From Local Action to Lasting Impact: Looking back on 2025

As we began 2025, we knew that this year would bring threats to bedrock environmental protections, shifting policy landscapes, and challenges we could not anticipate. It is becoming clear that change rooted primarily in national institutions, breakthrough technologies, or sweeping federal policy reforms is insufficient.  

As our communities prepare for record-level flooding in Northwest Washington this week, we are reminded that the hands who respond in emergencies are local. When the power goes out, when polluted waters threaten human health, roads are blocked from flooding, air turns to smoke or temperatures soar, neighbors and local organizations show up when it matters most. RE Sources continues to be the local environmental voice for Northwest Washington. We’re translating climate resilience from concepts in policy documents into food on the table, salmon in the streams, and mature forests that stabilize the soil, clean the water, and resist fire and disease. We are rooting resilience right here where we live.

Local action keeps proving its power. Every action from beach cleanups to comprehensive plan engagement is protecting our waters, our forests, and the people who depend on them. Our deepest gratitude goes to everyone who made 2025 a year of hard-earned progress. Here are some of the wins you helped bring to life. 

Protecting Cherry Point Herring

In coalition with allied environmental groups, we are challenging Whatcom County’s decision to not require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for unpermitted fossil fuel export expansions at Ferndale LPG Terminal, home to a critical subspecies of herring integral to the survival of Chinook salmon and Southern Resident Orca whales. Represented by Earthjustice, we are preparing for appeal hearings to be held in late January.

Advocating for Healthier Wastewater Treatment Infrastructure

RE Sources convened a coalition of experts to do a meaningful deep dive into the City of Bellingham’s plan to invest in two aging, polluting incinerators at the Post Point wastewater treatment plant. This group is focused on investigating alternative near-term solutions, and the feasibility of long-term solutions like gasifiers.

Securing Environmental Legislative Wins

• The Recycling Reform Act: This bill requires packaging and paper product companies and brands to fund our recycling system. This will bring consistent and accessible recycling to all state residents while reducing packaging and excess waste, and creating education programs to reduce confusion about what can be recycled. 
• Testing biosolids for PFAS: This bill created a testing program for toxic PFAS (Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), also known as “Forever Chemicals”, in biosolids that are produced in Washington state.
• Sewage spill transparency: Soon, the public will have access to data around potentially dangerous sewage spills before on-site postings happen. Increases in climate-driven heavy rainfall events are leading to more overflows, where stormwater and wastewater systems combine when overwhelmed, sending untreated sewage into open waters where people fish, swim, work and play—this new law will keep us safer.
• $10 Million for older forests: This budget proviso directs $10 million from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) Natural Climate Solutions account to conserve older, more climate-resilient forests on state lands by purchasing former plantation acres to generate revenue for the State Trust instead. Thanks to advocacy from RE Sources, state partners, and community members, this year’s proviso includes more flexibility for trust beneficiaries like school districts to choose when, and how, they receive replacement revenue.

Advancing Forest Protections Across Whatcom County

Thanks to years of grassroots advocacy for better forest management practices in the Mount Baker foothills, Whatcom County has taken some big initial steps to better leverage our region’s forests for climate resilience, watershed health, and sustainable local forest economy. Two milestones we’re celebrating and will continue supporting in 2026:

• The Forest Resilience Task Force successfully completed a draft Forest Resilience Plan (FRP) to guide landscape-level conversations about forest management in the county. The draft plan was passed on to the County Council in October.
• To support the County’s adoption and implementation of the FRP in 2026 and beyond, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) was expanded to include new seats for crucial perspectives from Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe, Whatcom Conservation District, Whatcom Land Trust, and the US Forest Service.

Protecting the Salish Sea 

• Nineteen volunteers spearheaded a year of water quality testing of four urban creeks and ten outfalls flowing into Bellingham Bay. They tirelessly sample every month, in the pouring rain, on hot summer days, and in the dark to provide critical data on stormwater, the Salish Sea’s largest sources of pollution.
• In June, we published our Year 4 Stormwater Summary Report. Unfortunately, stormwater water quality is not improving in Bellingham—all of the outfalls and creeks failed to meet water quality standards at least once during the 2024 sampling period. Through eDNA testing, the City of Bellingham identified wastewater influent (sewage) as a source of the high bacteria at the Olive outfall. Maintenance and cleaning have helped to lower bacteria levels but they are still high. 
• This year marked our third consecutive year testing for PFAS (forever chemicals) during the first fall flush. While our scientists found fewer places with high concentrations this year compared to last, the median total of PFAS has increased each year of testing. 
• We published four white papers that shed light on the state of water quality, bacteria, PFAS, and pollution in Bellingham Bay.
• We hosted six beach cleanups with Surfrider and four paddle sweeps in collaboration with the Community Boating Center. Joined by 230 volunteers, we removed more than 3,300 pounds of trash.
• Staff monitored five lakes monthly July through September, and Lake Padden monthly year-round, looking for harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can produce toxic bacteria. We report observations to WWU and Whatcom County Health and Human Services for further analysis.
• Our staff led tours of two Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) cleanup sites in Bellingham: Harris Shipyard and Weldcraft Steel. More than 90 people joined to learn about the history, contamination, and future plans for these two locations.
• Secured a net pen ban in Washington State after a campaign to protect Washington’s waters and pacific salmon. DNR approved a permanent ban on the polluting practice of finfish net pen aquaculture.

