PRESS RELEASE: Water For Whatcom Public Announcement
PRESS RELEASE – June 16, 2026
Groundbreaking Whatcom Collaborative Announces Public Effort To Tackle Urgently-
Press Contact: Jenn Irwin, jennifer@
Community leaders in environment, farming and business go public with newly-formed group that defies long-held local political divides to tackle Whatcom’s water future
(BELLINGHAM, Wash.) Whatcom environmental advocates, farmers and business leaders are announcing an unprecedented new local movement called Water For Whatcom, focused on the Nooksack River Basin’s major water challenges and building collaborative efforts to tackle them, while honoring local tribal rights and culture.
As climate change accelerates problems with both drought and flooding in the basin, the group agrees on the urgency of the unfolding crisis. Members have bridged longtime local political divides to lock arms in a quest for solutions that protect and benefit the entire community, including fish and streams, local farming, and the families that live in the basin.
“What’s really unique about this new Water For Whatcom is we’re trying to bring the people together that haven’t traditionally gotten along very well, to kind of reach across the aisle and do differently than they’re doing in Washington, D.C. these days,” said Carl Weimer, group member, longtime local environmental advocate and former Whatcom County Councilmember.
Notable members include not only Weimer, but also outspoken local water advocate Eric Hirst, Whatcom Family Farmers Executive Director Fred Likkel, Whatcom County Realtors Association and Building Industry Association of Whatcom County Governmental Affairs Director Perry Eskridge, City of Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis and retired farmer and Bellewood Acres founder Dorie Belisle.
Water For Whatcom members began talks over a year ago, and after a series of collaborative gatherings to establish shared values and build trust, the group is ready to step up to a much more public presence in its advocacy toward solving local water resource problems.
“The problems that we face are much bigger than just an engineering challenge. It’s a relational challenge,” said group member, Ferndale-area dairy farmer and Whatcom Family Farmers President Rich Appel, “Invest in building relationships, invest in collaboration, because that can really bring about the solutions that we need.”
While the group begins to advocate publicly for shared water solutions, it plans to continue building important relationships across all of Whatcom County’s many diverse communities, and to call for leaders at all levels to adopt its spirit of collaboration and urgency to create a better water future for everyone.
More details, including Water For Whatcom’s shared values and vision, and a complete list of the group’s members is available at https://waterforwhatcom.
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