BELLINGHAM, Wash. — On Tuesday, the City of Bellingham announced that they have acquired 754 acres of forestland in the Lake Whatcom watershed.
This comes after the Bellingham City Council approved the purchase at the Jan. 27 meeting.
The city said that this purchase will protect Bellingham’s drinking water source and protect the forest from harvesting and development.
“Years in the making, this purchase is a major step forward in protecting one of our community’s most valuable assets, strengthening our ability to continue providing clean, safe drinking water,” said Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund. “This accomplishment also supports our goals to sustain a healthy environment for people, native flora and fauna, and increases our community’s resilience to wildfires and other effects of a changing climate. I’m grateful to Nielsen Brothers and everyone involved who made this impactful purchase possible.”
The property is located on the southeast end of the lake, south of Lake Whatcom Park.
The city does not have plans to build trails on the land and will focus on improving the health of the forest.
The land was purchased from Nielsen Brothers, Inc., a local timber company, for $3.65 million.
“The acquisition is funded through watershed fees on utility bills that are specifically collected for protection of Bellingham’s drinking water source,” the city wrote in a press release.
The sale is expected to be complete on Feb. 14.
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