state Department of Natural Resources to continue to manage the land in limited areas for timber harvesting.

Any forestry plan must address the fact that timber harvesting promotes landslides, which causes phosphorus pollution in the lake, McFarlane said.

"It's significant, and that's not something DNR argues with," McFarlane said. "The science is out there."

Even after the transfer, the state would retain some land in the lake's drainage area for timber harvesting, McFarlane said. The county park would cover slightly more than half of what is now state-managed timberland in the watershed.

"The areas the county's getting are the steepest slopes least conducive to intensive forest management," McFarlane said. "The state will retain areas where the slope is not so steep, farther from the lake."

The state still will be responsible for fire protection on the land if it becomes a county park, McFarlane said.

The first 20 minutes of Tuesday's meeting will continue the discussion from Jan. 15 about recreation options in the park. County Executive Jack Louws said he didn't hear from enough council members at that first meeting.

The council is divided on the park proposal. Some members see it as a boon for recreation and conservation. Others would prefer the land stay under state control, to continue generating timber jobs and revenues for schools and other taxing districts.

The third meeting, on the park's budget, is scheduled for Feb. 12.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here

We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.

SPORTS
SOUTH SOUND
BLOGS
CONTESTS

Similar stories

  • County council still divided on Lake Whatcom land transfer

    BELLINGHAM - Judging from past votes and statements by Whatcom County Council members, there are probably enough votes to approve the transfer of 8,844 acres of state-managed timberland around Lake Whatcom to the county, for use as a park.

    But council member Barbara Brenner, who opposed the land transfer in a key preliminary vote in May 2012, continued to fight the proposed park at a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 29, coming up with alternative plans and urging that park opposition receive a hearing.

    In any case, a vote on the land transfer, or reconveyance, isn't imminent. Council member Bill Knutzen, another opponent, is likely to call for a fourth park planning meeting before the vote. Initially, three meetings were scheduled.

  • County's plan still unclear for proposed park on Lake Whatcom

    BELLINGHAM - Some on the Whatcom County Council had more questions than answers after a meeting Tuesday, Jan. 15, about a county park that would be developed on nearly 9,000 acres of what is now state timberland around Lake Whatcom.

    The council's preferences for recreation on the slopes west and east of the lake remain unclear, and county Executive Jack Louws asked that the topic be addressed at the beginning of a second meeting on the proposed park, on Jan. 29, when council is scheduled to talk about forest management.

    A third informational meeting, on the park budget, will be held in February, before a final council vote on transferring 8,844 acres of timberland from the state to the county. That vote is likely two or three months away, Louws said.

  • Long-awaited vote on 8,844-acre Lake Whatcom park expected Tuesday

    Barring a delay, the "reconveyance," an issue that has dogged the Whatcom County Council for six years, will be decided at the council meeting Tuesday, March 12.

  • Council to mull recreation options for major Lake Whatcom land transfer

    A plan to convert commercial timberland around Lake Whatcom to old-growth forest and hiking trails will be scrutinized at the first of three meetings on Tuesday, Jan. 15.

    The topic of this first meeting, starting at 9:30 a.m. at Whatcom County Council chambers, 311 Grand Ave., Bellingham, is the potential park's recreation plan. Council's discussion will be based on a preliminary park plan sketched out years ago. In 2008, the park was envisioned as low-impact, with walking, biking and horseback trails, and possibly overnight camping.

    The meetings were planned after council members in September delayed a vote on the transfer of 8,844 acres of land from state to county control, for use as a park. The council is divided on the plan. Some see it as a boon for recreation and conservation of Lake Whatcom's water quality. Others would prefer the land stay under state control, to continue generating timber jobs and revenues for schools and other taxing districts. The state manages the land for commercial timber

  • Whatcom County Council to consider park costs of reconveying state land around Lake Whatcom

    BELLINGHAM - Whatcom County Council members will hold another information-gathering meeting on a proposal to transfer 8,844 acres of land around Lake Whatcom from state control to the county for a park.

    The focus of the meeting, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, will be the cost of maintaining the park. The meeting will be held in council chambers, 311 Grand Ave.

    The low-impact park, which would likely consist of little more than trails, parking lots and campsites, would cost about $150,000 a year to operate, Parks and Recreation Director Mike McFarlane has said. About half of that could be recouped from leases on a telecommunications tower on the west side of the lake, he said.