Capacity is limited, so this event is by invitation only // Please Request to Join below if you'd like to be considered!Friends + Family,
You’re invited to our next Common Waters gathering on October 5th!
This time we’ll meet at Todd Creek on the South Fork Nooksack River, where friends working with the Nooksack Tribe and Whatcom Land Trust will share stories of their partnership to restore salmon habitat. We’ll also hear stories from Lummi Nation members and local farmers who are coordinating to create healthy riparian zones. Be ready to witness the work, get your hands dirty—and maybe your feet wet—as we walk, listen, and share together.
After the field visit, join us for another of our now famous dinners with chef Mataio Gillis. Mataio will prepare a Nooksack Watershed feast at The Commons in Bellingham.
The evening will feature beautiful vignettes from Lummi, Farmers, and Nooksack tribal members, plus the premiere of the short film from our last dinner—capturing the friendships and sparks of insight born when we gather with open hearts.
We know your lives are busy, but this work only works when we show up. Please save the date and RSVP so we know how many to cook for.
As always, bring your partner, parent, or children. If that doesn’t apply, consider inviting someone from a different generation. We learn the most when we mix ages, backgrounds, and perspectives—because the future of this river belongs to those who come after us.
With respect and looking forward,
Aaron Straight and the Water Wars (how to avoid) Team
How to Prepare
Come as Yourself: Leave your titles at home. No panels, no name tags, no speeches, no pressure—just authentic conversation about what it means to live together along this river.
Bring Your Story: Think about your personal connection to the Nooksack—what does this river mean to you? What's one story that captures your relationship to this place?
Prepare for Weather: We'll be outside most of the day, rain or shine. Bring good walking shoes for flat farm fields and river gravel bars, plus a warm layer for the evening.
Expect Documentation: Throughout the day, we'll be filming with care and respect, capturing this first chapter in a journey through the Nooksack's farmlands, delta, headwaters, and beyond.
Open Mind & Appetite: Come ready to listen, learn, and share a meal with neighbors you might not otherwise meet.
Please arrive by 1:45 PM—we'll start right at 2:00.
Every voice matters. We'll honor the past, dig into the present, and look ahead to the future we want to create for the Nooksack and everything it sustains.
About the Common Water Series
Three gatherings. Three parts of the river. One mission: build trust and a shared story by experiencing the watershed together.
We're hosting immersive gatherings along different sections of the Nooksack—from the delta on Lummi lands to agricultural areas to the headwaters in Nooksack tribal territory. Each brings together tribal members, farmers, environmental advocates, and civic leaders to share meals, tell stories, and build the relationships necessary for collaborative solutions.
We deliberately design these gatherings to be memorable—picnicking on sandbars, walking farmland together, moving beyond sterile meeting rooms into direct relationship with the river. Because the stories that stick with us are never about everything going to plan.
Contact us to learn more or support these gatherings!