Our Roots — How We Started
Just before the 2020 pandemic, an informal group began to meet monthly after Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu’s public call to plant one-million trees in Whatcom County.
In early 2021 we formed the Whatcom Million Trees Project nonprofit. We modified the goal to include tree protection with tree planting. Why? Conserving mature, diverse, naturally-regenerated forests (not harvest-style timber plantations) is crucial to addressing climate and biodiversity crises NOW.
Healthy, diverse forests — particularly in key locations such as Nooksack Watershed and Lake Whatcom Watershed — are our best defense to lessening now-common local floods, water quality issues, extreme heat domes, and potential fires.
The thousands of young native tree seedlings Whatcom Million Trees Project will plant are essential, too. They build a brighter future for everyone in this region. Many will be in community parks and neighborhoods; others will be further out in rural lands. Although these young trees won’t add significant climate/biodiversity benefits for a few decades, tree-planting is a wonderful hands-on way to build hope and empowerment in everyone.
We’re not the first to take on such an ambitious challenge. King County, Washington, for example, fueled largely by a $700K grant successfully completed in 2020 a similar tree initiative.
We didn’t begin with such grant support, but Whatcom Million Trees Project is 501c3 certified nonprofit. Please donate today to help ensure a more hopeful and resilient future for everyone in Whatcom County!
Our Values
- Local.
We’re focused 100% on producing results within Whatcom County. - Independent.
We’re independent from any particular individual, group, or agency. - Innovative.
We’re fearlessly innovative to form new types of projects & partnerships. - Collaborative.
We actively team with other nonprofits, agencies, and groups as needed. - Open.
We listen well to discover core needs for successful results. - Justice-Seeking.
We seek to address imbalances suffered by diverse groups. - Science-Based.
We rely on science to inform us via local experts & wide-ranging research.
We’re ALL IN to fulfill our mission with the highest integrity. That’s our heartfelt promise to you.
Our Mighty Administrative Crew
We strive to unite individuals who are passionate about trees and nature and who have a desire to make a difference in our community and the wider world. Together our administrative staff are committed to helping address climate change, minimize biodiversity loss, and preserve the beauty of our region. Our team is vital to our mission!
Below are our key administrative staff. In addition, we have a few others who plug in for short-term needs administrative needs, plus 500+ volunteers on our on-call list for work parties.
Michael Feerer, Executive Director (he/him)
Michael has a long history of creating innovative projects for social good. One of the first “user-based design” architects/planners, he used social science techniques and broad-based research to plan over 1 million square feet of civic & medical facilities, mostly in Southern California. Later he authored Premiere with a Passion, the best-selling “bible” for desktop video which gave thousands of people the power of creative video-making. Then he founded Pixelan to provide the world’s first non-violent visual effects plugins for video/film. Locally, he served for many years on the Board of Cedar Tree Montessori School. A dedicated dad (and now granddad!), voracious reader, and avid wilderness explorer, he’s hiked the equivalent of 1.6x times around Earth. You can learn more about him here.
Mallorey Roe, Operations Manager (she/her)
With wonderful skills in social media and photography, and terrific writing talent, Mallorey enjoys inspiring volunteers to hope and action. She loves Bellingham and its trees, and was previously a climate activist in Eugene, Oregon. She feels very lucky to get to live right by a beautiful forest with her spouse and three cats.
Lauren Fritzen, Newsletter Editor (she/her)
Lauren Fritzen is a writer/editor from Bellingham with a penchant for running, hiking, birding, and trail meandering. She’s most at home among the trees or on the waters of the Salish Sea, and loves sharing stories about local people and organizations doing their part to protect and preserve this magical corner of the world.
Jim Smith, Planting Coordinator (he/him)
After working for decades as an attorney in housing and land use law, in 2001 Jim left law to start his residential landscape business. Recently new to Bellingham, he’s fascinated by our trees and by forest science about how trees communicate and share nutrients. He’s drawn to WMTP to plant more trees and to help preserve and enlarge forests.
We’re always looking for more folks. Interested in joining our efforts? Please see our Volunteering page to learn about the numerous ways you can help — even if you only have a few hours per month to give.
WMTP Board of Directors
Amy Brown (she/her)
Amy is AmeriCorps Program Director for Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good at Western Washington University, where she fosters student leadership, campus-community partnerships, and civic engagement to build sustainable and resilient communities.
Previously, she worked for the City of Bellingham as Parks Volunteer Coordinator, managing stewardship and ecological restoration programs. She also developed and led youth leadership and wilderness conservation programs for North Cascades Institute. She has a M.Ed. in Env. Education and Nonprofit Administration from WWU and a BA in Env. Science from American U. Amy is happiest paddling whitewater rivers, mountain biking, skiing, gardening, and spending time with her kids.
