Examining the Proposed Disc Golf Course at Civic Field Complex: Balancing Recreation with Environmental Stewardship

By Rodd Pemble

Rodd Pemble, WEC Board Member

January 30, 2026

Whatcom Environmental Council (WEC) Weighs in on the Draft Master Plan

The City of Bellingham has recently released its draft master plan for the Civic Field Complex, sparking a lively conversation among residents, recreation enthusiasts, and environmental advocates. Casual observers may not have noticed a proposed 9-hole disc golf course crisscrossing the only forest on the site. While the idea of adding disc golf—a sport enjoyed year-round by people of all ages—sounds appealing, the Whatcom Environmental Council (WEC) is concerned about the ecological and public impacts of this new development.

Disc golf is celebrated for encouraging physical activity and providing accessible recreation. However, it’s also been linked to notable environmental damage and changes in how surrounding natural areas are affected. The existing disc golf course in Cornwall Park has resulted in severe impacts to the forest - compacted soil, damaged trees, and trampled underbrush have left the course a virtual ecological desert.  To make an informed decision, it's important to examine both the benefits and potential drawbacks, drawing on language from the draft plan and previous environmental studies.

A Glimpse at the Draft Plan

On page 35, the draft master plan describes the disc golf course as a “light-footprint use” that preserves the existing forest canopy while inviting a new, pro-social activity. The plan emphasizes that the forest will remain largely intact and that the disc golf course will be woven into the natural landscape, minimizing impact

The forest in question is a rich, diverse ecosystem, home to a mix of mature conifer and deciduous trees, a well-developed understory, and dense patches of underbrush. Its species diversity rivals that of larger local forests, supporting an array of wildlife and providing vital ecological services. Water from the forest drains north through small channels and wetlands, eventually feeding into Whatcom Creek — an essential resource for species like coho and steelhead salmon, as well as cutthroat trout.

Community Benefits and Ecological Value

The benefits of this forest stretch far beyond its scenic beauty. It helps manage stormwater, buffers traffic noise, offers habitat for wildlife, reduces the urban heat island effect, and adds value to neighboring properties. Residents enjoy its tranquility while walking or biking its trails, while birds and other animals depend on it for nesting and foraging.

A 2003 wildlife habitat assessment conducted by the City (including “Block 69,” the forest in question) described a lowland temperate conifer forest with crucial wetland components. Despite some degradation along Lincoln Creek and litter left by visitors, the assessment noted the area’s potential for restoration, particularly salmon habitat. Despite its modest size, this forest provides refuge for wildlife, while adjacent lawn and parking areas offer few alternatives for foraging.

Restoration Priorities and Challenges

The November 2015 Final Bellingham Habitat Restoration, Technical Assessment further affirmed the significance of this forest. According to Table B-8, the site ranked first for restoration and fifth for enhancement among local forests. Its only low score—permanent and regulatory protection—was due to existing city ownership, not to low ecological value.

The technical assessment emphasized the role of Forest Block 069 in the larger landscape and pointed out opportunities for improving habitat quality and connectivity. While the draft Parks plan promises a “light footprint,” any large new use—especially disc golf which brings increased foot traffic, disc retrieval, and unmonitored trail creation—could pose risks to sensitive plants, soil structure, and the quiet refuge that wildlife and people depend on. Can disc golf coexist with habitat protection and restoration in the Civic Field Forest?  The WEC does not think it can.

Finding a Balanced Path Forward

As the Civic Field Complex master planning moves forward, the Whatcom Environmental Council (WEC) encourages all stakeholders to consider the long-term ecological impacts alongside the recreational benefits.  Are there design modifications or stewardship commitments that could minimize harm and maximize community value? The WEC believes the dispersed nature of the sport and its lack of monitoring mean forest damage will be inevitable.  Clearing nine swaths of forest, each one 15-40 feet wide, by an average 240-260 feet long is not a “light footprint.”  Review the photos below and see what you think, or take a walk through both Cornwall Park and Civic Field forests before you make up your mind.

WEC believes if additional disc golf facilities are appropriate for Bellingham, a “prairie style” course could be placed at some other local property where harm will be less to public resources.

Now is a critical opportunity for residents to share their perspectives with our Parks & Recreation Advisory Board members (parks@cob.org) and City Council representatives (ccmail@cob.org).  Ask questions and ensure that both people and nature have a voice in the future of this cherished space.  Time is of the essence - the final draft is expected to reach the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board on February 11th, and if approved, on to the City Council for a final vote likely in March.  

By working together, Bellingham residents can create a re-imagined Civic Field Complex that supports healthy outdoor recreation while honoring its unique natural heritage.

For more on this topic, please see the Dec. 18, 2025 WEC Advocacy letter, Civic Complex Master Planning Process – Disc Golf Course.

