A proposed building site for the Alden Reach development
On a dead end road near Birch Bay lies an expanse of old farm land. The area is dotted with patches of trees and Mt. Baker is visible from almost any place on the property. In an hour of walking through the field, two hawks circle over the tall grass looking for an afternoon meal. The abandoned land is bordered with trees lining a bluff that leads to a rocky beach. The San Juan Islands rise out of the water in the distance.
Rolled hay, a farm tractor next to an abandoned road, and the nearby B.P. refinery towers billowing smoke into the air are the only evidence of human existence. Orange and pink flagging is tied to trees throughout the property marking the boundaries of what will soon become a 51-acre park.
Whatcom Land Trust received the property through a land swap with the Trillium Corp., an international development and lumber corporation based in Bellingham. The exchange was a clever political move as well, a "gift" from Trillium to get support for one of the largest development projects in Whatcom County history: a 1,000-acre project of homes, stores, factories and a college campus.
Whatcom Land Trust, a nonprofit environmental organization whose mission is to preserve and protect natural habitat, became active in western Washington in 1983. According to the Whatcom County Catalog of Philanthropy, the land trust is a local, grassroots organization that assists private landowners interested in protecting their land. In the last 20 years the organization saved over 6,500 acres of land from development. Currently the land trust is focusing on four conservation projects that serve to protect areas of environmental concern.
"We are working to protect what matters to Whatcom County," said Connie Clements, office manager of Whatcom Land Trust.
The land swap involved the exchange of a 43-acre piece of land near the south end, which the land trust owned and the 51-acres Trillium owns located further north. Earlier this year, with funds from the Washington Department of Ecology, the land trust purchased the 43-acre property from B.C. Hydro, a Canadian company that supplies electricity to British Columbia.
Trillium now owns 1,000 acres adjacent to the land trust's property. Trillium was a holder of the First Right of Refusal on the land B.C. Hydro owned, meaning that B.C. Hydro had to first provide Trillium the opportunity to accept or reject the offer to buy the land. When given the option, Trillium opted to work with the land trust and exchange properties. The swap was a necessary deal, and is one that the land trust is thankful for, Clements said.
"We are grateful to Trillium," she said. "The end result left us with a better park."
The 51-acre wooded wetland is an ecologically more diverse habitat than the 43 acres south of the property Trillium received. The wetland will become a better park than the property the land trust had previously owned, Clements said.
The plan for the park is to clear overgrown trails, provide scenic outlooks, and public beach access to the 1,700 feet of marine shoreline, she said.
"There is no large park for the people in Blaine," Clements said. "They had spoken of wanting more parks, and this deal allows them to have one."
After initial construction, Whatcom Land Trust members hope to hand the park over to Whatcom County parks and services, which would maintain the property. The park it set to open around September 2007, Clements said.
With a date set and the deal made, the land trust has to start the small maintenance tasks before the property will be open to the public.
A Troubled History
Trillium Corporation is well known by the Bellingham community. The company is responsible for the Bellis Fair Mall, Cordata Business Parks and the Cornwall Building. Trillium has holdings on large sections of land around downtown Bellingham.
The number, size, and effects of Trillium developments created a reputation among some of Bellingham's residents, said Tom Pratum, a conservation chairperson for the North Cascades Audubon Society.
"A lot of people around here are suspicious of them because of what they've done in the past. They don't trust them, they haven't seen them do anything good," Pratum said. "And to tell you the truth, I haven't seen them do any good myself."
Trillium's Web site claims the corporation supports sustainable design, and that they are stewards for the environment, working with conservationists. Trillium has sold or swapped hundreds of acres of land for preservation and scientific research.
For example, in 1994 Trillium exchanged 20,000 acres of timber land in Whatcom County for timber land zoned for commercial forestry in the central and eastern sections of Whatcom County. The land swap resulted in watershed protection, preservation of old growth forests and increased public access to forests around the county.
"Our vision is one that celebrates the natural assets: the land, the water and view while creating economic opportunities," said David Syre, president of the Trillium Corporation.
Trillium's unflattering past explains the community's distrust. According to a profile of Trillium compiled by George Draffan, an environmental author, The Forestal Trillium Ltd. obtained 864,000 acres of land on the island of Tierra del Fuego in 1993. Trillium's proposed project for the land was sustainable forestry of the lenga beech tree that covered the island.
Trees weren't the only thing inhabiting the island; it was also home to a variety of species such as penguins, foxes and wild llamas. Environmentalist groups, such as Defensores Del Bosque Chileno (Defenders of the Chilean Forest), feared that clear cutting would affect the wildlife. The group also worked to show the Chilean government that Trillium's forestry was not sustainable. Trillium was asked to close the Lenga Mill in 1999, and the land recently became a nature reserve.
An article in The Seattle Times accuses Trillium of extensive clear-cutting of second growth forest on Whidbey Island in 1998.
The Audubon Society blames Trillium for developing on ecologically important habitats. According to the Audubon Society, the construction of the marina at Semiahmoo destroyed sections of gravel and eel grass beds. This impacted the Brant goose whose migration path includes the Northwest coast. Since the construction of the marina, the number of geese has significantly decreased, Pratum said.
Pratum said he also believes that Trillium has never selflessly given back to the environment.
"Trillium never gives land away, they never donate land," Pratum said. "They trade land, they sell land, but they don't ever do anything without getting something in return."
According to the Audubon Society, the continuous growth of the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area will bring too many people to an environmentally-sensitive area, and possibly impact a number of sensitive species living in the region.
"We are certainly concerned about this development and the pace of development in our area as a whole," said Paul Woodcock, president of the North Cascades Audubon Society. "The numbers of wintering waterfowl and other wildlife which use our area make it imperative that we work to protect our as much of our remaining shoreline habitats as possible."
Alden Reach
Trillium's plan for the 1000-acre stretch of land is only tentative.
"It'd be a fairly complex and lengthy process that [Trillium] will have to go through," County Council Executive Pete Kremen said. "They have not really presented the city council with a specific proposal. Right now, it's more of a concept or vision than a set project."
If all goes as planned and Trillium gets the go-ahead for development, the mixed-use community they plan to build has the potential to be half the size of Blaine, Washington. The new community, Alden Reach, could bring an estimated 2,165 people to an area that is currently nothing but pastures and tree stands.
Once developed, the once open fields will disappear and a community envisioned to be commercial, light industrial and residential property will sprout in its place. Mauri Ingram, project manager of the Trillium, said there was also the possibility of a higher education campus. High-density buildings, such as condominiums, are being considered to take greater advantage of the land, Mauri said.
Ingram said it is important that Alden Reach become a part of the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area, which leaves even more of the final decisions up to the county and the community.
"It's hard to say how the community will react to this," Pratum said. "The plans are so vague, that it makes it hard for the county to have any strong opinions yet."
The 2000 census bureau estimates that from 1990 to 2000 Whatcom County grew by 31 percent, or 50,878 people. Growth has slowed over the last five years, to about 2 percent per year, so the county is now adding about 3700 people per year.
If Alden Reach draws 2,165 newcomers to Whatcom County, the development could possibly be responsible for nearly 60 percent of the estimated population growth for a single year. With more people comes the need for more houses and jobs, Ingram said.
Although the necessity of Alden Reach remains questionable, more details will be uncovered as the project moves through the stages of planning. Until then, the community of Whatcom County can celebrate the addition of a new park, Clements said.
"We did what we had to do in order to get the park. What happens to the rest of the land is up to Trillium," Clements said. "We can now give the people a park that captures the essence of the Northwest."