Recreation Northwest has been relatively quiet in our communications over the past year, and will continue to keep to ourselves in the course of coming months. Know that we are diligently working behind the scenes metamorphosing from our past events-based portfolio to focus on a newly framed future with programs, education, and advocacy at our core. Stewardship work parties in Fairhaven Park will continue and our related work in the woods. Our main events: Expo, Alliance Gatherings, Parkscriptions Day, Summit, and Awards are all on pause for 2021.
We announced the closure of our Download the Washington Outdoor Recreation Alliance (PDF) . This was the most difficult decision our board and staff made in recent months. As we change the nature of our business model, we must pull back from our intended statewide scope and impact to focus our efforts locally, here in Bellingham.
2021 Recreation Northwest – Programs. Education. Advocacy.
- Programs – Stewardship and Parkscriptions
Our Stewardship of Fairhaven Park will continue to improve trail conditions, advocate for way-finding signs, monitor our planting mitigation sites, and improve public access. We will continue to offer our Parkscriptions program for Health Care Providers and our community collaborations with organizations and public land managers. Our funding allows us to explore new programming with Bellingham Parks, Western Washington University, and Unity Care NW in our community.
- Education – Outdoor Recreation, Nature, and Arts
We are exploring creating programming (eg: experiences, classes, park tours) to be hosted in primary partnerships with Bellingham Parks and Woodstock Farm Conservancy. We will draw from local professionals teaching Outdoor Recreation, Nature, and Arts Education classes. Instructors will be Recreation Northwest staff, WWU Interns, partners, volunteers, and contractors.
Imagine Park Tours with social and natural history narratives paying respect to indigenous Salish Sea tribes and telling the story of Bellingham’s Parks. Highlighting the larger milestones our city has experienced as we continue to value our parks & greenways, stewardship, local economy, and highlight the legacy of Cyrus Gates in relevant parks to weave the connections into one narrative thread.
As content creators, educators, and recreationists we can see authoring and publishing articles, books, and digital publications about the history of outdoor recreation, parks, business, and culture in Whatcom County. We also plan to work with the Port on an updated Economic Impact Report and strategies to support local economic development.
- Advocacy
As an established voice for outdoor recreation, we will continue to support local, state and national efforts. Our scope will shift to focus support on local projects– based here in Bellingham and Whatcom County.
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