Jerry Larson - Rest in Peace

Birch Bay, Whatcom County and Puget Sound are going to miss Jerry Larson, who died on Thursday, January 27, 2011.

He was a tireless activist on behalf of fin and shellfish, particularly in his beloved Birch Bay, but extending to the surrounding area.

We first met Jerry shortly after coming to Birch Bay a little over seven years ago. He was poking around in a bowl of water containing nematodes and other critters, participating in a Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association workshop on water quality in Terrell Creek.

He was a constant presence at Birch Bay Steering Committee meetings, always ensuring that the decisions being made would enhance the watershed and protect the bay as habitat for his cherished shell- and fin fish.

Within hours of his son Keith's e-mail notification of his death, friends and colleagues were reacting to the news:

“It's a sad day in Birch Bay,” said Kathy Berg, chair, Birch Bay Steering Committee. 

“Jerry will always be smiling as we work to restore the chum run in Terrell Creek... or spreading oyster seed in Birch Bay,” said Steve Seymour, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

“I owe so much to Jerry and he asked for so little. Truly a precious soul to watch over all of us from the smallest seed clam to the water itself,” said Martha Simonsen, health educator, bariatric clinician.

“My thoughts go out to everyone in the Larson family and all of the people in our community that knew and appreciated Jerry. We are going to miss his presence tremendously,” said Rachel Vasak, executive director, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association.

The Lummi Island Watershed Enhancement Committee published their own tribute to Jerry at

http://liwec.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/gerold-larson-jerry/.

We sent our thoughts to Keith: “Our deepest condolences to you and your family. We know Jerry from his work with the Chums of Terrell Creek, seeking to restore salmon to the creek. We were concerned about him because our e-mail to him last week bounced back. Please do keep us informed of any services or memorials. If there is anything we can do to help in this difficult time, please just ask,” Ruth Higgins and Al Krause. 

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Please feel free to post your comments. We will publish them here.  R&A 

Happiness is...

The rash of articles about how happy Bellingham, Seattle and at least nine other places are leads us to reflect on the gross community happiness of Birch Bay.

John Stark's article in the January 20 Bellingham Herald; http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/01/20/1826723/bellingham-listed-among-top-10.html), Nicole Brodeur's column in the January 21 Seattle Times; http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nicolebrodeur/2013992168_nicole21m.html) and Sunset Magazine online http://www.sunset.com/travel/outdoor-adventure/best-places-to-live-00418000070574/) all cite examples of happy people in happy locations.

Happy Minister of Tourism

We first heard about the concept of gross national happiness at a Congress of the Society of Ethnobiologists last year. The 2014 biannual congress will be held in Bhutan, where the king had proclaimed that gross domestic product was less important than gross national happiness. The CSE representative from Bhutan presented an idyllic image of life in his country, although Brodeur points out that some minorities might not agree.

In a very unscientific survey of a few folks in Birch Bay, we learned that the reason people live or repeatedly vacation in Birch Bay is because they are happy when they are here. We feel the same way.

Photo taken January 21, 2011

It is easy to see why with such views greeting us in the middle of winter.

While Birch Bay has not been analyzed in the same way as Bellingham or Seattle, we can learn how satisfied we are with life by the bay. Brodeur introduces us to Michael Pennock, a population health epidemiologist for the Vancouver Island Health Authority, who spent time in Bhutan and since led a team that created a “Satisfaction with Life” survey. It is available on Sustainable Seattle's web site www.SustainableSeattle.org.

My overall score is 80, with the median now being 68; the dimension contributing the lowest score related to my confidence in government, go figure.

Just for fun, let's collect our overall scores, anonymously if you like, but telling us if you live or regularly work or play in Birch Bay. Report through the Comment option on this blog. We won't publish the individual responses, only aggregate them by the Ides of Febuary. 

Here's to proving the thesis that Birch Bay has a high life satisfaction score, translating into a high gross community happiness quotient.

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Progressive Independence

A well meaning worker for the Whatcom County Democratic Party recently sent me two messages asking: 1) That I write a letter to the Northern Light to argue for change in the U.S. Senate filibuster rules and 2) That I ask members of the County Council to rename Jean Melious to the Planning Commission;

No thanks.

These requests were, I expect, passed on by the county Dem hierarchy. About 1): If I understand the Senate rules, the Northern Light is hardly the appropriate place to send a letter.

About 2): Democratic party leaders should have recognized that when they lost the WTA levy they would need to rally Whatcom Democrats  for the county council and state legislature votes. Ms. Melious, a land-use attorney and WWU teacher who carried the environmentalist argument for following the state's growth management act, was, on paper, a good candidate. But the party failed get the liberal voters behind her candidacy. In Birch Bay, we had no rally for Ms. Melious nor for the legislative candidates.

Tea-party folks, not wanting to be prevented from selling property for development outside Urban Growth Areas, put up blue “We the People” and yellow “Land Grab” signs to rally voters to conservative candidates. In the November election, all of the slow-growth candidates for county and state offices lost in Whatcom.

Yet the Whatcom County Democrats, in their January newsletter, boast about their accomplishments, all of which relate to Washington and none to this county.

