Invasive Asian Clams Threaten Whatcom County Waterways

           Bellingham city officials are continuing to track and observe the extent of the Asian Clam infestation which was identified in Lake Whatcom in mid-September.  The small yellow and brown clams were first recognized in Lake Whatcom when a resident collected and showed them to city officials at a Sept. 17 demonstration at the lake.

            The Asian Clam, Corbicula fluminea, is a native species from in Asia, Australia and the Mediterranean.  They were believed to have been brought to the United States in the 1930s as either food, live bait, or attached to ships.  They have since spread to 38 states and parts of Canada.

            Bellingham city officials have been tracking the clams throughout October and November and now believe the clams are present in Lake Whatcom as well as Bloedel Donovan Park, WWU’s Lakewood recreational facility and Whatcom Creek near the Derby Pond. 

            Clare Fogelsong Environmental Manager for the City of Bellingham said the discovery of the Asian Clam in Whatcom County came as a surprise to the city’s environmental department.

            “We didn’t really have our eye on that ball,” he said.  “In the last couple of months we’ve been trying to understand the extent of the infestation and also map out our response and capability of potential action.”

            Asian Clams and other invasive water species are often transferred between lakes and rivers by boating or other recreational activities, Fogelsong said.

            “Mud can get transplanted into a boat or fishing gear and then the infected sediment is transferred from one water body to another,” he said. “Since these clams don’t need pairs to reproduce, it would only take one to cause a real problem.”

            City officials are encouraging residents to practice thorough cleaning habits when moving boats or other water-craft and equipment between bodies of water.   “Clean, Drain and Dry”, a Lake Tahoe, Calif.-based water safety campaign, is being cited as a desirable model for Whatcom County residents who want to help protect the natural environments of local waterways, Fogelsong said.  The campaign outlines methods for keeping watercraft clean and ensuring that no unwanted critters end up as stowaways on boating equipment.

            Bellingham city officials are working on a response plan for dealing with the clams which pose a serious threat to local ecosystems as well as the availability of drinking water for more than 95,000 residents in Whatcom County. 

            According to Fogelsong, the invasive species lives in the mud and sediment at the bottom of the lake and can crowd out other species from the water and clog water intake pipes.

            “If a pipe is sitting on the bottom of the lake and it has mud inside of it, these clams will start populating that pipe. As they die, new ones come in and they can clog it up with the debris of the shells,” said Fogelsong.  “They don’t attach to the pipes like other mussels do but they do have the capability if the conditions are right.”

            The clams also release large amounts of phosphorus from the sediment into the water.  This makes the water treatment process more difficult and more expensive for the city, says Fogelsong.

            U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is seeking help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help combat the growing infestation.  In a letter to the director of the agency, she asked that the “existing clams in Lake Whatcom be eradicated as soon as possible in order to minimize the risk of subsequent infestations and establishment of other invasive species.”

            Currently, the City of Bellingham does not have a definitive plan for how to deal with the clams but, and Fogelsong said removing the clams entirely might not be a viable option.

            ““It is unlikely that we will be able to remove them totally from the lake,” he said.  “The infestation is too broad and too difficult for that kind of strategy.”

----------------------------------------------

Check out the "Clean, Drain and Dry" campaign for more info on how to protect local waterways:

Clean, Drain and Dry (PDF)

City of Bellingham Implements Bicycle Safety Campaign

           The City of Bellingham is stepping up its focus on bicycle safety as the days are growing shorter and the dark, Pacific Northwest nights are growing longer.  During the month of November, the city will be promoting the “See and Be Seen” bicycle safety campaign throughout the neighborhoods of Bellingham by increasing on enforcement on bicycle light regulations and helping inform riders.

According to a city of Bellingham release, the law requires that any nighttime cyclists must have a light mounted on the front of their bicycle that can be seen for at least 500 feet. A red reflector attached to the back of the bike is also a requirement.

            The campaign focuses on improved visibility for bicyclists and increased awareness about the laws and regulations for nighttime riding in Washington.  The city is partnering with local advocacy groups and businesses for the Seen and Be Seen campaign, including everybodyBIKE.com, the Mt. Baker Bicycle Club and the Whatcom Traffic Safety Task Force.

Local Bellingham bike shops are also partnering with the city to provide a 10 percent discount coupon for those in need of new lights for their bikes.

            The campaign comes as part of the city’s six-year Transportation Improvement Program which is currently underway.  The program is meant to improve transportation safety and make travel around Bellingham easier for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. 

