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Galbraith Mountain Annual Meeting

BEL-GAL-2025-01-23 January 23, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham
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The annual Galbraith Mountain stakeholder meeting brought together representatives from the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), Galbraith Tree Farm/Jenny Logging, Galbraith Bay Coalition, and City of Bellingham Natural Resources to review 2024 activities and coordinate plans for 2025. The meeting highlighted the significant impact of unplanned logging activity in 2024, which affected 18 trails and required extensive restoration work by WMBC staff throughout the season. WMBC reported impressive usage statistics for 2024, with 202,000 trail users recorded since May and over 7,000 people using the five main northside access points. Two new trails — Blue Ribbon and Double Vision — each saw over 26,000 riders between May and December, averaging 243 riders per day during peak months. The coalition completed five new trail projects that had been started in 2023, demonstrating continued expansion of the trail network despite harvest-related disruptions. Looking ahead to 2025-2026, Galbraith Tree Farm plans approximately 80 acres of harvesting and 200 acres of thinning operations, primarily scheduled for the third and fourth quarters to minimize impacts during peak trail usage seasons. The meeting also addressed ongoing coordination needs around emergency response coverage, with South District Fire handling 50 calls to the mountain in 2024 despite being outside their official coverage area. The deer management archery hunt conducted in 2024 yielded mixed results, with only four deer harvested due to poor weather conditions for hunting but generating significant community engagement and media coverage. Plans for future hunts include potentially implementing a lottery system with proceeds supporting local charities and creating opportunities for disabled hunters.

**Trail Development Projects Completed:** - Five new trails finished in 2024 (started in 2023): Blue Ribbon, Double Vision, Deluxe, Larry's Pizza, and others - 18 trails required post-harvest maintenance and restoration work - Two hand-built trails currently in development (Son of Sam area and Three Stone area) **Upcoming Infrastructure:** - Nathan Memorial skills area planned near Last Call in Polygon property - Donor brick installation scheduled at trailhead kio…

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**Forest Management and Trail Coordination:** The meeting extensively discussed the balance between timber harvesting operations and recreational trail access. The 2024 harvest activity was unplanned and caught WMBC off-guard, requiring significant staff resources to restore 18 affected trails. For 2025-2026, improved coordination aims to minimize trail impacts through better timing and communication. The harvest areas will focus on the "pipeline run" area including Rock and Roll, Cedar Dust, and portions of the 2,000-foot elevation zones. **Deer Management Strategy:** The archery hunt pilot program sparked considerable community debate but received more support than criticism according to organizers. Future hunts may transition from the current invitation-only system to a lottery-based permit system, with proceeds supporting local charities. Special consideration is being given to disabled hunters who face acc…
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**WMBC (Eric, Tyler, Kelsey):** Emphasized the need for better advance communication about harvest activities to minimize trail disruptions. Supportive of deer management program continuation with improved structure. Pleased with successful e-bike integration and seeking expanded programming for underserved youth populations through new grant funding. **Galbraith Tree Farm (Peter Wheeler):** Committed to improved communication about harvest timing and impacts. Supportive of deer management program and exploring special access for disabled hunters. Planning art installation project for 2026 similar t…
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**Eric, on 2024 trail usage impact:** "18 trails were impacted because of that. So that's some were fully impacted and some were just partially impacted. So it really took a lot of our staff time to get those reopened during the season." **Eric, on trail counter data:** "In one month each of these 2 trails had almost 8,000 or over 8,000 riders in a month. So 243 a day, I think, is what we ended up averaging." **Peter Wheeler, on deer hunt community response:** "We had probably 51 to one rat…
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**Immediate Actions (Winter/Spring 2025):** - Complete recreation easement amendment process pending property owner signature - Finalize location and licensing for changing rooms installation - Begin planning for donor brick installation at trailhead kiosk - Develop clearer property management guidelines for city watershed lands **Summer 2025 Activities:** - Complete Upper Section of Bottoms Up trail (multi-year goal) - Rebuild Bank Advancer trail - Continue work on two hand-built trails in development - Implement Nathan Memorial skills area constr…

