Stay off berm plantings during the Fourth of July

The unorganized, but always popular, Fourth of July event is expected to draw crowds to Birch Bay once again this year.

Whatcom County Public Works is asking for people attending Fourth of July in Birch Bay to protect the plantings around the Birch Bay berm. Over 110,000 native plants are budding around the berm, in effort to restore the shoreline’s native habitat and protect the beach from erosion. Protecting the plants also saves Whatcom County money because the county government is required to replace plants damaged in the next few years, according to Whatcom County Public Works. The saved money can then be used for future road projects.

“If you protect the plants now when they are young, they will help protect your beach, roadway and homes from erosion and flooding once they mature,”  Marie Duckworth, public works communications specialist, said in a statement. “We want to remind revelers that these young and vulnerable plants are yours to protect.”

As public works is preparing for the Fourth, so is the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Birch Bay will have its annual beach cleanup. The chamber will hand out trash bags starting Monday, June 28 until Monday, July 5 and help with the morning clean up from 9 a.m. to noon July 5. More information, including times, will be available on the chamber’s Facebook page, facebook.com/birchbaychamber, and website, birchbaychamber.com. Birch Bay Watershed Watchers’ volunteers will have a booth with coffee and trash bags in front of the chamber’s office at 7900 Birch Bay Drive for the July 5 clean up.

The chamber will also not restrict the number of porta-potties as it did last year to deter large crowds. 

The Whatcom County Fire Marshal’s Office restricts fireworks to 6-11 p.m. July 3, 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. July 4 and 6-11 p.m. July 5. Fireworks purchased in unincorporated areas of Whatcom County may be used, but items such as firecrackers, bottle rockets, missiles and rockets purchased on tribal land must remain there. Sky lanterns must also be tethered and controlled. People who start fires with sky lanterns, even if tethered, are subject to reckless burning law and fire code violations, according to the marshal’s office.