So, what am I to tell Sam Crawford, the power in the county council, that would cause him to want to rename Jean Melious to the Planning Commission, where she can continue to be a thorn in his path to defeat the “bureaucrats in Olympia?” A party that couldn't get Kelli Linville re-elected to the state house should recognize failure and work for the future.

What's a Birch Bay activist to do? We remember a 2005 article in which we quoted Elie Friedlob, “Power is not in Washington, D. C., but in every little community.” So I am going to let the state's Growth Management Board deal with Mr. Crawford and celebrate the builders of new homes in our neighborhood who are filling in available lots. They will have great views and become part of the community.

In a previous post I referred to myself as a “progressive democrat.” Now it's “progressive independent.” Independents are considered as being passive – waiting for pollsters to ask what they think and changing from year to year. It's also possible to be independent of the political parties and to work for what the community needs. In the county, Mike Kent, a noteworthy example, is recognized as a leading Republican, but in Birch Bay he's a progressive who is stalwart in improving the community.

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Comments are not only allowed, but are also encouraged.

Optimism for Terrell Creek and the Bay

Over the weekend Elie Friedlob, the founder and leader of The Chums of Terrell Creek, reported that numerous large salmon were spotted near the creek's prime spawning grounds. This is good news for those who have been working for eight years to bring fish back to the stream.

Coincidentally, Friday morning Ingrid Enschede, the outreach

manager for BBWARM – Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management – convened a meeting of people involved in improving the quality of water in the creek's watershed and the bay. Twenty-one people, many from the Whatcom County Planning and Public Works Departments, attended the gathering at the Semiahmoo fire station to report on their activities. In total, their reports are impressive.

Rachel Vasak, executive director of NSEA – the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association – the parent organization of the Chums, explained how her group will continue to plant trees with volunteer work parties, and pursue other endeavors to improve stream habitat. She mentioned an agreement to increase the flow from Lake Terrell into the creek during dry months.

Steve Seymour, of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife Department, said that the allocation of chum eggs for the remote site incubator, operated with NSEA, will be increased to 100,000 this year, up from 30,000 in the last batch. He also reported a channel will be dug around the dam that separates the creek from the lake so that fish can swim to a freshwater stream that flows into the lake.

George Boggs, executive director of the Whatcom Conservation District, spoke about implementation of a $730,000 grant from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency for a four-year program to reduce nutrient and pathogen contamination. He is about to hire the key person who will go door-to-door to ask landowners to voluntarily limit pollution. Those who agree will receive the help of experts in Mr. Boggs' organization.

The County Council has been ridiculed for making homeowner reporting of septic tank inspections voluntary. However, Ms. Enschede reported that of the 690 who were asked to make inspections last February, 468 responded, with almost 200 stating the need for maintenance. One participant suggested that you could bet that those who didn't respond have faulty tanks, then added that a low-interest, long-term loan program makes repairs affordable.

The importance of improving and maintaining water quality was underscored by Ted Morris, Birch Bay State Park manager, who reported that 700,000 visitors and 50,000 campers came to the park last year and that Birch Bay is ranked as the No. 1 shellfish beach in the state.

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Comments are welcome, even encouraged. 

Good Weekend for Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce

Performance of the people who put on the New Year’s Weekend events was as crisp and cool as the weather.

Friday evening's Ring of Fire and Hope once again demon- strated the promise of making Birch Bay the go-to place for New Year's Eve. Down by the Alderson entrance to the beach, there were more flares lighted than in previous years.

On Saturday morning, there were folks waiting at the door of the Visitors Information Center when registration started at 9:30. Credit goes to Tammy Pearce, Chamber VP and co-chair of the event, with organizing the registration process efficiently – less congestion than in previous years. John Haas and Marty Stauffer, with assistance from Marty's charming daughter Emma, greeted registrants warmly. Maxine Beebe and Molly Ernst, sold bundles of t-shirts.

With Chandra Dunn spinning music over the sound system, the scene became a party. The star was Brrr the Bear, manned by Ken Lord, who operates the Birch Bay Hostel and Guesthouse at Bay Horizon Park. He is a talented performer, dancing to the music and posing with many. For those who wanted prints, Linda Taylor and Dena Jensen took pictures and made prints for $10, a new income stream for the Chamber.

Dave Bucknell, of the Bay Cafe, served complimentary coffee and cocoa. Enterprise was served by Patti White, who showed and sold her stylish line of Tide Catcher garments. John and Nancy Ellis brought three superbly-behaved mascots to represent their Pooch Palace and Kitty Kastle.

Tammy Pearce stoked the crowd and by 11:30, when costume judging began on schedule, there was a mob. Lynn Roberts of KAFE Radio, FM 104.1, served a Mistress of Ceremonies, giving the event genuine production values. When it came time to plunge, an estimated five spectators routed for every one who went into the water. Yes, it was cold, but some swam around far longer than others did.

Our congratulations to all the Chamber members who made the event successful, particularly to John Gargett, the event co-chair and new president. John is a past Commodore of the Bellingham Yacht Club and is active in a number of non-profit organizations and boards of for-profit businesses. He combines organizational effectiveness with a modest ego. When congratulated, all he said was, “We had a good time.”

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