Dear EXPO Exhibitors and the Public: 

We respect the gravity of the current situation with COVID-19 in Whatcom County and Washington State and have been tracking the developments. We are taking the recommended precautionary measures provided by our local and state health officials. These resources are listed below. 

The city has officially cancelled all “non-essential City-sponsored public meetings with more than 10 people” through the end of April. 

We are continuing to plan to host our Recreation Northwest EXPO on Saturday, May 2nd. In one month, we will be making a definitive decision and announcing on Friday, April 17th- two weeks before the event is scheduled to be held. 

In these challenging times, we feel it important to be optimistic, and that by taking aggressive measures now, in a month and a half we will be operating with a new normal and that public gatherings will be approached with good judgement. I am especially confident with our active community that collectively we can be responsible now and into the future. A core part of our mission is “bringing people together”. 

COVID-19 resources for reference:

City of Bellingham

Whatcom County Health Department 

Washington State Department of Health has set up a call center to answer questions.  Anyone who has questions about what is happening with coronavirus in Washington State, how it is spread, and what to do if you have symptoms should call the hotline at 1 (800) 525-0127 and press #. 

Centers for Disease Control 

Recreation Northwest’s mission: We promote outdoor recreation and bring people together to enjoy, preserve and improve the places where we play.

We will continue to focus working on our 3 main programs: Parkscriptions, Recreation Economy and Stewardship of Fairhaven Park. 

Parkscriptions connects people with positive outdoor experiences for healthier lifestyles and improved mental and physical health. The growing consensus that nature has many health benefits, including physical, mental, emotional and social health is even more important during difficult times like our current pandemic. We know that spending time in nature improves our positive outlook and specifically demonstrated benefits for symptoms relating to anxiety and depression. These symptoms may be increasing for many in our community at this time. We continue to encourage individuals to spend time in nature while also using the recommendations the CDC outlines for preventing the spread of the virus. We know that public parks and green open spaces have social, economic and environmental benefits for our surrounding communities. Get Your Dose of Nature, use Parkfinder.org to find a park that is right for you.

Our work in the Recreation Economy has evolved to launch the Washington Outdoor Business Alliance: We exist to Connect, Protect and Grow the outdoor recreation ecosystem in Washington state. We serve as the collective eyes & ears, heart & mind and voice for outdoor recreation in local locations around Washington State.

We continue to be the Stewards of the Fairhaven Park trail system by removing invasive species, rerouting trails to improve access and restoring wetland habitat through native plantings. 

Please continue to support our work. Donate today. 

Sincerely, 

Todd Elsworth