            Kim Brown, Transportation Options Coordinator for the city, said that focus on improving the ease of transportation in the city also brought up ideas about the safety campaign.

            “We had a group local agencies and committees that were working together on bicycle safety issues,” Brown said. “We thought that bike lights and riding at night would be a good focus area.

Commuting through Bellingham’s varying neighborhoods offer up different kinds of obstacles to riders.  The Puget neighborhood in particular has unique challenges crossing from east of I-5 to reach downtown Bellingham and the university.

            “In other neighborhoods, if you can’t go down one street, you can move over and go down another,” said Puget Neighborhood Board Member Therese Kelliher. “That’s not really the case for Puget.  The freeway really narrows down the choices for bicyclists. The residents want to have access to the downtown services.”

            According to the Puget Neighborhood Report, one of the most hazardous areas in the neighborhood for bicyclists is at the underpass at Lakeway and I-5.  The plan also says that adding bicycle lanes to Lakeway “could be costly, and would change the character of the neighborhood.”

            Currently, there are no mentions of any further development for the Lakeway underpass in the Transportation Improvement Program, but Brown said the “See and Be Seen” campaign is intended to improved safety by directing responsibility to the riders themselves.

            Brown said it is important for cyclist commuters all over Bellingham to take charge about staying safe.  She said she hopes the campaign will make the bike light regulations clearer to everyone. 

“Some people probably don’t know it’s a law while others probably do and they just don’t want to get a bike light or don’t think of it as much of an issue,” Brown said.  “We certainly see a lot of people riding at night without lights, particularly when school starts back up and around the Western Campus area.”

            The campaign is specifically reaching out to students and cyclists at Western.   The city has also partnered with Western’s Office of Sustainable Transportation and the University Police Department to make sure that the message of See and Be Seen reaches students and faculty.

            Andrea Osborn, the Sustainable Transportation Program Assistant from the WWU Office of Transportation said Western is working on raising awareness with the students and faculty at the university.  Since off-campus students and employees come from all over Bellingham every day, Osborn’s office is partnering with the See and Be Seen campaign to keep the Western community informed, she said.

            “We’re always having an ongoing outreach trying to reach the campus community about how to travel safely especially now that the days are getting shorter and that the nights are getting longer,” Osborn said. “We have tools here for students and employees who are trying to commute without riding alone in their car.”

----------------------------------------------

For more information on safe cycling in Puget check out the newest post on the Blog Roll:

Cyclist Safety in Puget

Aquatic Center Gears Up For A Very Wet Halloween

            This Halloween weekend, before the ghouls, goblins and fairy princesses set out in search for candy and other mischief, they will trade in their masks and magic wands for bathing suits.  On Saturday, October 29, the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center will hold its annual “Pumpkin Patch in the Pool” event where over 150 of the buoyant orange gourds will be thrown into the drink at the Civic Center pool.

            For more than 8 years, the Aquatic Center has been organizing the floating pumpkin patch as a quirky alternative to the more traditional pumpkin hunt.  Swimmers jump into the pool and grab a one of the drifting pumpkins while paddling around with as many as 270 other people.
            Justin Shields, the Recreation Coordinator for the Aquatic Center, is organizing the event and said it usually attracts visitors from across Bellingham and Lynden and even a few from northern Skagit County. 

            “In past years we have been filled to maximum capacity,” he said. “We’ve even had people lining up outside the door.”

Last year’s “Pumpkin Patch in the Pool” was cancelled due to a pumpkin shortage across the U.S. that made it difficult for the Aquatic Center to get donations for the event.  This year, however, the Civic Center Pool has received enough donations to be able to purchase their pumpkins from Fred Meyer.

            Shields said the Halloween event is one of the most popular at the aquatic center and that swim instructors begin advertising the event at least a week ahead of time.

            “Once we get the pumpkin, the staff starts using them in the water aerobics classes as sort of flotation devices,” Shields said.

             The event will also include holiday games such as bobbing for apples, and water balloon baseball on the pool deck. Prizes and informational stations teaching about cold-weather water safety and hypothermia will also be available.
             “We have visitors stick their hands in some ice water and then try to assemble some nuts and bolts,” Shields said. “It’s amazing that people can only get one or two sets put together after just a few minutes of exposure.”

              All available pumpkins will be sold for $2 each (plus the price of admission) and will go on a first come, first serve basis.  The staff at the aquatic center advises visitors to arrive early to make sure they snag one from the patch.