North Sound Waterkeeper

07/05/2023

Fourth of July celebrations often leave a lot of trash on beaches — join us for a cleanup on Wednesday, July 5th from 10am to 12pm near the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve (4601 Gulf Rd, Ferndale).

Bagels will be provided by The Bagelry, and Kombucha Town will provide beverages! We provide cleanup supplies, on a first-come first-served basis. Dress for the weather. Family-friendly, but kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Sign up: https://www.re-sources.org/event/beach-cleanup-cherry-point/

07/05/2023

Thanks everyone who helped us monitor microplastics last month! And thanks to everyone who'll be out on the beaches today helping us cleanup after July 4th or help us monitor intertidal at Cherry Point!

Citizen scientists help researchers gather plastic for EPA research

04/10/2023

Help us change the way toxic sites are cleaned up across WA state! Join us and partners this Thursday, April 13th at 5:30 PM for a webinar to learn more and how to have your voice heard. RSVP now: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X5gkgqcfQVqOh37k9B_MSw

We all deserve to live in a community where we can breathe clean air, drink clean water, and recreate safely in greenspaces, rivers, and lakes. Indigenous people must be able to harvest healthy salmon, free from toxics, as they have since time immemorial.
There are over 14,000 toxic waste sites throughout Washington, most of which are still awaiting cleanup. They are not just industrial facilities – they’re in neighborhoods at every corner of the state and disproportionately affect people of color and tribes. Despite this, the state’s environmental cleanup law doesn’t prioritize cleanups where they are desperately needed.
The data is clear – people of color and low-income communities bear a disproportionate share of health risks from exposure to toxics. This has serious environmental justice ramifications, including increased risk for serious health problems like cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. The environmental cleanup law doesn’t currently factor this into deciding when and how toxic waste sites are cleaned up, but we have an opportunity to change this.

The Department of Ecology is updating the state environmental cleanup law after nearly 30 years. It’s time to incorporate environmental justice and climate change considerations to reduce the burden on our most impacted communities. Please join us for a webinar on Thursday, April 13th at 5:30 PM where we’ll discuss an opportunity to change how toxic waste sites are cleaned up, hear stories of how these sites affect tribes and communities, and learn how to make your voice heard through public comment.

02/06/2023

This was a really fun event- thanks everyone who attended and helped to make it happen! It's always a treat to get out on the beach at a super low tide, but particularly in the winter when there are so many more critters out in the cover of night that you normally don't get to see!

RE Sources, a sustainability nonprofit organization founded in Bellingham, Washington, held a nighttime low tide walk at Larrabee State Park beach on Saturday, Jan. 21. Forty participants learned about delicate beach ecosystems in a relaxed and informational environment. 

01/09/2023

The 2023 legislative started today. What are some of your priorities this year? We are keeping an eye on a number of water-related bills and budget items.

The legislative session kicks off today in Olympia, and state lawmakers have a full agenda: gun regulations, education, big budget questions and more.

01/06/2023

Join us for WA Water Lobby Days the week of January 30th! Help us ensure clean and abundant water for salmon, orca, and more! No experience needed. Sign up today at the link below~

https://www.re-sources.org/initiative/wa-water-lobby-days-2023/

01/06/2023

Check out our legislative priorities as we head into 2023:

If you’re reading this, chances are you want to better understand how to use your voice for strengthening environmental protections and advocating for an equitable transition to clean energy. Or […]

11/03/2022

We just helped some folks at the University of Florida as they explore the pattern they've noticed of elevated PFAS in foam. This was a win-win as we are looking forward to seeing the results of the samples of foam and water from Squalicum, Whatcom, and Padden creeks.

10/21/2022

Sea star wasting syndrome devastated our shorelines almost a decade ago. Community science has helped us better understand how local sea star populations have responded, and you can still continue to help us collect data! Healthy sea stars, unhealthy or absent sea stars are all data!

Sea star wasting syndrome still threatens area sea stars, but community scientists and researchers are helping to shed light on the mysterious illness.

04/15/2022

Training from Swinomish staff on how to help with the light trap today at the Plover dock. Volunteers will help out each week, mainly looking out for Dungeness crab larvae (megalopae). Great crew out, including the group that already heads out weekly for harmful algal blooms (HABS). Hopefully we'll start seeing more baby crabs soon!

03/25/2022

As we celebrate this week and launch in celebration of the Clean Water Act (CWA) turning 50, we appreciate how much better our waterways are than they could have been without the CWA, however, we have so, so, so much more work to do as this article really points out. The goal of making all waters fishable and swimmable by 1982 has fallen quite short. So while we celebrate the CWA turning 50 and some of it's successes, it's also a call to action to keep improving the CWA to one day meet its goals.

A noble goal, never attained