The story of Whatcom Creek: an explosion, a tragedy, and a rebirth

This is not an easy story to tell. In the town where I live, Bellingham, Washington, there’s a beautiful urban creek. It flows just four miles from a lake, through a city park, down through the town to the sea. But in the summer of 1999, disaster struck. A gasoline pipeline ruptured, causing an explosion. Young lives were lost, and the creek and the ecosystems around it were obliterated. 

But amid the destruction, amid all the loss, the creek found a way to find life again. And the people of Bellingham somehow found a way to move forward. 

This is a story about the strength of the human spirit and how a community, a creek, and the once-thriving forest that it passed through began to recover after losing so much. 

We would like to dedicate this episode to the memory of Liam Wood, Wade King and Stephen Tsiorvas. Our hearts go out to their families.

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THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and Lucy Soucek, and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.

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