Protecting Cherry Point (Xwe'chi'eXen) – Again and Again and Again

By Carl Weimer January 13, 2026

Remember the Coal Port fight at Cherry Point over a decade ago? Well Cherry Point is threatened again by the expansion of a different type of fossil fuel export facility, and the Whatcom Environmental Council, along with our coalition partners – RE Sources, Friends of the San Juans, Washington Conservation Action, Sierra Club, and Evergreen Islands – have once again intervened in the process to try to protect this beautiful and ecologically and culturally important area.

About 10 years ago Petrogas bought the LPG facility at Cherry Point, and then bought the Intalco pier. During the years that followed, Petrogas implemented dozens of projects at the terminal site that “facilitated” the “increased shipment” of butane and propane from the terminal. Petrogas did not seek or obtain permits for this work. The volume of butane and propane handled by the terminal steadily increased during this time. The company’s code violations triggered an enforcement action against the terminal by the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA), which resulted in a $4 million fine. In a 2021 letter to the County, NWCAA explained how Petrogas implemented a number of unpermitted changes that “increased the facility’s capacity for propane deliveries and handling.” The letter documented how railcar visits to the terminal increased from around 1,000 cars/year to nearly 17,000 cars/year, and vessel traffic increased from 2–5 berthing events per year to 26 in 2019. Over that same period AltaGas began the purchase of Petrogas, and became the sole owner in 2022. AltaGas now refers to this facility as ALA Energy Ferndale Terminal.

In 2016, while I was on the Whatcom County Council I help draft and get passed an “emergency moratorium” prohibiting “the filing, acceptance, and processing of new applications for conversion of land or water, new building or structure permits, or other County permits or authorizations in the Cherry Point Urban Growth Area for new or expanded facilities whose purpose is to facilitate the increased shipment of unrefined fossil fuel or new projects that would export fossil fuels.” This moratorium was in place while Petrogas was making the unpermitted changes to their facility, and the County ultimately amended its code to require such expansions go through a Conditional Use Permit process to ensure environmental protections.

In March of 2023, Whatcom County executed a “compliance agreement” with Petrogas. That agreement memorialized the County’s view that the unpermitted projects performed starting in 2016 “have substantially increased facility throughput” in violation of the emergency moratorium and other provisions of the County code. To rectify these alleged violations, the agreement confirmed that the company would seek a Conditional Use Permit (“CUP”) and Whatcom County would prepare an environmental impact statement under SEPA.

In 2025 the County released its SEPA determination and at that time stated no Environmental Impact Statement would be required, and started the Conditional Use Permit process. Our coalition filed an appeal of this SEPA determination because mitigation to the environmental harms identified were inadequate and potential other harms were not even identified. We feel the County did not adequately address the impacts from increased ship traffic or emissions on climate change, and that the mitigations the County wants to require are too vague, often voluntary, and are difficult to assess and enforce. Our appeal seeks a full environmental impact statement, as the County had led everyone to believe would be required, to ensure all environmental impacts are properly identified and mitigations put in place. Our review shows that there has never been a complete environmental review of the impacts of ship traffic from this pier, even though there is a good deal of scientific evidence that ship noise effects both whales and herring, and that the materials used to build the pier have a toxic effect on herring (see herring graph below).

Starting on January 28th at 8:30AM both the SEPA appeal and the Conditional Use Permit hearings will begin in front of the County's Hearing Examiner at the County Courthouse. Public testimony can be provided in-person or be submitted via email (hearingexamineroffice@co.whatcom.wa.us).

We are represented in our SEPA appeal by EarthJustice, and have put together a great team of experts to testify at the SEPA hearing. At this time it is still not clear whether the public will be able to testify as part of that hearing, but the public can certainly provide testimony as part of the parallel Conditional Use Permit hearing. We are guessing that members of the public, such as you, will be allowed to speak for three minutes each at that hearing, but can also provide additional written comments. The public testimony will probably start around 9:30 on the 28th. Please consider joining us in calling for better protection of Cherry Point. Lots more information about this proposed permit is available on the County's website here. The hearing agenda, expert testimony, and exhibits are here.

So many people have been working to protect Cherry Point for decades, so please help us ensure this expansion does not in some way undo previous work. Thanks in Advance!!

Urban Forests

Loophole allows landowner to avoid city requirements

By David Stalheim, WEC Secretary

In 2017, the City of Bellingham issued a Critical Areas and Clearing Permit to allow harvest of trees at Samish Heights. The conditions of those permits limited the harvest to 30% of the trees and required protection of critical wildlife habitat and buffers around Class I mature forested wetlands.

This overview of the forests and wetlands was submitted to the City as part of the landowners application to clear 30% of the timber

Wetland A was determined by the wetland consultant to be a Class I mature forested wetland, requiring a 150 foot buffer around the wetland under City Critical Area Requirements

This image was taken by the wetland consultants at the time of their site visits on January 31st, February 14th, and March 1st of 2017. Source: CAP2016-0036, STM2016-0068 and SEP2016-0017, "Exhibit C, Critical Areas Assessment, Samish Heights, Bellingham, WA, Appendix C", NW Ecological Services

This was the tree harvest plan approved by the City in 2017.