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**Trail Access Improvements:** The completion of five new trails significantly expanded riding options, with Blue Ribbon and Double Vision already demonstrating heavy usage patterns comparable to established trails. **E-bike Policy Implementation:** Class 1 e-bikes are now officially permitted throughout the trail system following city council approval, representing a major policy shift that has attracted older demographics back to mountain biking. **Harvest Coordination Protocol:** The unexpected 2024 harvest impacts led to improved advance planning and communication protocols for 2025-2026 operations, with specific timing targets to min…
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## Meeting Overview The annual Galbraith Mountain meeting convened on January 23, 2025, bringing together key stakeholders in the management and use of this beloved Bellingham recreation area. The gathering included representatives from the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), Galvert Tree Farm, the Galbraith Bay Coalition, the City of Bellingham's Natural Resources department, and various other partners who collaborate on the complex web of land management, trail maintenance, and recreational access that makes Galbraith Mountain function. Tyler, the conservation easement coordinator, served as the unofficial host, with WMBC President Glenn and Executive Director Eric presenting the organization's comprehensive annual report. The meeting covered a year of significant challenges and successes, from unexpected logging operations that impacted 18 trails to new trail construction and evolving policies around e-bikes and deer management. What emerged was a picture of an incredibly busy mountain — 202,000 trail users since May alone — and the intricate coordination required to balance recreation, forest management, and conservation goals. ## The Year in Review: Recovery from Unexpected Logging Eric opened with the sobering reality that shaped much of 2024: "a lot of what happened this year for us was slightly unplanned." The previous January, everyone had understood that Rob (the tree farm owner) was taking a year off from harvest activity. Instead, significant logging occurred both on his property within the easement and on the 650-acre Polygon property higher up the mountain. "1…
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### Meeting Overview The Galbraith Mountain Annual Meeting brought together stakeholders including the Whatcom Mountain Bike Coalition (WMBC), property owners, Janicky Tree Farm representatives, and City of Bellingham Natural Resources staff on January 23, 2025. The meeting focused on reviewing 2024 trail activities, discussing 2025 logging plans, and coordinating management of this popular recreation area. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Conservation Easement:** A legal agreement that restricts certain uses of land while allowing others. On Galbraith Mountain, this allows public recreation access while the property remains privately owned by Janicky Tree Farm. **Trail Counter System:** Electronic devices that count trail users passing specific points. WMBC installed comprehensive counters in 2024 to gather data showing 202,000 trail users since May, with some individual trails seeing over 26,000 users. **Harvest Activity:** Commercial logging operations. In 2024, unexpected harvesting impacted 18 trails, requiring significant trail rebuilding work by WMBC staff. **Class 1 E-bikes:** Electric bicycles that provide pedal assistance only up to 20 mph and require pedaling to engage the motor. These became legally allowed on Galbraith trails in 2024 after city council approval. **Deer Management Hunt:** A controlled hunting program to reduce deer population that damages tree seedlings in replanted harvest areas. The December 2024 hunt was invitation-only and resulted in 4 deer harvested. **Watershed Property:** Land within the Lake Whatcom watershed that provides drinking water. Special restrictions apply to activities in watershed areas, including timing of trail construction. **Working Forest Easement:** A separate easement from the recreation easement that governs logging activities and forest management on the property. **DNR Parcel:** Washington Department of Natural Resources land at the top of Galbraith Mountain near cell towers, subject to a 50-acre logging auction. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Tyler | WMBC Conservation Easement Coordinator, Board President | | Eric | WMBC staff member, presenter | | Peter Wheeler | Representative, Janicky Tree Farm and Logging | | Sarah Brown | Executive Director, Gal…
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Parks & Recreation Environmental Government Operations City Bellingham City Bellingham Natural Resources Dnr Galbraith Bay Coalition Galbraith Tree Farm Jenny Logging South District Fire Whatcom County Parks Wmbc Eric Wmbc Kelsey Hackem Laura Bradford Mike City Morgan Robin Nathan Roe Peter Wheeler Renee Assistant Director Sarah Brown Tyler Conservation Tyler Conservation Coordinator Place Galbraith Mountain Place Lake Whatcom Watershed Carbon Sequestration Deer Management E Bikes Emergency Response Forest Management Memorial Projects Parking Security Recreation Policy Timber Harvesting Trail Maintenance Watershed Management Youth Programs