In 2007 the Silver Beach Neighborhood Association re-launched the Lake Whatcom Pledge Program, originally started in 1999, in hopes of bringing more protection to the Lake Whatcom watershed.
Volunteers walked through the Silver Beach neighborhood going door-to-door handing out flyers with tips for residents to make simple changes to their daily habits while living in the watershed.
In a press release from the 2007 launch of the pledge program, Silver Beach neighborhood representative Mike Robinson said this was an opportunity to raise awareness of small changes, such as taking your car to a commercial car wash and picking up your pets waste.
The cumulative effects of small changes can be huge, Robinson said.
Have the effects really been huge?
Since 2007, no efforts have been made to launch the program again.
With staff reductions at the City of Bellingham offices there hasn’t been another big push [for the program], said Heather Higgins-Aanes in an e-mail, Education and Communications coordinator for the Public Works Department.
With staff reductions at the City of Bellingham offices there hasn’t been another big push [for the program], said Heather Higgins-Aanes in an e-mail, Education and Communications coordinator for the Public Works Department.
Higgins-Aanes was unable to find any filed information about the program but was able to comment about the number of people who have pledged. After the 2007 door-to-door campaign, less than 100 residents took the pledge.
The Silver Beach neighborhood has over 3,300 residents, according to the neighborhood association. What happened to the other 3,200 residents pledging to protect Lake Whatcom?
Higgins-Aanes said that the City of Bellingham is now part of a larger campaign, Puget Sound Starts Here. Puget Sound? Aren’t we concerned with Lake Whatcom?
The Puget Sound Starts Here campaign is a partnership of a wide range of cities and counties in Washington that are engaging in clean-up efforts to maintain local waterways.
Just because the City of Bellingham has joined efforts with another organization doesn’t mean the Lake Whatcom Stewards Pledge means nothing anymore. You can still take the pledge here and commit to making changes to how you’re living your life in the watershed.
Even if the Stewards Pledge has been temporarily put on the back burner, there are still plenty of ways to stay green around the watershed. The City of Bellingham offers residents the change to participate in the Residential Stormwater Retrofit Program, the Lake Whatcom Homeowner Incentive Program and stewardship education workshops.
Even if the Stewards Pledge has been temporarily put on the back burner, there are still plenty of ways to stay green around the watershed. The City of Bellingham offers residents the change to participate in the Residential Stormwater Retrofit Program, the Lake Whatcom Homeowner Incentive Program and stewardship education workshops.
.png) |
| Photo courtesy of Lake Whatcom Management Program. |
