Events
Where Stories Flow
Water Wars (how to avoid) happens wherever people are willing to get their boots muddy together. River walks, farm-to-table meals, unexpected conversations—we show up where the real work gets done.
Want to argue about salmon runs over dinner? Walk fields with neighbors you usually only see in conference rooms? Figure out what a healthy watershed actually looks like while standing knee-deep in the Nooksack?
Good. That's where trust gets built.
Common Waters Part Three: Delta
Common Waters: Delta is a day-long gathering on Lummi Nation lands. A chance to move through storied places, hear from the people who carry this river's history in their bodies, and imagine together what the future might hold.
Feb ‘26 Stewardship Dinner: What Conversations Are You Hungry For?
On February 26th, a small circle of farmers, tribal members, ecologists, and neighbors gathered upstairs at Bantam for an informal dinner—no agenda beyond listening. We asked what conversations people were hungry for. And then we mostly got out of the way.
2026 Eat Local First Trade Meeting
On the morning of February 10th, Aaron Straight, Tammy Woodrich, Rich Appel, and Chris Elder opened the 2026 Eat Local First Trade Meeting — NW Washington's largest food and farm business conference — with a question most conferences don't start with: What becomes possible when stories and relationships come first?
Common Waters Part Two: Headwaters
On October 5th, tribal members, farmers, and community leaders walked Todd Creek together, exploring salmon habitat restoration partnerships and riparian zone coordination. The afternoon concluded with a watershed feast and storytelling at The Commons in Bellingham, including the premiere of several short films and paintings capturing connections made when diverse neighbors gather with open hearts along the Nooksack.
Common Waters Part One: Floodplains
Lummi fishers, Nooksack storytellers, Punjabi farmers, and local leaders gathered for a day of shared stories, river walks, and farm feasts along the Nooksack—captured by a film crew who blended seamlessly into the magic. From berry fields to river sandbars, participants left titles behind to listen deeply to each other and the land, forging connection and understanding. By sunset, a sense of stewardship and hope filled the circle, as heartfelt apologies and blessings were exchanged over a meal sourced from the watershed itself.
The Watershed Dinner: Breaking Bread, Building Trust
Tribal fishers brought salmon. Farmers brought potatoes and berries. Rich Appel invited Free Borsey to fish his land. Jay Julius shared his lineage back to the 1855 treaty. Something shifted.
2025 Eat Local First Trade Meeting: Seeds of Collaboration
Brad Rader and Free Borsey stood up together at a food systems conference. No script. Just neighbors finding common ground in front of their peers.