March ‘26 Update: W̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶W̶a̶r̶s̶ (how to avoid)

Update #5: March 2026

What conversations are we hungry for?

We asked that question at a small dinner in Bellingham last month, and then we got out of the way. What came back was honest.

Dana Wilson told the story of the Lummi Nation stopping spring Chinook fishing for 40 years, at real economic and cultural cost, while others kept fishing. The salmon still haven't fully recovered. Then he looked around the table and asked: what are we willing to sacrifice?

That question is the work. Not the answer. The willingness to ask it together, across the table, in a room where the asking actually costs something.

Earlier in the month, Tammy Woodrich, Rich Appel, Chris Elder, and I brought this conversation to the Eat Local First Trade Meeting, in front of 180 farmers, fishers, chefs, and buyers.

Two rooms. One river. Connecting us and these deeper conversations.

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Over the past few weeks we’ve been ramping up planning and design work with Free Borsey and others to bring the next Common Waters event to life where the Nooksack meets the Salish Sea. Lummi-hosted. Canoes. Salmon. Stories of the past. Visions of our future. Family-friendly. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, May 2nd. This is going to be a special one.

With gratitude,

Aaron and the W̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶W̶a̶r̶s̶ (how to avoid) team

⚠️ Date Change: Save the Date

Common Waters 3: Delta
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Saturday, May 2nd

(updated from May 9th)

Where the Nooksack River meets the Salish Sea. Elders, fishers, and farmers will share stories. We'll walk the delta and visit sites that carry generations of history. The day closes sharing salmon caught and prepared by our hosts.

All ages welcome. Bring your children, your partners, your parents. More details coming soon.

Tue, Mar 3

Recap: February 26th Stewardship Dinner

A small circle. A welcoming song. Fried chicken and an open question: what conversations are you hungry for? Fear showed up, so did curiosity, and a thread about what traditional ecomanagement practices might teach us about caring for this river today. Already, people are leaving these conversations with their thinking changed.

Fri, Feb 13

Recap: 2026 Eat Local First Trade Meeting

Aaron Straight, Tammy Woodrich, Rich Appel, and Chris Elder opened the 2026 Eat Local First Trade Meeting, NW Washington's largest food and farm gathering, with a conversation about the Nooksack watershed. An indigenous storyteller, a third-generation dairy farmer, a conservation planner, and a filmmaker, in front of 180 farmers, fishers, chefs, and buyers, talking about what it takes to stay in relationship across a difficult adjudication. Not a panel. A conversation.

About W̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶W̶a̶r̶s̶ (how to avoid)

W̶a̶t̶e̶r̶ ̶W̶a̶r̶s̶ (how to avoid) transforms potential water conflicts into collaborative stewardship opportunities in the Nooksack River watershed through immersive community gatherings, storytelling, and documentary filmmaking.

The project brings together tribal fishers, family farmers, environmental advocates, civic leaders, and other landscape stewards to build authentic relationships across traditional divides, creating pathways for cooperative water management that honor treaty rights, agricultural viability, and ecosystem health.

Our goal is to demonstrate that "we are not enemies"—proving that communities facing complex water challenges can choose collaboration over litigation, creating a replicable model for watersheds nationwide.

Learn more and get involved today.

Every story costs something to tell well.

Your contribution helps cover events, production, and the time it takes to build community across old dividing lines. All donations are tax-deductible through Whatcom Community Foundation. Thank you.

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Affiliated with the Whatcom Community Foundation.