26 Locations tested for PFAS in local watersheds

19 Volunteers testing stormwater outfalls year-round

3,300 Pounds of trash removed from our beaches

Healthy Watersheds & Forests

Healthy watersheds rely on healthy forests—the biodiversity, soils, and root systems that regulate and clean water long before it reaches our creeks and bays. This year placed our region at a decisive moment: foundational forest policies are being drafted and refined, setting the course for how Northwest Washington will balance climate resilience, water protection, and community needs for generations. The work is complex and deeply interconnected, and progress in 2025 has shown what’s possible when agencies, scientists, and community members shape these decisions together. 

• DNR pause & conservation of 77K acres of older forest: Alongside state partners, RE Sources continues to monitor the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) implementation of the “Forest Forward” executive order and proposed conservation of 77K acres of Structurally Complex Forest (SCF) to ensure strong outcomes are achieved both here in Whatcom and across Western Washington. We look forward to reviewing the re-worked maps of proposed conservation acres in early 2026 and hope to see our feedback incorporated into the final drafts.
• Upper Rutsatz Timber Sale: We continue to explore options for conservation of Upper Rutsatz and older Whatcom forests like it, in cooperation with community partners most impacted by local forest management decisions. The UR sale is currently included in the preliminary DNR maps of the proposed 77k conservation acres, though it’s unclear whether this will change as modeling is re-worked by the agency.
• Draft Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan: Whatcom County and City of Bellingham have developed a draft LW FMP plan to manage almost 12,000 acres of forest land in the Lake Whatcom watershed for water quality and climate resilience goals. The plan will use an Ecological Forest Management approach to accelerate forest development into climate resilient, complex older forest status where not already achieved in existing stands. There will be many opportunities to support the two jurisdictions in implementing the plan in a way that continues to support the climate, watershed, green workforce, and sustainable economy values that community members continue to advocate for at all levels.
• Lake Whatcom Management Program: RE Sources, partners, and community members supported robust public engagement on Lake Whatcom Management Program 5 Year Work Plan in late 2024, and we continue to support the LW Policy Group in assessing key issues raised in public comments for potential policy action. We are pleased to see the City of Bellingham support the success of the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) program with the installation of the first ever off-season boat launch gate at Bloedel Donovan Park. This gate will offer an additional protection for drinking water quality when the City’s vessel inspection program is offline from Oct.-May, by requiring boaters to self-assess for AIS risk via phone hotline before accessing the launch.
• Land-Water Integrated Study: Commissioned by WRIA 1 Planning Unit, this study underscores the essential nature of integrating water supply and land use planning in the face of climate change and adjudication of the Nooksack Basin.

Comprehensive Plan Updates

RE Sources advocated for improving climate resilience in Whatcom and Skagit Counties  through updates to several comprehensive plans: Whatcom County, Skagit County, and the City of Anacortes. While we are still reviewing and engaging with drafts as the Whatcom County and City of Anacortes finalize their updates, RE Sources’ priorities were included in the final Skagit County comprehensive plan:

• Includes a brand new Climate Element, with forward-thinking planning guidelines for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change, particularly sea level rise and hazardous flooding.
• Includes measures to add more affordable housing, concentrated in urban growth areas, and preventing encroachment onto farms, forests and natural resource lands. New policies also support the expansion of safe and affordable housing for farmworkers, based on input from local farmworker advocates at Community to Community (C2C). 

Educating for the Environment

• We conducted waste assessments at six local elementary schools, which enabled the diversion of more than 30 cubic yards of garbage from the landfill each month.
• We provided custodial training and tools to help schools in Whatcom County navigate the Organics Management Law. 
• Our Youth for the Environment and People (YEP!) program provided the opportunity for 28 highschoolers to learn about local environmental issues and hone their leadership skills. Spring YEP! students learned about pollution in the Salish Sea, and hosted a tabling session at Taylor Dock to teach the public about stormwater pollution under their feet. Fall YEP! students studied regenerative food systems, and led the creation of videos encouraging the community to help keep the Freedge stocked.

2.7M Pounds of waste diverted from the landfill by the RE Store

43K Pounds of building material reclaimed by our Salvage Services

50+ Jobs created through our Community Jobs Training Program

The RE Store

• The RE Store programs diverted 2,734,614 pounds of usable materials from the landfill! This is up 11% from 2024—salvaging the most materials since before COVID. 
• Grew its Manufacturing Waste Diversion Program (MWD) through a Circular Accelerator Waste Innovation Grant with Whatcom County. Our MWD Program partners with area manufacturing businesses to assess what waste materials generated by the company might be suitable for creative reuse, like food-grade buckets and barrels and hardwoods.
• We hosted three free community skill-building workshops thanks to a Whatcom Community Foundation Project Neighborly grant. Participants repaired sheetrock, rewired lamps, and learned basic toilet repair and plumbing skills. 

Thank you for your ongoing support and advocacy throughout this year. To make sure we can keep building upon and defending our progress, please consider making a year-end donation to RE Sources. Every gift of every size makes a real impact on our ability to work on issues that matter most right now.