Council adds $3 surcharge on all fares

John Stark of the Bellingham Herald reported today on the County Council’s actions last night on ferry fares. Those islanders who lobbied heavily for a surcharge rather than Option 6 appear to have been very successful in their efforts. As Stark’s article notes, the $3 surcharge will hit passengers and anyone on fixed incomes or [...]

All Quiet on the Western Front

From Russ Thompson: All Quiet on the Western Front, (until Midnight, February 13th, at least). There has been an unusual silence surrounding the ferry issue between communities. There is the county as a whole, with its disparate enclave communities like Point Roberts, the Mount Baker area, and Lummi Island. There is the Lummi Nation. There [...]

Dealing with Change

From Pat Hayes:  To my friends and neighbors on Lummi Island; I would like ferry service to Lummi and Gooseberry to remain the same; frequent crossings and fares that I’ve adapted to, even though they’ve gone up significantly in the last few years.  I, like all Islanders, have scheduled everything I do off-island with these [...]

The Herald on Our Trial Fairhaven Run: 1/27/10

BELLINGHAM – As a few dozen Lummi Island residents watched with interest, the Whatcom Chief made a smooth landing Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Fairhaven dock that is usually the home of the Alaska ferry. The islanders admitted they were watching the test docking with mixed emotions. They don’t want their cars to be trapped [...]

Ferry Anecdotes from the 70′s

Lummi Island Ferry anecdotes from Art Hohl   (full-time Island resident for 37 years) I went to Fairhaven on the Ferry years back when floods forced it to do so.  After errands in Bellingham, foot passengers gathered on the deck for the evening return run.  For some, the errands included a stop at the State liquor [...]

Our Lummi Island Experience

Our Lummi Island Experience – Ferry-wise and Otherwise It sounds like a cliché, but it really was “love at first sight!”  Ten years ago, our next door neighbors in northern California owned a little trailer on Lummi Island in the Isle Aire neighborhood.  When they heard we were vacationing in the Seattle area, they tossed [...]

Trial Docking . . . Weather Permitting?

I thought you might be interested in this exchange regarding Whatcom Public Work’s docking exercise in Fairhaven … Hi Colleen– We just got this announcement from the county about conducting a trial docking of the Whatcom Chief in Fairhaven on Tuesday. I’m wondering if you or others on the island would want to call or [...]

Our Vacation Home?

My wife and I have been thinking and planning for years to buy a little cabin to escape to on weekends and breaks. After visiting relatives on Lummi several times, we narrowed our search to the island, and during the summer of 2009, we ended up purchasing a cabin in Lummi Island Scenic Estates. It [...]

Moving to Lummi

To Whom It May Concern I am writing to urge the Whatcom County Council to use any and all mediation and negotiation resources available through the State and Federal government to accomplish a creative and cooperative solution to the Lummi Island/Gooseberry Point Ferry lease crisis. It is imperative that transportation to and from the island [...]

Building a Bridge

Thank you and PLIC (Protecting Lummi Island Community) for spearheading this community effort to save the Lummi Island-to-Gooseberry Point ferry system. Here are my feelings and thoughts in response to your request for letters from the Lummi Island community. My young cat is on my lap as I type this letter. She has never been [...]