Quantcast

Preserve Galbraith Mountain - We need your help!

ebxtreme

Monkey
Apr 25, 2007
195
0
Bellingham
Friends,

Our access to recreate on Galbraith Mountain is slowly being pulled away from us. The current landowners inherited the land in 2010 during the financial crisis and have no interest in owning the land. Just yesterday, we were notified that the WMBC’s stewardship agreement is about to be revoked. This is serious.

What can you do?
  • First, please go to www.preservegalbraith.org
  • Second, fill out the basic form we’ve assembled on the site.
  • Third, we’ll need people to rally their neighbors/friends and attend upcoming council meetings. Please indicate if you’re up for the task.
  • Fourth, friend us on Facebook to keep up to date on this topic. Search “Preserve Galbraith” to locate us or click on the link from the site.
  • Fifth, email or call our local politicians. Please see the list of email addresses below and the email template that you can utilize (it’s geared towards locals, so adapt as necessary). PLEASE be civil in your comments towards Polygon, but feel free to add personal touches to this email. They need to know that this is an important area for us.

Additional talking points to consider:
  • If you’ve moved to Bellingham or Whatcom County or continue to live here due to the access to recreation/mountain biking, please note that in your letter.
  • If you own a home or own a business / employ people, then that’s worth noting as well.
  • Green space advocates and folks who are concerned about the quality of the water we drink, please add your own notes on those topics.
  • Seattle and Tacoma area riders, if you ride Galbraith frequently and also swing into Boundary, Banditos’s, DeVinci’s, Casa Que Pasa, or any other business, please note that in your email. That does matter to our local businesses and our politicians need to know that.

Thanks, and let’s Preserve Galbraith Mountain for the next generation!

Cheers,
EB


Bellingham and Whatcom County Politicians:

Whatcom County Executive: Pkremen@co.whatcom.wa.us

Whatcom County Council:
General email: council@co.whatcom.wa.us
Bill Knutzen: bknutzen@co.whatcom.wa.us
Tony Larson: tlarson@co.whatcom.wa.us
Kathy Kershner: kkershne@co.whatcom.wa.us
Ken Mann: kmann@co.whatcom.wa.us
Sam Crawford: scrawfor@co.whatcom.wa.us
Carl Weimer: cweimer@co.whatcom.wa.us
Barbara Brenner: bbrenner@co.whatcom.wa.us

Bellingham Mayor, Dan Pike: mayorsoffice@cob.org

Bellingham City Council:

Jack Weiss - 1st Ward
Gene Knutson --2nd Ward
Barry Buchanan -3rd Ward
Stan Snapp - 4th Ward
Terry Bornemann -5th Ward
Michael Lilliquist -6th Ward
Seth Fleetwood - At-large

Whatcom County Parks: parks@co.whatcom.wa.us

Bellingham Parks and Rec: parks@cob.org


EMAIL EXAMPLE BELOW – PLEASE ADJUST AS NECESSARY

------------------------------------

RE: Galbraith Mountain Preservation

Dear Councilmember/Mayor XXXXX,

I am writing to ask you to help protect the quality of life in Bellingham and preserve one of our region's great recreation and tourism spots.

Last year, Galbraith Mountain’s landowner changed when the property fell into receivership. The new owner, Polygon, has continually stated that they don’t want the property as they feel it is not financially viable. That said, they are still trying to recoup as much money from the property as possible, and as such, they have commenced full-scale logging operations in numerous locations on Galbraith. As of April 11th, the Whimps Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC) was notified that Polygon would be revoking the Recreational Use Agreement with the WMBC in the very near future. At a minimum, that means we won’t be able to maintain the trail network and, worst case, recreational access to the public could be halted altogether.

Galbraith is important to our community for a number of reasons. First off, it ties together a number of neighborhoods with a focus on an active lifestyle that is very important to people who live in Bellingham. Galbraith’s 3,000+ acres border four neighborhoods in Bellingham and Whatcom County: Birch Street/Whatcom Falls, Lake Padden/Galbraith Lane, Yew Street and Lake Louise/Sudden Valley. Easy access to outdoor recreation is indispensable to the health and welfare of our families and essential in combating childhood obesity and reducing health care costs. Along with providing this access to outdoor recreation for families, it also helps prevent suburban sprawl.

Secondly, Galbraith is a major source of recreation and outdoor activity not just for residents in Bellingham, but for tourists from all over the Pacific Northwest. In a survey the WMBC conducted in 2010, 94.4% of non-Bellingham residents that visit Galbraith also visit a local business and 50.5% spend between $20-60 per trip. Restaurants, gas stations, hotels and grocery stores all benefit from the riders that frequent the mountain for recreation.

Finally, Galbraith also represents an important conservation opportunity for the city. Approximately 1,000 acres of the land is in the Lake Whatcom watershed and Galbraith is the beginning of Chuckanut Creek. Setting this area aside for responsible, maintained recreation would ensure that these environmentally sensitive areas are properly cared for in the decades ahead. A structure for maintaining responsible recreation is already in place as well--there are over 44 miles of trail on Galbraith Mountain that have been built and maintained by a local volunteer-powered organization (WMBC) over the past 21 years.

Given how motivated the current landowner is to sell the property, this might be the only time we can purchase this land in our lifetime. As a resident of Bellingham, I’d like to encourage Whatcom County Council, Bellingham City Council and the Mayor’s office to come together for a solution to preserve Galbraith Mountain for recreation, tourism, and conservation.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE, ZIP
PHONE
 
Last edited: