Who We Are
We are a group of concerned citizens who seek a collaborative and open-minded approach to water resource issues in Whatcom County, which has rich potential to drive constructive change in our community.
We seek to listen, learn, understand, and collaborate. When we work together, we create outcomes far better than anything we can accomplish individually.
Perry Eskridge
*Steering Committee
Government Affairs Director
WCAR & BIAWC
Resident of Ferndale
Fred Likkel
*Steering Committee
Whatcom Family Farmers
Resident of Lynden
Hank Kastner
*Steering Committee
Whatcom Public Citizen
Resident of Bellingham
Carl Weimer
*Steering Committee
Former Whatcom County Council
Resident of Laurel
Meg Harris
*Facilitator
Triangle Associates
Rich Appel
Appel Farms CEO
Resident of Laurel
Dorie Belisle
League of Women Voters of Bellingham/Whatcom County
Retired Farmer, Bellewood Acres
Resident of Bellingham
Greg Ebe
Ebe Farms & NuGen Seed Owner/Manager
Resident of Custer
Eric Hirst
Environmentalist
Retired Policy Analyst
Resident of Bellingham
Dillon Honcoop
Whatcom Family Farmers
Resident of Lynden
Jennifer Irwin
Swell Media Solutions
Resident of Bellingham
Lauren Johnson
Industrial Credit Union
Resident of Custer
Deanna DeGolier Kangas
Whatcom Family Farmers
Resident of Lynden
Scott Korthuis
City of Lynden Mayor
Resident of Lynden
Brad Rader
Rader Farms GM
Resident of Lynden
Allison Trimble
Whatcom County Association of Realtors
Whatcom County Farm Bureau
Resident of Ferndale
Alexandra Williams
Deming Diking District Commissioner
Whatcom County Farm Bureau President
Resident of Deming
There’s more room at our table!
Based on shared values, we aspire to be an example of cooperation, and encourage others to join us as we seek to influence leaders. With the legal process of water rights adjudication now underway, we are concerned by the limited attention and action in the face of critical water resource management issues.
Individually, we believe we benefit from relationships with a broad range of community members to better understand the social and cultural context for our concerns.
As a group, we stand in support of our tribal neighbors, Lummi Nation & Nooksack Indian Tribe; we acknowledge and respect their sovereignty, and their rights reserved under the Treaty of Point Elliott.
How We Work
Water for Whatcom commits to using a consensus model for group decisions, and we work cooperatively toward shared goals.
Our organization encourages Whatcom County’s community to come together beyond the courtroom – seeking to understand each other’s water needs and working collectively on water management solutions. Members of Water for Whatcom provide information, stories and advocacy to help our community work collaboratively towards this cause.
What We Believe
Our concerns center on how we manage the water resources of Whatcom county. Water is essential for all life, and we find our county’s fresh water supply is at risk. We recognize our community is challenged by seasonally variable water supplies with extremes from flooding to drought. This raises concerns in particular for Farms (central to rural communities), Fish (central to Lummi Nation, Nooksack Indian Tribe, and the rest of us) and Communities (homes, jobs, food).
These are amplified by risks posed in: escalating climate change impacts; increasing impacts from seasonal weather extremes; statutory and regulatory constraints; and continued watershed conversion for development.
We urge policymakers to draw lessons from the collaborative framework used in the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan and other watershed-scale initiatives. Community leaders must together identify the appropriate forum for eventual negotiations to supplement the adjudication process. We need this multilateral approach, where we are all willing to compromise to create a better future for all of us.
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