Where the Cascades Meet the Sea

North Washington State Parks Ranger Amber Forest left the gates open for almost 70 of us as we joined local marine biologist Doug Stark and Beach Naturalist volunteers at Larrabee State Park for a night time tide pool viewing during a winter minus tide. Thanks to ReSources for Sustainable Communities and the North Sound Baykeepers.

The value of the Chuckanut Range goes far beyond the "extraction of natural resources"and developments that can and will happen in the future.  It is a classroom for young and old alike. The value of the Chuckanut Range for education, recreation, clean water and air and as a corridor for wildlife will enhance our lives as more and more people live in the Salish Sea watershed.

It is estimated that the 7 million people currently living in the Salish Sea watershed has the potential to nearly double in the next 35-50 years.

This close to the metropolitan areas of Vancouver, British Columbia and Seattle, Washington the Chuckanuts have a much more important role that needs to be defined for the future.

It is open space.

Please click on any photograph to enlarge it.
All photos copyright Paul K. Anderson 2011

Beach Naturalist Volunteers and Staff from ReSources for Sustainable Communities
and North Sound Baykeepers meet prior to the night time beach walk. 

The Vancouver BC to Seattle Amtrak train passes nearby as 70 of us
viewed life on the edge of the Salish Sea.

Moms & Dads, Grandparents, kids, exchange students, couples, friends
all got into the spirit and mystery of the evening - even with the rain.

A new member of our community, recently from Montana,
gets his feet wet in salt water where the Cascades meet the Salish Sea.

The glow of lights of Victoria BC reflect off of the low clouds as a
ReSource trained beach naturalist views a sea star.

Exchange students at Western Washington University listen as a Beach Naturalist
describes the feeding habits of the sea star

"whoa, that was kinda prickly and that gooey stuff that makes it stick to rocks is  -
sticky!"

With great enthusiasm marine biologist Doug Stark kept students -young and old - under his spell as he described
life on the edges of the Salish Sea.

Please support:

ReSources for Sustainable Communties

North Sound Baykeepers

The Chuckanut Conservancy

Ringnecked Pheasant

All photos copyright by Paul K Anderson 2011

The sun and moon were aligning and we were having a "King Tide" here in the 4th Corner.  Tides up to three feet higher than the traditional high tides were arriving and possibly causing damage that we might find in the future as the climate warms.  This morning fortunately was calm and beaches remained intact, dikes weren't scoured away by the tides.  I didn't photograph any damage thankfully but I did find and follow 15 or so Ringneck Pheasants as they fed in early morning light along the banks of the Samish River.

Ringnecked Pheasants are iconic birds for me. Growing up in the mid-west these were the birds of choice for "sportsmen" and I remember how proud I was when my Mom and Grandmother served the family roast pheasant that Sunday evening after I had brought home my first trophy.

Mom had a hat made from the feathers - as it was very stylish for women to wear their best pheasant feather hat at church.  I could tell which of my 10 year old buddies had had a good hunt the previous year when their Mom showed up with a new pheasant hat.

Those hats were a distraction for all the young hunters sitting in church.  I would gaze at those hats and daydream away whole sermons thinking about the next time Dad was going to take my brother and I and a couple of friends out into the cornfields of eastern Iowa. The preacher may have been talking about loaves and fishes but I was sitting there salivating over the potential for roasted pheasant thigh and mashed potatoes smothered with rich brown country gravy.

Those were happy times and that led me to thinking about the role nature plays in our own happiness. I don't know how to describe that in such a short missive but I know we are fortunate to have places like the Chuckanut Range and the surrounding valleys, farmland, deltas, and waters so close to all of us.

I leave you with this short paragraph from Kathleen Dean Moore's latest book of essays titled:


Wild Comfort - The Solace of Nature.

"The earth offers gift after gift - life and the living of it, light and the return of it, the growing things, the roaring things, fire and nightmares, falling water and the wisdom of friends, forgiveness. My god, the gift of forgiveness, time and the scouring tides. How does one accept gifts as great as these and hold them in the mind?"

Beauty Surrounds Us in the Chuckanut's and Samish Delta

photographed early Saturday morning 1-15-2011

Great Blue Heron

Adult male Northern Harrier

As I Walk with Beauty As I walk, as I walk The universe is walking with me In beauty it walks before me In beauty it walks behind me In beauty it walks below me In beauty it walks above me Beauty is on every side As I walk, I walk with Beauty. Traditional Navajo Prayer

Boys Will Be Boys - Fields Below the Chuckanuts

copyright Paul K Anderson

Mt.Baker Rising Above the Chuckanut's to Cascades Corridor

Snow fell overnight in Bellingham in a peculiar pattern. Just north of Bakerview Road there was little if any.  On my deck I measured a bit over 5 inches.  I decided it was perfect weather for a drive through the Chuckanuts.

To be honest I was envisioning a photograph with an eagle or hawk perched on a post or telephone pole or perhaps the stoic heron with some fresh snow landing on their feathers as I captured the image.  Alas, not to be.  This close to the Salish Sea it was warm enough to have been mostly rain with just a smattering of snow.

Many don't like to go out and photograph in inclement weather, it's either too dark or too gray, too wet.........

But some of the best photographs can be captured on the cusp of weather, coming in or leaving.

Down here on the Samish Delta just southeast of Edison this morning it was dark, gray, drizzly, snowing and for a brief moment partially clear. Cold, clear, northern air pushed the clouds south just enough to briefly reveal Baker in beautiful early morning light. I didn't have time to set up the tripod and use a longer lens so I hand held and cropped this image to draw in Baker as it poked its summit over the Chuckanut's to Cascades Corridor near Blanchard Mt.

copyright 2011 by Paul K. Anderson

Enjoy, and get out and visit the Chuckanuts,  and the small burgs and businesses surrounding it!

