Around the Point – July, 2019

The new play structure at Lighthouse Marine Park will be open for business by the Fourth of July, according to Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Director Michael McFarlane.

“The new playground is located right off the deck and has a ship motif like the old one,” McFarlane said, but unlike its predecessor it is made of metal and plastic instead of plywood. Laying the surface material around the structure is all that needs to be done to make the play area ready for children to use.

McFarlane said the new location was intended to make it more a part of the park’s day use and picnic facilities. “The old location was kind of isolated with poor visibility and next to the road some people use for group camping,” he said.

The old site, adjacent to the group camping areas, still needs to be cleaned up and park staff are looking at possible uses for the area, including the possibility of bike camping spots.

The Whatcom County Library System (WCLS ) now allows cardholders to access more than 30,000 streaming movies for free.

Kanopy, an on-demand streaming video platform that partners with libraries around the country, features a broad range of new releases, documentaries, children’s movies, independent films, classic cinema, educational films including the Great Courses series and much more, all available without commercials.

To use the service, go to wcls.kanopy.com and log in using your library barcode number (with no spaces) and PIN. The service is available through AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and as an app on most devices.

WCLS members can watch up to 10 films a month, with three days to watch each film.

Pupping season is here and the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network (WMMSN) wants everyone to remember that 100 yards away is the law!

Harbor seals in our area have one pup a year in the summer months. “Mortality can be high for the pups, especially if there is human interaction involved,” said Victoria Souze, principal investigator with WMMSN.

Mother seals leave their pups on shore while they go foraging. If people surround the pup, the mother sees this from the water and she will not come to shore. This leads to pups being abandoned and, if left on the beach long enough, a slow death.

“We try to monitor these pups in high traffic areas, and occasionally will use a non-toxic green livestock paint so we can keep track of a specific pup that we have been seal sitting,” Souze said. “Yes, we seal sit!”

Trained volunteer seal-sitters keeping humans and pets away gives mom and pup a chance to reunite. “Seal pups belong in the wild, and this is what we want to achieve when we find a pup being harassed by people,” Souze said. “If we can keep people away from the pup, mom will often return. Then there is a happy ending.”

Please help WMMSN by calling 360/966-8845 if you see a pup being harassed. Harassment can be any human interaction within 100 yards of the pup.