August 19 - 25, 2021
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Birch Bay library on November ballot, page 4
The hornets are back and being tracked
Crabbing season delayed, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Finalized primary election results, page 15
Birch Bay to celebrate berm completion
By Grace McCarthy
(See Hornets, page 8)
s People walk their bikes on the newly complete Birch Bay berm path on a warm summer afternoon. The berm task force is in the process of drafting recommendations for an ordinance that details permitted recreational uses of the berm path. Whether bikes and e-bikes will be allowed is still in discussion Photo by Ian Haupt
Berm ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 21 By Ian Haupt When Roland Middleton approached the line to shake Wolf Bauer’s hand at his 100th birthday party, he was trying to think of what he could say to the Northwest mountaineer, environmentalist and hydrologist to make Bauer remember him. Bauer had been shaking hands and catching up with renowned mountaineers, like Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mt. Everest, and other high-ranking professionals from around the world. Middleton had met Bauer as a Western Washington University geology undergrad
when Bauer came to discuss beach restoration and give a tour of the beach at Birch Bay, which he had recommended be replaced with a sand and gravel berm. More than 30 years later, at the birthday party, Middleton had been working with Whatcom County on the berm project for over 15 years. “Roland, did you get Birch Bay done?” the 100-year-old asked. It was 2012, and Middleton had nearly 10 more years of work left on the project that was adapted from the man’s work. Stammering to find an answer, Middleton replied, “Ah, well we’re working on it Wolf.”
Increased Covid-19 tests delaying results By Grace McCarthy As Covid-19 cases in Whatcom County reach pandemic highs, Whatcom County testing providers are seeing double the demand for testing, likely attributed to the Delta variant and people needing a test to travel into Canada. “The need for PCR tests prior to crossing the border has exacerbated an already increasing rate of testing in our community,” Whatcom County health director Erika Lautenbach said during an August 11
media conference. Whatcom County Covid-19 cases have increased about 500 percent in the past month, a surge that lagged behind other counties that experienced higher numbers earlier in the summer, Lautenbach said. During the week of August 9, Lautenbach said Covid-19 cases were the fourth highest since the pandemic. The health department is urging all residents to slow down the spread of the virus by getting vaccinated, avoiding indoor and outdoor crowded spaces and wearing face
masks in public. Face masks are required for people unvaccinated and recommended for people who are vaccinated because they can still spread the virus. Washington State Department of Health (DOH) data shows all age groups in the county are experiencing higher Covid-19 cases, with the highest among 25-44 year olds. “It’s incredibly concerning given the fact that there are very few hospitals in the (See Covid-19, page 3)
Back in 1975, Bauer recommended the Birch Bay community have the county restore the beach, which was excavated in the 1950s for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build the Blaine Air Force Station and other facilities. The beach lacked sediment and was composed mostly of riprap and groins. Bauer proposed a design that would reestablish the beach profile while improving flood protection. More than 45 years later and five years after Bauer’s death, Middleton can safely say he got it done. (See Berm, page 6)
INSIDE
Many might have cheered at the eradicated Asian giant hornet nest last year, but the fight against the invasive species isn’t over in Whatcom County. The first live Asian giant hornets found in 2021 were recently detected in east Blaine, just two miles from where the first nest in the U.S. was eradicated in October, and scientists are now looking for a nest. On August 11, a worker hornet was photographed preying on a paper wasp nest under the eaves of a house near H Street Road, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) map of reported hornet sightings. The state agency confirmed the sighting August 12. “This hornet is exhibiting the same behavior we saw last year – attacking paper wasp nests,” WSDA managing entomologist Sven Spichiger said in a statement. “If you have paper wasp nests on your property and live in the area, keep an eye on them and report any Asian giant hornets you see. Note which direction they fly off as well.” State entomologists captured a live worker hornet August 12 and August 13 on the homeowner’s property and another on the neighboring property, WSDA public engagement specialist Karla Salp said. In attempt to track the two hornets back to their nest on August 13, scientists placed radio tags on the hornets, fed them strawberry jam for energy before flying and then released the hornets. The hornets stayed in the area for a couple of hours before they flew away. On August 14, the scientists found one of the radio tags that wasn’t attached to a hornet. By press time, scientists were still searching for the second radio tag but were being slowed because of dense vegetation. WSDA is hoping to also track the radio tag from a drone, instead of by foot as entomologists did to find the first east Blaine nest in 2020. Once activated, WSDA says the radio tags last up to two weeks.
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@TheNorthernLightNews
TheNorthernLight.com
This Week’s FLYER
Rite Aid
