Northwest Washington State
Bellingham, WA
Given humanity’s penchant for exploiting the environment, Mother Nature needs a hand to protect it from further human encroachment and give its wounds a chance to heal. (Now there is an understatement!)
One mechanism to help our dear Mother is through local land trusts that secure plots of land so as to reclaim, nurture, maintain and protect them from further human incursion. There are many types of land trusts, some centered on making affordable urban housing available and others on maintaining and preserving farm lands, forests, watersheds and natural habitats. The land trust that I work with is the latter type - Whatcom Land Trust. Its stated mission is to:
To preserve and protect wildlife habitat, scenic, agricultural and open space lands in Whatcom County for future generations by securing interests in land and promoting land stewardship.
THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, WATER AND PLANTS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU AND SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS BELOW. EACH NOTE IS A RECORD THAT WE CAN REFER TO IN THE FUTURE AS WE TRY TO UNDERSTAND THEIR PHENOLOGICAL PATTERNS THAT ARE QUIETLY UNWINDING AROUND US.
TO HAVE THE DAILY BUCKET IN YOUR ACTIVITY STREAM, GO TO BACKYARD SCIENCE AND CLICK ON FOLLOW.
THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, WATER AND PLANTS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
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The county was largely forested until the settlers arrived in the 1850s when it was cut for the timber and cleared for farmland. Its major industries have been and still are farming, fishing and forestry. Without NGOs such as the land trusts, this once pristine land and water is unlikely to be available for future generations.
Our County is the northwestern-most county in the Lower 48, bordering Canada to the north, the Salish Sea to the south and west and the Cascade Mountains to the east. The largest portion of the county is forested with much of that being within the Mount Baker – Snoqualmie National Forest and Wilderness lands to the east. Farming lands are situated between the forest part and more urban areas that are more adjacent to the water. The vast majority of the county’s 220,000 citizens reside within a few miles of the salt water.
To do our part in preserving this increasingly precious undeveloped property our family has “adopted” a parcel of the Trust’s forested land and serve as its stewards. This specific property is but one of over 100 parcels overseen by the Land Trust. These properties have various legal descriptions including outright titles owned by the trust, partnerships with state and local governments along with conservation easements and agreements with owners on over 20,000 acres of forests, river fronts, lakes, wetlands, watersheds and farm lands, including several nature preserves. We just secured another important 1,400 acre parcel that straddles Skookum Creek, the major cold water stream that feeds the South Fork of the Nooksack River. The creek’s watershed and adjoining wetlands will be preserved. We bought it from one of the largest timber and forest product companies in the world, Weyerhaeuser. So no more logging in this creek’s watershed.
The property:
This smallish 16.65 acre property is a family affair in a couple of ways. First, it was deeded to the Land Trust by a group of siblings in memory of their father from whom they had inherited it.
Second, three generations of my family have taken on its stewardship under the guidance of the Land Trust into the foreseeable future.
This property is situated at the edge of a suburban area and on a hill overlooking Lake Whatcom, which is the primary water source for our community. The plot is managed so as to protect timberland (mostly 2nd growth 60 to 80 years old), open space, wildlife habitat and water quality as part of the Lake Whatcom watershed.
The dominant trees include Douglas-fir, Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, Red Alder, Black Cottonwood, Bigleaf Maple, Paper Birch and Wild Cherry. The lush understory and ground cover includes vine maple, salmonberry, indian plum, western sword fern, western bracken fern, deer fern, salal, Oregon grape, trailing blackberry, red huckleberry, nettles and trillium. Skunk cabbage and sedges are present in the wetlands.
There is an unnamed creek formed by two connecting streams that join in the center of the property before heading down hill to the lake. Throughout the rainy season the creek has a delightful little waterfall or more accurately, a water slide carved from Chuckanut Sandstone that underlies the hills in this part of the county.
Owls and Pileated woodpeckers are often found pecking on old snags on the property. Migratory birds, deer, raccoons, squirrels and other forest critters make use of the wonderful forest habitat.