Laura Weiss (she/her)
Laura has devoted her life to the environment. Before retiring in 2018, she founded GO Box, a reusable takeout container venture in Portland. Previously she was a Regional Sustainability Manager for 30 colleges/universities in the west, Program Director for the Oregon Environmental Council, a Regulatory Toxicologist for the WA Department of Ecology, and worked for several environmental nonprofits. She has an MBA in Sustainable Business from Bainbridge Graduate Institute and a Master of Public Health from UC Berkeley.
Laura currently serves on the Board of the Community Food Co-op and Walk & Roll Bellingham. In her free time, she enjoys travel, biking, cross-country skiing, walking her dog, and yoga.
Neil Schaner (he/him)
Through work and volunteering, Neil helps our communities make the vital and achievable transition to a sustainable future. As a civil engineer, Neil focuses on stormwater, sustainable site development, and softening the boundaries between the built and natural environments. As chair of Bellingham’s Greenways Advisory Committee, he works to expand and enhance the city’s parks, trails, open space, urban forests, and habitat. Neil also serves as an At-Large Director of the Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association.
A native of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Neil graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Cincinnati before earning an MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington. Neil finds great joy being outdoors with his family, running, hiking, exploring, and swimming.
Robin Thomas (she/her)
Robin has been a protector of trees since writing and performing a play in the 3rd grade about saving a park. From there she got a degree in Wildlife Management and spent 30 years leading habitat restoration programs for Earth Corps and People for Puget Sound. She led backcountry trail crews with teens for many seasons, and is passionate about getting people outdoors working to understand and improve habitat. She has lived in the Salish Sea basin for 40 years, and moved to Bellingham permanently 5 years ago.
She is happiest when she is outdoors, be that gardening, doing restoration work or recreating. She serves on her neighborhood board and is working to improve the quality of life in Bellingham through better walking and biking infrastructure with Walk and Roll Bellingham.
Tegan Keyes (she/her)
Tegan recently graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in Environmental Studies. One of the highlights of her college experience was her internship with L.E.A.D., the university’s ecological restoration program, during which she worked with WMTP to plant a native mini-forest on a degraded campus site. She is curious about the connections between restoration, decolonization, food security, and community, and is still working to understand how to engage in restoration projects as a settler in the Salish Sea. She finds joy in attending work parties, experimenting with fiber art, creative writing, and learning about this incredible bioregion.
Tim Douglas (he/him)
In his many past roles — WWU Dean of Students, Mayor of Bellingham, member of Governor Locke’s cabinet, Peace Corps Director in Russia — Tim Douglas always has valued community-building, public service and a deep respect for our environment. It’s no surprise the Whatcom Million Trees Project captured his immediate attention.
“It’s rare to find a community project that builds a huge legacy for successive generations: natural beauty in the place we live, much cleaner air and water, restored habitat and wildlife biodiversity, a fulfilling sense of place and the recreational lifestyle so many of us love. Maybe best of all, we can each tailor our Million Trees involvement to personal interests, time and resources available. What a perfect fit for Whatcom County, our towns and cities as we tackle climate change. Let’s roll up our sleeves!”
WMTP Technical Advisors
Frank Corey, Whatcom Conservation District, Resource Coordinator
Frank coordinates riparian restoration projects at WCD in cooperation with Whatcom County Public Works. He previously worked for the Washington Conservation Corps, implementing riparian restoration projects for the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. Before that he spent many years growing and planting trees in nurseries and as a landscaper. Frank has lived in Whatcom County for 20 years. He has degrees in Landscape Horticulture and Business Administration.
Ellen Murphy, Whatcom Climate Advisory Committee, Chair
Ellyn Murphy has a MS in Forest Science and PhD in hydrology. She spent most of her career at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland as a research hydrologist, division director and program manager. Later, she focused on science communication and strategic initiatives related to environment/energy issues. Now retired in Bellingham, she volunteers in climate efforts locally. Ellyn’s primary interests are in climate change and its impact on fresh water and forests, as well as building sustainable communities.
Paul Thompson, Consulting Arborist, Urban Forestry Services | Bartlett Consulting
Paul has been engaged in urban forest management and arboriculture for most of his professional career. At Mount Vernon-based Urban Forestry Services | Bartlett Consulting for the past 10 years, he has worked on tree risk assessments, veteran tree management, tree inventories, tree preservation/monitoring, urban forests and tree management plans — for non-profits, public housing and schools, transit and utility projects, and commercial and private clients in our region.