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Outdoors
Summer is coming to an end. With that brings shorter days, chillier temps and fewer opportunities to enjoy ripping on your Sea-Doo or rafting down the Nooksack River. Despite the shiver this sad reminder sends down your spine, there’s still a chance to pay homage to our county’s spectacular water resources.
Enter Whatcom Water Weeks, an event designed to inform, instruct, educate and inspire the community, by celebrating the best Whatcom County has to offer where water is concerned.
From rain barrel construction demonstrations to farm tours to giant octopus feedings, families, couples and kids can participate in the eclectic offerings this once-a-year event brings with it.
If you’ve already missed out on a piece of cake at Lake Padden’s 40th birthday bash, foodie and water enthusiasts everywhere can still indulge their sweet tooth at several functions throughout the week. On Sept. 15, Bellewood Acres celebrates Water Weeks with a steam science walk, and a plethora of family-friendly activities including horse rides, face painting and train rides.
If your inner athlete is vying for a chance to integrate fitness into any of the activities, multiple ways exist to do so. Sat., Sept. 15 also brings with it a 20-mile bike ride sponsored by Whatcom Land Trust. The bike tour highlights protected habitats of the Wickersham and Saxon areas, where cyclists will have the opportunity to see salmon, frogs and other wetland creatures.
Similarly, creature features are a recurring theme throughout the week. Whether afoot or seabound, you’ll have several chances to view some of your favorite gilled, two-legged or even eight-legged water-related animals. On Sept. 18, the Stewards of Drayton Harbor Education Cruise will guide passengers through the waters of Drayton Harbor, where voyagers can analyze samples of water for toxins, pH levels and salinity. The journey concludes with an educational critter viewing.
A giant octopus feeding Sept. 22 at the Marine Life Center provides another chance for the community to see what our inked ocean buddies fancy for lunch.
For those looking for more instruction on how to protect and conserve water resources, myriad demonstrations and workshops are worth checking out. For example, on Sept. 22, RE Sources is providing a rain barrel construction demo, where a fee allows attendees to leave with construction knowledge and their own 55-gallon rain barrel to take home with them and install.
In addition, Sept. 22 kicks off the inaugural Skill Share Faire at the Deming Log Show fairgrounds, and will offer faire-goers techniques for composting, drip irrigation, water-barrel construction and other practical tips in utilizing our liquid resources.
Finally, after your palate has been satisfied, or when your body is feeling the toll of bicycling and your feet need a rest from creek restoration and watershed tours, indulge your peepers and your brain Sept. 18 with one of the many educational films at the Pickford Film Center’s annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. Activists, water enthusiasts and filmgoers alike can share in inspirational films that will undoubtedly encourage you to get out and do something great—by sea or on foot.
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