What we do:
Our Stewarding Job at its most basic is to keep eyes on the property for anything that might infringe on the natural habitat or that is in need of correction or maintenance such as incursion of invasive species that might take over natural flora. Also, major tree blow downs or unusual floods that disrupt the property are to be logged and reported. Human footprints such as garbage or evidence of human occupation or tampering and destruction of the property are to be noted. Recently we found a hunting blind built alongside a tree. This was taken down and an informational sign was taped to the tree that informed the owners of the new rules.
If any needed tasks to correct these changes are within our capability we are to go ahead and take care of the issue. If the job is too large a project, the Trust will organize a work crew to tackle the problem.
We are expected to visit the property at least once per quarter and submit a report on observations made relative to the state of the property, work completed to address any problems and the amount of time spent there. We also are to attach photos of observations made, work that was done and that needs to be done.
What we’ve done this past year:
Our first observation pointed out by the volunteer coordinator was that there were several English Holly trees in one section of the plot. Although decorative, it is invasive as it is native to Northern Europe but grows well here with our similar climate.
We cut these down at the base and stacked the debris so as to make a brushy habitat for local critters who wanted a nest or hideaway. On returning to inspect our handiwork a few weeks after cutting them, we learned something about holly trees. They grow back quickly if you don’t take out roots. Also, they send runners out 10 to 15 feet that sprout up to begin new holly trees. These had to be dug up and pulled up.
Some progress was made but then on another return trip, we found more holly that we apparently missed on the previous observations. This one invasive plant, seeded by birds dropping holly berries from adjacent private yards will keep us busy for some time to come.
Similarly we need to keep up on the omnipresent Himalayan Blackberry whose fruits are delicious to humans and animals alike but whose prodigiously thorny vines and runners are the bane of all property owners west of the mountains. These invaders multiply by runners and by birds dropping seed studded berries.
Another invasive, Vinca vines (Vinca major) also from nearby yards is an attractive decorative vine with purple flowers (AKA Periwinkle) widely used as a ground cover in landscaping. It is notorious for escaping its planted beds on its own and when clippings are dumped as garden trash. It is hardy and highly invasive as it encroaches on and chokes out native plants on the forest floor. For this invasion, a full day’s work crew was called in and more has been found since. So, another work party to the rescue.
So far these are the main or at least the largest invasives we have to contend with. However, there is the prolific geranium-related plant called “Herb Robert” (Geranium robertianum), that has begun to take over large patches of forest floor displacing native plants. Although it is easy to pull up it is so thick in places it seems hopeless to try to get head of it.
What do we get out of this stewarding deal?
The short answer is : A lot.
We secure a secluded haven in the woods that at least for now is a slice of nature almost as it once was before human habitation. It is our hope that we and future generations can enjoy a hands-on experience in a real natural space.
Equally important is instilling in our future citizens (my children and grandchildren in this case), the conviction that preservation of nature is essential to our own well being and that of generations to come. And ultimately to the planet as a whole.
Further, we have an inside route to visit numerous other properties throughout the county tucked away from crowded public parks with ATVs and RVs. And I get to wear my special Land Trust hat.
Last but not least is that our little plot seems to be a haven for mushrooms. The forest is virtually littered with dead, dying and downed trees, deciduous and evergreens. The forest floor is thickly matted with decaying logs and mulch for the fungi to feast on. The findings from my initial mushrooming foray this past fall and winter have far exceeded my meager mycological knowledge. So, when I get a bit deeper into identifying these fascinating denizens of the forest, I will do a bucket on my mushroom patch. We’ll see if the bumper sticker of one of my former colleagues is correct: “Mycologists have more fungi.”
"SPOTLIGHT ON GREEN NEWS & VIEWS" IS POSTED EVERY SATURDAY AT 3:00 PM PACIFIC TIME ON THE DAILY KOS FRONT PAGE. IT'S A GREAT WAY TO CATCH UP ON DIARIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED. BE SURE TO RECOMMEND AND COMMENT IN THE DIARY.
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