Recreation Northwest

  • Stewarding the Fairhaven Park trail system by removing invasive species, rerouting trails to improve access and restoring wetland habitat through native plantings.

Recognition Rock Bench

Recognition Rock Bench

To celebrate our project partners, donors and volunteers, we installed our Recognition Rock Bench to display all those involved. It is a meeting place or a spot to sit and soak in the sights and sounds of nature. Enjoy. 

Work Parties

In order to keep up our Fairhaven Park Native Plant Gardens we have Fairhaven Park Work Parties as volunteer opportunities for you to invest in the health of our community forest.  Afterwards, we convene at Stones Throw Brewery to wind up the evening. 

Stay Tuned in: Fairhaven Park Work Parties – Sign up for our eNewsletter or follow us on Facebook.

Stewardship Project Background

Recreation Northwest became Park Stewards for Fairhaven Park in 2014. We chose this particular park due to the impact we have with the trail run leg of our Bellingham Traverse. We were quickly propelled into taking on a long-term project for the health of the forest and the benefit of our community.

We are proud to be working to relocate unsanctioned trails through fragile wetlands in this special urban forest. The new trail & boardwalk connects the popular park and forest. The trail was built to city specifications allowing increased and enjoyable access for people as well as protecting this important habitat for wildlife and the ecology of the forest.

In addition, 280 native trees and shrubs were planted in the old trail areas to help restore the wetland.

We will continue to host work parties to maintain the new planting areas and remove invasive species.

Click for a printer friendly PDF map.

Phase 2 before and after:

Phase 1 before and after:

 

 

 

 

 

Check out these links for photos and videos of the now completed trail & boardwalk project: 

Fairhaven Park Boardwalk – Building a Boardwalk in the Snow

Fairhaven Park Boardwalk – Status Update

Fairhaven Park Boardwalk – Clearing the Path

Fairhaven Park Boardwalk – Scraping the Surface

Fairhaven Park Boardwalk – First Layer of Gravel

Special Thanks to our Professional Trail TEAM:
Gerry Wilbour, NW Trails
Perry Welch, Welch Environmental
Andy Law, Wilson Engineering
Chris Webb, Herrera Environmental Consultants
Jim LaHatt, LaHatt Engineering
John Gillaspy, Materials Testing & Consulting, Inc.
Josh Neyman, City of Bellingham, Parks and Recreation
Rae Edwards, City of Bellingham, Parks and Recreation

 

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Fairhaven Park posts from our blog, The Confluence

  • A Timeline of Fairhaven Park Stewardship Project by Recreation Northwest

    Friends of Fairhaven Park, To get our story straight and reflect on what we’ve accomplished as a community, we’d like to offer a timeline of our stewardship work according to the related stories we’ve told on The Confluence (our blog) for project development, community support, fundraising, volunteer work parties and celebratory ribbon cutting events.  2014... Read More →

  • Recreation Northwest looks to Western’s Wetland Ecology Students for help Reporting

    For Immediate RELEASE:  OK- It’s more than just a Press Release, this is a Project Narrative and a Big Thank YOU.  Recreation Northwest partners with Western’s Environmental Science Program for support of Welch Ecological Services annual mitigation reporting services. December 21, 2020 Bellingham, WA  2020 Annual Mitigation Monitoring Report for Fairhaven Park Trails project. Community partnership... Read More →

  • 1/18/21-MLK Day of Service Community for a Work Party in Fairhaven Park

    In partnership with Bellingham Parks Volunteers program, we’re throwing a party in the park.  Join us on Monday, January 18th, for our MLK Day of Service Community for a Work Party in Fairhaven Park! The party will be working with our Park Stewards the native plant gardens. Todd Elsworth and Jim Fonte will be leading the... Read More →