Whatcom Creek: A Passage in Time

Joe Meche is president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and also serves the chapter as newsletter editor and birding programs coordinator. He has been watching birds for more than 50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years. He has written more than 100 articles for Whatcom Watch.

In the recorded history of any place, there is always a starting point – that one moment in time where all the energy of the universe is focused to affect change. When Henry Roeder and his partner J. E. Peabody came to the mouth of Whatcom Creek in the 1850s, they found just what they had been seeking, falling water and forests so thick with trees that the only place to walk with ease was on the beach. This was the point in time when the character of this creek changed forever, and the irony is that people were there long before Roeder and Peabody arrived.

For centuries, ancestors of the Lummi Nation set up seasonal camps at the mouth of the creek where it flows into Bellingham Bay. These camps were used primarily when salmon gathered at the base of the falls and the adjoining bluffs and stream banks were filled with ripe berries. Since their presence there was temporary and they took only what they needed, the area remained mostly unaffected by human activity.

These early visitors referred to the creek as “Whatcoom,” or “the place of noisy waters.” Before any manmade structures blocked its flow, Whatcom Creek tumbled through layers of Chuckanut sandstone on its way from Lake Whatcom to the bay. Where the rushing water encountered soft sandstone, it created a gorge. Where it encountered harder, more resistant sandstone, falls were created. There are six separate falls on the creek between the lake and the bay.

In the years after the first lumber mill was built at its mouth, industrial and residential development began to take a toll on the creek. Even though the creek became the community’s dumping ground, Lummi fishermen continued taking salmon at the mouth. Debris and refuse began to pile up at every turn in the creek and a sewer line eventually blocked the salmon from their spawning grounds.

Sawdust from the lumber mills on the lake began to pile up and raised the water level, changing the character of the lake. Annual floods on the lower creek brought about the construction of a dam to control the flow of water downstream. Still, the creek remained a dumping ground and all the wastewater from the growing city was channeled into the creek.

Concerned citizens, perhaps early environmentalists, began to notice the abuse and mobilized to save the creek from total destruction. Groups working closer to the bay had a tougher time than those on the upper creek, but the movement was underway. Beginning in 1908, the pieces began to fall into place for the eventual creation of Whatcom Falls Park, and the community rallied around the concept of preserving this unique part of Bellingham’s history.

Over the remainder of the last century and to the present day, non-profit groups like the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) and programs through the Bellingham Technical College have made great strides to bring salmon back to the creek. If you’re down at the hatchery area of Maritime Heritage Park in early November, you’ll see how successful their work has been. Salmon that run the gauntlet of elbow-to-elbow fishermen can be seen leaping the falls behind the main post office. Along the entire creek, a unique riparian corridor is inviting to salmon, as well as a variety of birds and other wildlife.

The tragedy of the gas pipeline explosion in 1999 was yet another moment in time for the creek. Three young men lost their lives and there was a significant amount of devastation in the middle section of the creek. But the community rallied and nature continues to heal most of the wounds caused by the explosion and ensuing fires along the creek. The restoration and recovery of the creek is another classic example of dedication and cooperation among individuals, organizations, and agencies throughout the community to focus on a common goal.

If you think you need to drive far to experience nature, you might be in for a big surprise if you consider hiking Whatcom Creek. That’s right, hiking Whatcom Creek. While most folks are familiar with certain sections of the creek, not everyone appreciates the fact that you can hike the entire 3.5-mile length of the creek on trails, with just a couple of urban transitions as you get closer to the downtown waterfront.

The creek drops 330 feet from its origin at Bloedel-Donovan Park on Lake Whatcom and disappears into Whatcom Falls Park. Once you’re into the park, you leave the sounds of traffic and people behind and become one with the sounds of nature. From the parking area off Electric Avenue, the trail begins and goes past Scudder Pond, where you might observe the variety of birds that frequent this urban preserve.

Scudder Pond was donated to the North Cascades Audubon Society in 1987 by Vita Armitage, the daughter of O.C. Scudder, for whom the pond is named. This 2.8-acre cattail wetland provides perfect feeding and nesting habitat for birds like wood ducks, Virginia rails, red-winged blackbirds, bushtits and Bullock’s orioles. At least two beaver lodges are visible from the trail and the resident beavers can usually be observed early in the morning and around dusk.

Though you might have a difficult time leaving Scudder Pond, the trail beckons. As you go into the park, the habitat changes from wetland to woodland as the tall cedars and firs form a veritable canopy overhead. The trail through the park stays close to the creek so keep an eye and an ear out for forest birds and dippers. Dippers nest at the main falls, and it’s always fun to stop on the old WPA bridge when you go by to see if there’s any nesting activity.

You might be surprised by the number of ducks on the creek as you travel downstream. Common and hooded mergansers, buffleheads, and common goldeneyes fly up and down the entire creek in search of food. As you follow the trail listen for Pacific wrens, which are plentiful in the park, and pileated woodpeckers. Barred and great horned owls are present in the park and crows will sometimes tell you if they’ve found one. When you get close to the area of the pipeline explosion, look for woodpecker activity in all the dead trees.

Your forest/creek reverie will come to an abrupt end when you reach the stairway that descends 105 steps to Woburn Street and a busy intersection. This is but a momentary break since the trail picks up again across Woburn and continues along the creek behind that part of Iowa street known to locals as Auto Row. Part of the trail between Woburn Street and Interstate-5 is the newer section known as Red-tail Reach. In this old flood plain, maturing plants along the stream attract a variety of birds.

After you’ve covered the reach, you will go under the freeway and hike along sidewalks to the return of the trail at the Railroad Avenue footbridge. From there, you’ll begin the final part of the trail to Maritime Heritage Park and the waterfront. Below the last falls the creek becomes part of a tidal basin that offers a mix of birds that utilize both fresh and salt water to feed and rest. Great blue herons, belted kingfishers, and double-crested cormorants are common in the basin, along with the usual gathering of glaucous-winged gulls.

While there’s no doubt that Whatcom Creek is an urban stream, walk any section of the trail to experience a sample of Bellingham’s history and a taste of our unique urban wilderness. Whatcom Creek can be viewed as a classic example of what we can do to reverse the abuse that was part of the way things were done in the past, before we knew better, and remember that this creek rightfully deserves the claim as the birthplace of Bellingham. §