Free native landscaping program offered to Birch Bay homeowners

Birch Bay Watershed and Aquatic Resources Management District (BBWARM), in partnership with the Whatcom Conservation District (WCD), are working on a free neighborhood native landscaping program to Birch Bay homeowners.

BBWARM program specialist Kate Rice said native landscaping uses plants that are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they naturally occur.

BBWARM is the stormwater management district for the Birch Bay watershed managed by the Whatcom County Public Works Stormwater Division and a citizen advisory committee. Whatcom County Council established BBWARM to address citizen concerns about water quality, flooding and the loss of aquatic habitat.

Rice said the program is designed to benefit the community as a whole, in addition to the participating homeowners, by replacing grass with native plants to reduce the amount of mowing needed and to filter runoff water from properties.

“There are many benefits to choosing native plants for your landscaping needs,” Rice said. “They are beautiful, low maintenance and provide habitat for native birds, pollinators and wildlife.”

WCD’s education and outreach coordinator Aneka Sweeney said WCD has worked with BBWARM since 2012 on initiatives that improve water quality and stormwater infrastructure in the Birch Bay watershed district.

“WCD works one-on-one with landowners to plan and implement the landscaping projects,” Sweeney said. “BBWARM funds the program and provides us with a technical perspective on how to improve stormwater infrastructure.”

Sweeney said program organizers looked for neighborhood clusters willing to engage with the program so WCD staff could build a sustainable landscaping design for those properties while keeping the efficiency of their energy more focused.

The planting will take place this fall. Sweeney said she hopes homeowners will create planting parties within their neighborhoods to build community around these solutions.

The pilot program is at capacity for this year, Rice said. With a budget funding 10,000 square feet of landscaping and growing community interest, BBWARM created an interest form that will place homeowners on a waitlist at bit.ly/3zr9vRi.

Sweeney said that while most of the interest has come from smaller properties adjacent to the shoreline so far, rural homeowners with wetlands or creeks on their property can reach out to WCD for other possible opportunities. “WCD is embarking on building out our next five-year plan and we are looking for public comment on our work and plan to see if other communities want similar projects implemented,” Sweeney said.

Rice said the significant amount of interest they’ve seen has demonstrated a real need for this program in the community.

“If the program is a success, we will try to offer it again next year, and possibly expand the number of homeowners we can accommodate,” she said.