Bellingham Bay Water Project (BBWP): Exploration and Research

The Bay

Bellingham Bay is an estuary fed by the Nooksack River and numerous small creeks. Estuaries are among nature's richest ecosystems. Nutrients from the rivers mix with deep salty ocean water to support vigorous plant growth. This plant community forms the basis of a complex food web that includes large numbers of herring, smelt, salmon, crabs and sea birds.

The Bellingham Bay estuary has been a magnet to human development. The shallow tide flats have been filled for commercial and industrial development and the waters of the bay have been used to dispose of both municipal and industrial wastes. However, extensive cleanup has returned the estuary to reasonable health.

Finding Out About Bellingham Bay:

• Studies of Bellingham Bay 

  Existing Water Quality Data:  Shannon Behr thesis 

  Habitat Study of Bellingham Bay: Sandra Palm
  Natural History of Bellingham Bay: Bert Webber  

  Whatcom County School Program: Water Quality Data

   

• Current Clean-Up of Bellingham Bay 

  Western Washington University's Institute for Watershed Studies

   

• Marine Science Exploration Program for Whatcom County Elementary and Secondary Schools -- a hands-on educational experience for school children.

   

• Other Interesting Sites 

  Bellingham Climate, (pay attention to the Daily Temperature & Precipitation) 

  Nooksack River Flow, (produced by the United States Geological Survey)