The long-awaited Post Point Great Blue Heron Reserve has finally conquered the last obstacle in its path: the purchase of a 1.43-acre land parcel along Shorewood Drive.
The lot, known as lot 20, is adjacent to another parcel purchased by the Bellingham City Council and will be purchased following a unanimous council vote Monday night, March 28.
“With those two properties, we are going to preserve, basically, the roosting area for [a] great blue heron colony that’s been at this site for a considerable period of time,” Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood told the council Monday.
A colony of great blue herons has been roosting in the location along Shorewood Drive for at least 20 years, supporting up to 42 nesting pairs. An estimated 1,000 herons have fledged at the site since 1999. This colony is home to the only remaining great blue heron nesting site in Bellingham.
“This [sale] is the culmination of a lot of efforts, a lot of enthusiasm for a lot of years,” Fleetwood said. “It’s the end of a considerable amount of effort, negotiation and work between the city and staff and the [land] owner.”
The lot costs around $768,000, and the Whatcom Land Trust, a local nonprofit protecting and preserving wildlife habitats across the county, will donate $100,000 to support the sale.
Fleetwood said the city is looking to partner with the Land Trust for long-term projects related to the preserve.
The heron preserve has been “a long time coming,” according to councilmember Michael Lilliquist, who has served on the council since 2009.
“I just want the public to understand, [those who] have been wanting us to buy this colony and preserve the buffer that we have always been interested in doing so. It’s just taken a while to get to an agreement,” he said.
Councilmembers first discussed the sale of this lot during an executive session Monday, where they heard presentations from city staffers about the costs and the benefits.
“The herons and the rookery is worth saving,” councilmember Lisa Anderson said. “I’m really proud of this moment and what everyone was able to accomplish.”
The vote passed 6-0, with councilmember Daniel Hammill absent from the meeting.
