A press release from the Sierra Club Mt. Baker Group
If you’ve ever thought that water, and having enough of it, was a “dry” subject, then you owe it to yourself to come out to Carl Cozier Elementary School on Wednesday, March 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and hear local water researcher Eric Hirst talk about “Water in Whatcom County, and Why We Should be Concerned.” If you think that it’s water, water everywhere in the Pacific Northwest, the fact is that even here in Whatcom County sometimes there isn’t enough water for all the people, crops, fish, and legal demands that need water. And that problem will only get worse if we don’t understand how to manage our finite water supplies.
Environmental researcher Eric Hirst is just the person to explain it all. He has a Ph.D. in engineering from Stanford University, spent 30 years analyzing energy policy at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, and retired to Bellingham 14 years ago where he continues his environmental analysis and activism. You may recognize his name from last year’s Whatcom County vs. Hirst, Futurewise, et al. decision by the Washington State Supreme Court. That case found that Whatcom County’s failure to comply with legal obligations to protect water resources required that it now coordinate its land-use planning with water availability.
This presentation is sponsored by the Mt. Baker Group/Washington Chapter of the Sierra Club, and is free to all interested in understanding how water affects every aspect of our lives. Beverages and snacks will be served. Questions and answers will follow Mr. Hirst’s presentation.
If you want to know more about water or other key environmental issues to this region, “like” our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=mt.%20baker%20chapter%20sierra%20club, or check out our website at http://www.sierraclub.org/washington/mount-baker-whatcom-skagit-.
ABOVE: Bellingham Bay is beautiful in the sunshine. Photo by Janna Bodnar // AS Review