A Beautiful Frosty Morning Below the Chuckanuts

Annual Christmas bird counts were happening on this cold frosty morning.  I decided to get up and watch the sunrise over the Cascades warming up the Samish delta below Blanchard Mountain yesterday.  The birds put on quite a showing near the small town of Edison.

All photos copyright Paul K. Anderson 2011

Happy New Year's Everyone!

Enjoy the Chuckanuts and the surrounding landscape.

Fog slips in off of the Salish Sea

Copyright 2010 by Paul K. Anderson

Stormy Dusk Over Padilla Bay - A Delicate Balance Between Industry and a National Estuary

©Paul K. Anderson

Early Evening Lights

Lights from Samish Island, City of Anacortes and across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to the Olympic Peninsula are seen from the Chuckanut Range as a mid December storms clears.

Clearing December Storm ©Paul K. Anderson

Heavy Rains and the Streams Run High

Oyster Creek in December ©Paul K. Anderson 12-14-2010

Just a few short weeks ago the creeks and streams flowing out of the Chuckanut Range were flowing at very low levels.  Fall rains raised the water levels and Chum Salmon swam upstream and gave it their all for the next generation. Recent cold and snow caused water levels to fluctuate down, up, and down - then the Pineapple Express roared in.

Chuckanut, Oyster and Colony Creeks are at high levels and have been observed carrying a significant level of sediment based on observations of water color.

Compared to Sunday, Oyster Creek has cleared up significantly by Tuesday.

"How We Find the Path"

The Chuckanuts hide behind dark moisture laden clouds
of the Pineapple Express above Samish Bay near Edison.
©Paul K Anderson

From his poem "How We Find the Path" Washington Poet Robert Sund wrote:

People in the midst of cities are
driven crazy by where
they are and what they
are doing to keep
themselves there.


Where is the way out?
Right there.
But still it isn't easy
for a person to
take the road
out of town.

January 2009 Flooding Along the Samish River

Editors note: Todays pineapple express and heavy rains are causing flooding on many western Washington streams.  Below is a blog post I wrote back in Jan. 2009

The Pacific Northwest has more than its share of rainy, gloomy weather in the winter.  

The jet stream changes course, the "Pineapple Express" soars in from the tropics near Hawaii and inches of rain falls in the lowlands and the mountains.

In Jan of 2009, over a 48 hour time frame, 6" of rain fell.  In the foothills and lower mountains the rain melted feet of snow pack, all of which contributed to the flooding of western Washington streams.

The snow over the last several weeks insulated and protected small mammals - voles, field mice, from predation by the raptors - hawks and eagles.

Eight American Bald Eagles worked a flooded field swooping down to the water and throwing out their talons at the helpless voles and mice trying to swim to the only high ground - the county roads.

Thousands of acres of blueberry bushes, were covered.

Approaching dusk I drove into the small village of Edison.  Warm inviting lights of the Edison Cafe, The Longhorn Saloon, Slough Foods, The Bread Farm, and Farm to Market Bakery shone out onto the wet street inviting neighbors and visitors to stop by and get dry and warm.

All photos ©Paul K. Anderson and were photographed near the Samish River at the base of the Chuckanut Range between I-5 and just west of Farm to Market Road near Edison.

Late Fall Evening Above the Salish Sea

The Value of High Places ©Paul K. Anderson

Oil Tanker Waiting Near March Point  ©Paul K. Anderson

It cleared off late yesterday afternoon so I drove up to the launch site on Blanchard to get away from town. When it does clear this time of year, sunsets over the Salish Sea can be deeply chromatic with saturated reds, yellows, oranges, purples and blues.

Others at the site also appreciated these ecosystem services and values provided by the Chuckanut Range.

Mt. Rainier from The Chuckanut Range. Nikon 200-400 f4 Zoom
©Paul K. Anderson

Light pollution from Victoria, Bellingham, Vancouver reflected by low clouds

©Paul K. Anderson

Salmon Continue to Run Up Chuckanut Creek

©Paul K. Anderson Salmon and Ferns From Chuckanut Creek

You still have time to see the salmon swimming up Chuckanut Creek.  The snowmelt and rain seemed to bring up some larger fish from the Salish Sea and Chuckanut Bay,

From Fairhaven in Bellingham head down Chuckanut Drive and turn left just past the Chuckanut Gallery.  There are several parking turnouts within the next 1/2 mile.

Park and walk down the trails into Arroyo Park and hike up or downstream.  Might be a good idea to wear proper footgear.  Yesterday there was still snow on the trail mixed with plenty of slop and some mud.

There may not be too many days left to observe this natural wonder provided by the Chuckanut Range ecosystem services so grab the kids, grandkids, or your sweetie and visit.  It's a Thanksgiving treat!

These images were photographed late yesterday afternoon - Friday November 26th.

©Paul K. Anderson

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Chuckanut Creek 11.23.2010  all photos ©Paul K. Anderson

Consider the salmon - if lucky, you return to your birthplace only to spawn once in life and die. As you drift downstream you become wedged between a rock and a hard place, a freeze hits and 1/2 of you is frozen in place where anyone or thing can take a bite out of you. Then some knucklehead photographer comes along and all you can think of is "no, no my other side"

Kinda like life eh? 

It's worth it, but it's so much easier with friends!

Frozen salmon deflect stream flow

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all are surrounded by friends and family.

Icicles formed from spray drippings and snow melt

Regards from your Friends at the Chuckanut Conservancy!