Squalicum Creek
Squalicum Creek is a stream in Whatcom County, Washington,[1] that flows through Bellingham, Washington, to Bellingham Bay. It drains an area of 22 square miles (57 km2).[2]
The Washington State Department of Transportation and the City of Bellingham have been working to improve the suitability of the creek, with headwaters in the Cascade foothills, as spawning habitat for pink, chum and coho salmon and cutthroat trout.[3][4] From 2015 to 2020, the city government rerouted the creek around Bug Lake, an artificial pond created during construction of Interstate 5, to improve temperatures for fish and remove barriers.[5]
The creek, Squalicum High School, and other locations named Squalicum around Bellingham are named for the native word meaning "place of the dog salmon".[6][7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Squalicum Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- ^ "Squalicum Creek Re-route Phases 1-4". City of Bellingham. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Lerner, Julia (April 15, 2023). "Whatcom County summer road closures to support fish passage project". Cascadia Daily News. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "Squalicum Creek". City of Bellingham. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ Relyea, Kie (July 3, 2020). "A $1.7 million project will move Squalicum Creek around Bug Lake. Here's what to expect". The Bellingham Herald. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
- ^ "The Squalicum Stimulus". nwcitizen.com. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
- ^ "Revisiting Washington — Squalicum Creek Valley". revisitwa.org. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Squalicum Creen Watershed map by the City of Bellingham
48°45′38″N 122°30′32″W / 48.7605°N 122.5088°W