On a sunny afternoon, community members gathered to plant native vegetation and remove invasive species in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. at a work party event at Willow Spring in Squalicum Creek on Jan. 17.
The City of Bellingham Parks Volunteer Program, the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA), the Washington Conservation Corps and the Whatcom Million Trees Project hosted the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Community Work Party event, while other partner groups provided work gear and supplies.
Cam Goldman, a first-time attendee, was in a group that removed invasive species, such as clematis, common teasel and Himalayan blackberry.
“This worked out perfectly with my schedule and the weather,” said Goldman. “I wanted to get out and do something for MLK Day. (The event) is well organized and people seem to be having fun. It's great to see all the families out with the young kids as well.”
A recent addition to the event is the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters, who partnered with event organizers in 2022. Volunteers were encouraged to bring nonperishable items to address the food desert in the Birchwood neighborhood after the only grocery store in the area closed in 2016.
Freya Fradenburgh, City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation stewardship supervisor, said in an email that 264 volunteers attended the work party. In recent years, the event has taken place in other areas, such as Fairhaven Park and the Baker to Bay Trail.
“Environmental justice was an incredibly important part of (King’s) legacy of social justice,” Fradenburgh said. “Equitable access to high-quality public green spaces is foundational for community well-being and resiliency. We want communities to have agency in creating, enjoying and maintaining green spaces.”
According to The King Center, King was a prominent leader of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s. His legacy and actions served as an impetus for other social movements, including environmental justice. Robert Williams, professor of African American history at Washington State University, said King started to directly engage with concepts related to environmental justice later in life.
“His legacy impacts the environmental movement perhaps more than he specifically speaks on it directly,” Williams said. “Dr. King's legacy would say we have the ability to organize ourselves and change our environment for the positive. That revolves around a place-based community grassroots organization around specific issues.”
According to the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems, environmental justice ensures everyone has equal protection against threats such as pollution, toxic waste, and other environmental hazards. The movement highlights how marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by such environmental hazards.
The City of Bellingham completed construction on Squalicum Creek Park in 2015, and Willow Spring was connected to the park in 2018. Before its transformation, the channel used to be a gravel mine, a batch plant, and an airport. The strain on the land has resulted in poor-quality water and habitat loss.
According to the Governor's Salmon Recovery Office, salmon are a keystone species with cultural significance to indigenous tribes, contributing almost $14 million annually to the economy.
NSEA has partnered with local organizations and volunteers to improve the salmon habitat in Washington since 1990. Avery Garritano, NSEA stewardship program coordinator, said Willow Spring is a place for coho, chum and chinook salmon to grow before they make the journey to the ocean.
“Squalicum Creek is very industrialized, so it's a complicated habitat for salmon,” Garritano said. “Having a low spring as an offshoot for young salmon to thrive is important. The work that we do will steward riparian habitat, which benefits Willow Spring and Squalicum Creek, flowing into Bellingham Bay.”
Alongside enhancing the refuge of migrating salmon, Ryan Robie, City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation volunteer coordinator, said people donated more than 50 pounds of food to the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters at the event.
“We are living in a time that feels uncertain, unprecedented and challenging,” Robie said during a speech near the end of the event. “In moments like these, choosing to work alongside one another matters so much. The connections and the support structures are the source of our strength.”
Allison Lam (she/her) is a city news reporter for The Front. She is a junior public relations pre-major with a communication studies minor. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting and watching sitcoms. She can be reached at allisonlam.thefront@gmail.com.