Landowner terminates permit and applies for less restrictive permit

In 2018, the property owner chose another path to harvest the forest at Samish Heights. Rather than apply for a clearing permit through the City, the property owner chose to pursue harvest of the forest through the State Department of Natural Resources. This "loophole", which appears to be legal, allowed the property owner to avoid all City requirements for clearing of the land and protection of critical areas and wetlands.

The conditions for using this loophole were:

1. The landowner had to maintain the property as forest lands for ten years;

2. The landowner had to manage the forest in accordance with a forest management plan:

   1. Reforestation was to begin in March 2020 and include 250+ seedlings per acre.

   2. Reforestation checks were required every two years.

   3. Competing vegetation checks were required every two years.

The difference between City and State forest cutting requirements were significant. The State would not enforce City habitat or wetland requirements, allowing timber to be harvested in Class I forested wetland buffers. While the City allowed just 30% of the timber to be harvested, the State allowed 95%. Over one mile of roads were constructed and over 1,300 million board feet of timber was harvested.

This video of "Wetland A" was captured after the timber was harvested.

Under the Growth Management Act, forested land within the city limits - or urban growth area, are not considered commercial forest lands. When a landowner applies to clear the forest, it is assumed that they will convert to non-forest uses. In fact, the landowner's website says there is a "significant master-planned residential development" that it intends to pursue. Rules allowing the cutting of the forest for a ten year delay just circumvents local rules meant to protect our urban forests and critical areas.

Why Urban Forests Matter

We all have our personal reasons why we might love urban forests. Urban forests provide areas for recreation and open space close to where we live and work. Urban forests and retention/increase of tree canopy are also critical to boost carbon sequestration, reduce heat islands, and improve air quality in overburdened communities.

In this heat map, you can see areas of Bellingham that were much hotter than others, which corresponds with less tree canopy. Source: Whatcom Million Trees Project (https://whatcommilliontrees.org/)

In 2023, the Legislature amended the Growth Management Act (GMA) to require the City's comprehensive plan show the use, location, and distribution of "urban and community forests". The Legislature also required that the City adopt a climate change and resilience element that results in reductions in overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhances resiliency to and avoid the adverse impacts of climate change.

Retention of our urban forests accomplish both GHG emission reductions and climate resiliency.

• Tree loss accounts for 12% of the estimated communitywide greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. (Source: Whatcom County 2022 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis, Figure 4, pg. 11)

• 40% of Bellingham is covered by tree canopy and 42% of the entire Urban Growth Area. The majority (54%) of tree canopy is found on private land. (Source: City of Bellingham Urban Forest Plan, Draft April 2024, pg. 16 and 19)

Samish Crest forests were identified as significant wildlife habitat with the highest biodiversity scores in several of the City's studies. The harvested area is shown in the red outline. Source: "Exhibit C, Critical Areas Assessment, Samish Heights, Bellingham, WA", NW Ecological Services

2022 Aerial photo of Samish Heights and Samish Crest. Areas shaded green are part of the City's Greenways program. Source: Bellingham GIS https://maps.cob.org/arcgis4/rest/services/Imagery/Photo_2022/MapServer

This overview from 2022 includes the subwatershed boundaries and wetland delineations. Wetland A, which was identified as a Class I mature forested wetland that required a 150 foot buffer under City Critical Area requirements, was within the Lake Padden watershed. Source: Bellingham GIS

What action can be done to close this loophole?

We're encouraging the Bellingham City Council to add two policies to the Bellingham Plan before they take action December 8th.

1. Ensure state forest practices within the City require appropriate approvals for all phases of the conversion of forestlands, including land clearing and grading and protection of critical areas, consistent with Bellingham’s development regulations and Urban Forest Plan.

2. The city establishes a city-wide tree canopy cover of no less than 40%, to be updated and implemented through adoption of an urban forest plan, capital facilities plan and development regulations.

You can contact the City Council and Mayor and ask them to add these policies to the Bellingham Plan.

Mayor Kim Lund: mayorsoffice@cob.org

City Council: ccmail@cob.org

Council members (https://cob.org/gov/council):

• Hollie Huthman (hahuthman@cob.org),

• Hannah Stone (hestone@cob.org),

• Dan Hammill (dchammill@cob.org),

• "Skip" Williams (ehwilliams@cob.org),

• Lisa Anderson (laanderson@cob.org),

• Michael Lilliquist (mlilliquist@cob.org), and

• Jace Cotton (jacotton@cob.org).

This effort to close this loophole is just beginning. It appears that changes to the State Forest Practices Act and Rules might be necessary. Let us know if you want to help by signing up as a Whatcom Environmental Council supporter.