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Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors

BEL-SHA-2025-05-15 May 15, 2025 City Council Regular Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors concluded their spring meetings with significant discussions about climbing access, invasive species management, and infrastructure planning around the new longhouse facility. The board approved their annual report and heard promising updates from Western Washington University's Ecological Restoration Club about their ongoing work removing invasive species from the arboretum. The most substantive discussion centered on a proposal from Western student Alex Strong, who requested approval for a senior project work party to improve trails leading to climbing areas and clean up trash accumulation. While the board was supportive of invasive species removal aspects of the proposal, they raised concerns about formalizing social trails to climbing areas and identified safety protocols needed for trash cleanup in areas with potential hazardous materials. The board also engaged in detailed planning discussions about landscaping the stormwater management area around the new longhouse facility, ultimately leaning toward using traditional grass rather than native plant mixes for maintenance access areas. Additionally, they addressed ongoing concerns about a student-developed arboretum website and discussed future meeting logistics, including potential quarterly attendance schedules for some board members and required training for board positions.

- **Annual Report Approved:** Unanimously approved with motion from Travis, second from John - **Student Work Party Proposal:** No formal vote taken; Chair John Tuxel delegated to work with student Alex Strong on feasibility assessment for invasive species removal portion of project - **Longhouse Stormwater Area:** Preliminary co…

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**Climbing Area Access and Trail Management:** The board grappled with a fundamental policy question about whether to formally recognize climbing activities in the arboretum. Student Alex Strong's proposal to improve trail access to boulder climbing areas forced the board to confront the reality that climbing occurs throughout the arboretum via informal social trails, despite no formal climbing areas being designated. Chair Tuxel noted this represents "a funny gray area where we don't actually have any formal designated areas or formally sanction it." The board recognized they need to directly address climbing policy in future meetings, as these requests continue to arise. **Invasive Species Management Protocols:** Caleb Barville from the Ecological Restoration Club reported excellent progress removing 25 cubic yards of green waste over six …
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**John Tuxel, Board Chair:** Supportive of student engagement while emphasizing safety protocols and proper procedures. Expressed willingness to work directly with Alex Strong on invasive species aspects while noting concerns about trail formalization and planting timing. **Alex Strong, Western Student:** Passionate about giving back to climbing areas before graduation, showing flexibility in adjusting project scope from initial restoration focus to trail maintenance and cleanup. Demonstrated detailed knowledge of informal climbing geography throughout the arboretum. **Karen, City Representative:** Focused on…
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**John Tuxel, on climbing policy:** "We know that climbing does happen in the arboretum. But it's in kind of this funny gray area where we don't actually have any formal designated areas or formally sanction it." **Alex Strong, on project motivation:** "Climbing is very near and dear to my heart. I learned to climb at Western. And now I'm a senior trip leader for the Climbing Club, and I'm taking people out to the Arb to teach them how to climb. And so I want to give back to that area before …
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**September Board Meeting:** Will be held on Western's campus with full city and university administrative representation to discuss meeting frequency changes and formal climbing area policy. **Summer Planning Activities:** City stewardship supervisor Freya will develop vegetation plan for longhouse stormwater area by end of summer for fall board approval. **Fall Planting Season:** Longhouse stormwater area planting will occur in fall/winter after board approves final vegetation …

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**Annual Report Status:** Moved from draft to approved and will be submitted to Western President and Mayor's office with meeting minutes. **Student Work Party Approach:** Shifted from requiring full board approval to delegated coordination between chair and student, focusing on invasive species removal rather than trail building. **Longhouse Landscaping Direction:** Preliminary decision made to use grass rather than native plant mixes for high-maintenance areas, reducin…
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# Sehome Hill Arboretum Board — Final Spring Meeting Before Summer Break The Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors held their final meeting of the spring semester on May 15, 2025, at Western Washington University's facilities. Board Chair John Tuxel called the meeting to order with quorum present, including members from both Western Washington University and the City of Bellingham. The meeting opened with the traditional land acknowledgment, recognizing Sehome Hill as traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Lummi and Nooksack peoples, with board members expressing their "shared responsibilities to care for the arboretum" and gratitude for "the opportunity to learn from indigenous wisdom." ## Weekly Work Parties Show Strong Community Engagement Caleb Barville from Western's Ecological Restoration Club provided an enthusiastic update on their weekly Friday afternoon work parties. The student-led group has achieved remarkable success, consistently drawing 15 to 25 community members to remove invasive species along the Jersey Street Trail. "We have removed approximately 25 cubic yards of green waste over the last six weeks," Barville reported, describing their focus on removing cherry laurel and English ivy from the south end of the trail. The group's productivity has created its own challenge — a substantial pile of green waste that needs removal. Board Chair Tuxel had good news on that front: "When you touch base with Oscar, I think you're going to hear some good news. He's already arranged with the lead group on campus. We're going to deliver a truck and they're going to get everything loaded up." The grounds crew had dubbed the towering pile "Caleb's mountain" — a testament to the volunteers' industriousness. Barville also highlighted plans for Arboretum Day on Saturday, May 31st, featuring faculty-led interpretive hikes covering forest ecology, ethnobotany, arboretum history, geology, and birdwatching, along with live music and riparian restoration work removing yellow archangel from the Outback Farms area. Looking ahead, Barville requested that grounds crew apply herbicide to holly stumps from their cutting work: "Otherwise they'll come back because we've cut quite a few. And now they…
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### Meeting Overview The Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors met on May 15, 2025, to discuss ongoing ecological restoration work, review a student climbing area cleanup proposal, and make decisions about longhouse stormwater management landscaping. The board also addressed administrative matters including their annual report and future meeting logistics. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Social Trails:** Unofficial paths created by repeated foot traffic that aren't on the formal trail map. The board must decide whether to formalize these trails or work to decommission them, especially if they cause erosion issues. **Ecological Restoration Club:** A Western Washington University student organization that conducts weekly volunteer work parties removing invasive species like cherry laurel and English ivy from the arboretum. **Stormwater Detention System:** Infrastructure that captures and manages rainwater runoff, requiring specific vegetation height limitations (24 inches or shorter) around access points for maintenance crews. **Invasive Species Removal:** The ongoing process of removing non-native plants like English ivy, holly, and cherry laurel that can crowd out native vegetation in forest ecosystems. **House of Healing:** A new Western Washington University building nearing completion that will serve indigenous communities and includes associated stormwater management infrastructure. **Arboretum Day:** An annual public event featuring faculty-led interpretive hikes about forest ecology, ethnobotany, arboretum history, geology, and birdwatching. **Leave No Trace Principles:** Outdoor ethics guidelines that minimize human impact on natural areas, relevant to climbing and recreational activities in the arboretum. **Mixed Seed Plantings:** Vegetation approaches using both native and non-native plant species, which board members noted tend to fail over time with non-native grasses dominating. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | John Tuxel | Board Chair | | Wayne | Board member, Western representative | | Caleb Barville | Student, Ecological Restoration…
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Parks & Recreation Environmental Government Operations Ecological Restoration Club Fairhaven College Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association Washington Trails Association Western Washington University Alex Strong Caleb Barville David Freya Joan John Tuxel Karen Kindred Nick Leader Oscar Travis Wayne Board Governance Climbing Access Hazardous Material Cleanup Invasive Species Longhouse Development Stormwater Management Student Projects Trail Maintenance Volunteer Coordination Website Development