I write to disassociate Conservation Northwest and its Whatcom Legacy Project from Whatcom Futures. The latter is a project of Northwest Economic Council, and I believe its claim to be continuing the objectives and efforts of the Whatcom Legacy Project is false.

Whatcom Legacy Project was conceived, funded and staffed by Conservation Northwest in 2007. It featured a diverse committee and vigorous public outreach, with the goal of a community-supported vision for the county in 2100. This was to be a map showing broad agreement on areas of open space, working forms and forests, industrial growth, etc. We sadly didn't have the funds to continue past 2010.

Futures claims to have taken up where Whatcom Legacy Project left off. But Whatcom Legacy Project core participants were excluded. I first heard of Whatcom Futures in recent news about its draft product. The group never reached out to me for participation or even (modest) residual Whatcom Legacy Project funds.

While Whatcom Futures includes heavy participation from the building industry, it includes not a single representative of a conservation or environmental non-government organization.

Does this mean the products of Whatcom Futures are biased or dangerous? I'd encourage you to read their draft document yourself and voice your opinion to the Northwest Economic Council.

When a process smells funny, there's often a reason. There is much in their process and draft document that doesn't sit well with me, including the subtle hint of a coal train running through it.

Mitch Friedman

Bellingham