The Community Issue
Community - Winter ‘26
Dear Reader,
When you think of your community, who do you see? Is it your family, maybe some friends, perhaps your neighbors or classmates? How do we decide who is our community, and who is not?
Ultimately, we are all someone’s community. The fellow snowboarders you meet on the lift, the traders at a seed swap, even the legislators debating the best course of action for hungry sea lions. Every decision we make, place we visit, or event we join is a community. None of these exist in a vacuum, and we must make our choices knowing that they ricochet through our community — whether we envision ourselves as a part of it or not.
As you read this issue, I hope you consider what it means to be a part of something. No choice is a perfect one, but we can always evaluate the impacts we have on each other.
Happy Reading,
Tori Lehman
Editor-in-Chief
Please share any comments, questions, concerns or corrections with us by emailing wwuplanetmag@gmail.com
Nature Meets Nurture
Emerging early education opportunities get kids engaged with the environment
As the Floods Recede, Community Comes Together
Four years after the devastating 2021 floods, Whatcom County residents rally to recover once again
Pesky Pinnipeds
Controversial cullings at Bonneville Dam pit two threatened species against each other
Artificial Intelligence, Real Impacts
Students and community members alike reckon with the impacts of generative AI expansion
Ignition at Ferndale Gas Terminal Over Permits
Local coalition demands accountability after one company allegedly oversteps permits
Sprucing Up the City
Landmark tree protections help shade the way for a greener Bellingham
Troubled Waters
As the Nooksack River delta expands and habitat conditions shift, longfin smelt remain elusive
Estuary Protectors
Researchers at Shannon Point are making waves with their work on eelgrass