Whatcom READS: Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha taqʷšəblu LaPointe is the 2024 selection for Whatcom READS, an annual collaboration between all the public and academic libraries in Bellingham and Whatcom County, to encourage everyone in the community to read and join in conversation about one book. This year’s title has received a Pacific Northwest Book Award and the Washington State Book Award for Creative Nonfiction/Memoir. The author writes with a focus on trauma and resilience. Topics range from PTSD, sexual violence, and the work her great grandmother did for the Lushootseed language revitalization, to loud basement punk shows and what it means to grow up mixed heritage. LaPointe is from the Upper Skagit and Nooksack Indian Tribes. Registration is now open for free tickets to see the author in-person at Mount Baker Theatre on Friday, March 15 at 7 p.m. Check out the full schedule of additional Whatcom READS events related to Red Paint in February and March at whatcomreads.org.
Results are in … Bellingham Plan survey results have posted: Just ahead of the first Bellingham Plan open house of the year on February 22, survey results from last year’s community engagement efforts were posted. Dig in to find out how the community prioritizes different types of housing, the environment, arts and culture, amenities close to their homes, and so much more! The Phase 1 Summary Report provides a comprehensive overview of all findings and activities. If you want to nerd out on some numbers, grab your glasses and crack open the Community Vision Survey Summary Report and the Housing Preference Survey Report. Find a full list of events and ways to engage digitally on the Bellingham Plan Engagement Hub — the next open house event is March 6 and explores the importance of cultivating a vibrant, equitable, safe, and welcoming community.
Downtown safety: This week, Mayor Kim Lund signed an Executive Order that directs her administration to take immediate actions to address the fentanyl crisis and its negative impacts on the safety and well-being of Bellingham’s downtown. Many of the actions called for in the order focus on expanding the presence of first responders downtown to enhance safety, disrupt drug-related criminal activity and support outreach and recovery for people at risk of overdoses. The Mayor is also launching a process to identify what more we can do to support a great future for downtown. This will include strategies that support businesses and economic development, promote arts and culture, encourage new housing, and generally enliven our downtown core. The actions in this Executive Order are just the beginning, a first few urgent steps along a continuum of actions to realize a downtown Bellingham that is vibrant, thriving, welcoming and safe and everyone. Get more details in our February 20 new release.
Loo, loo: We’ve installed a Portland Loo at Waypoint Park! The Portland Loo is designed to be open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The gender-neutral fabrication, with ample space for wheelchair users or strollers, is easy to clean, resistant to common vandalism, and can sustain about 300 flushes daily. The open grating and interchangeable components make repairs simple and ensure a natural fresh outdoor scent. The Waypoint Park loo is scheduled to open this March. Two more loos are planned for installation in other areas of downtown later this year once plumbing and maintenance considerations are finalized.
Wildlife photo exhibition coming soon: The Whatcom Museum is proud to host National Geographic’s Greatest Wildlife Photographs, a showcase of the very best wildlife pictures from the page of National Geographic magazine—and the only place in the Pacific Northwest you’ll see this award-winning photography on display. Curated by renowned nature picture editor Kathy Moran, this exhibition is a celebratory look at wildlife as seen through the lenses of some of the most iconic photographers. Opens March 9 and runs through September 8, 2024.
