Preserving Rainier entry good news for forests

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• Supreme Court agrees to hear Sierra Nevada forest case

  Supreme Court agrees to hear Sierra Nevada forest case

  A long-running Sierra Nevada forest planning dispute will now be settled by the Supreme Court in what could shape up as a crucial public lands case.

• Stanley officials work to protect town from wildfires

  Stanley officials work to protect town from wildfires

  Community leaders look to Canadian experts for guidance about how to keep the Sawtooths' unburned forest from going up in smoke.

• Park district would protect forest treasure, reject subdivision

  Park district would protect forest treasure, reject subdivision

  Chuckanut Ridge, the Hundred Acre Wood, Fairhaven Highlands, Chuckanut Community Forest. Many names for one forest. Our commitment to preserve it has outlasted them all. Some care because of the clean water it provides to salmon-bearing Padden and Chuckanut creeks. Some treasure having a quiet forest in which to stroll. Some love the green backdrop it provides to the city. Kids ride bikes there, races run though it, birders come to learn its secrets. This forest is a beautiful place with extraordinary ecological value. And it’s right here. And it belongs to us. For now.

  On Aug. 15, 2011, Bellingham City Council voted unanimously to purchase this 82-acre parcel. The community has cherished these woods for many years, and it was specifically targeted for acquisition in the last two Greenways levies. But until recently, the city was unable to negotiate a purchase of the property.

  In order to close the deal, and finally end 20 years of community struggle to preserve this land, council voted to purchase it

• Whatcom council to hold hearing on Lake Whatcom pollution controls

  Whatcom council to hold hearing on Lake Whatcom pollution controls

  BELLINGHAM - People can speak Tuesday, June 18, before the Whatcom County Council about proposed requirements for pollution control on future developed lots around Lake Whatcom.

  Individual lots would be required to be "phosphorus neutral," meaning the amount of phosphorus runoff would be no more than what would come from the same area of forest. Even the smallest lots would require installation of stormwater controls for construction on a footprint larger than 500 square feet. The county estimates that stormwater systems for small lots would cost $7,000 to $20,000.

  As an alternative, homeowners associations could build a communitywide system to reduce phosphorus pollution.

• Land trust helps wildlife, people and the economy

  Land trust helps wildlife, people and the economy

  By any measure, the Nisqually Land Trust is living up to its motto, which is: “Small Watershed, Big Ideas.”