HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Action Jan 13 2026Whatcom County
Council Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee
COUNTY COURTHOUSE
311 Grand Avenue, Ste #105
Bellingham, WA 98225-4038
(360)778-5010
Committee Minutes - Final
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
11:05 AM
Hybrid Meeting - Council Chambers
HYBRID MEETING - MAY BEGIN EARLY/LATE - ADJOURNS BY 11:25 A.M.
(PARTICIPATE IN -PERSON, SEE REMOTE JOIN INSTRUCTIONS AT
www.whatcomcounty.us/joinvirtualcouncil, OR CALL 360.778.5010)
COUNCILMEMBERS
Elizabeth Boyle
Barry Buchanan
Ben Elenbaas
Kaylee Galloway
Jessica Rienstra
Jon Scanlon
Mark Stremler
CLERK OF THE COUNCIL
Cathy Halka, AICP, CMC
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final January 13, 2026
Resources Committee
Call To Order
Roll Call
Committee member Kaylee Galloway called the meeting to order at 11:16
a.m. in a hybrid meeting.
Present: 7 - Kaylee Galloway, Mark Stremler, Elizabeth Boyle, Jessica Rienstra, Barry
Buchanan, Ben Elenbaas, and Jon Scanlon
Announcements
Special Order of Business
1. AB2026-004 Nomination and appointment of Committee Chair
Scanlon moved to nominate Councilmember Galloway as chair. The motion
was seconded by Boyle.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 7 - Boyle, Buchanan, Elenbaas, Galloway, Rienstra, Scanlon, and
Stremler
Nay: 0
Scanlon and Boyle withdrew themselves from consideration for the vice
chair positions, Rienstra stated she would be interested, then Scanlon put
his name back in.
Boyle moved and Scanlon seconded to appoint councilmembers Rienstra
and Scanlon as vice chairs.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Aye: 7 - Boyle, Buchanan, Elenbaas, Galloway, Rienstra, Scanlon, and
Stremler
Nay: 0
This agenda item was APPOINTED.
Appointed Galloway as Chair and Rienstra and Scanlon as Vice Chairs
Special Presentation
1. AB2026-002 2025 annual report from Water Resources Program of Washington State University
Extension
Cheryl Lovato Niles, WSU Whatcom County Extension, Water Resources
Coordinator, read from a presentation (on file). She spoke about the
Whalcom County page t
Council Climate Action and Natural Committee Minutes - Final
Resources Committee
January 13, 2026
Sustainable Landscaping Program, the Whatcom Watersheds Information
Network and the events they run, and the Salmon Summit conference. She
answered questions and spoke about the watershed focus areas of their work
(Sudden Valley and Birch Bay), that helping property owners file for
adjudication has not been part of their work but that she could discuss it
with Whatcom County if it is something they would like them to be engaged
in, how the speaker series topics are chosen, and that they do not currently
have metrics regarding usage and views of their online materials but it is
something that they can review.
Galloway asked that they keep the Council in the loop on their events.
This agenda item was REPORTED.
Items Added by Revision
Other Business
Adjournment
There were no agenda items added by revision.
There was no other business.
The meeting adjourned at 11:34 a.m.
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WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WA
Kaylee Galloway -via email 1/26/2026
Kaylee Galloway, Committee Chair
Meeting Minutes prepared by Kristi Felbinger
Whatcom County Page 2