Bellingham nonprofit Recreation Northwest Trails Coalition, formerly Recreation Northwest, is changing its mission to become a voice for regional trails in Whatcom County.
Recreation Northwest Trails Coalition was previously known for Parkscriptions, a mental-health program offered to teens in the Bellingham School District since 2022. Students learned how to utilize nature as a tool for coping, mindfulness and team-building skills.
Last December, the Parkscriptions program ended due to a lack of funding, according to coalition CEO Todd Elsworth. The program received funding from the No Child Left Inside Grant for its first two years, losing it in the final year.
“We tried for other grants that were in line with our programming, but our ‘nature as a mental health benefit’ is still new to acceptance and the funding from foundations isn’t there yet to support that type of programming,’” Elsworth said.
From the ashes of Parkscriptions rose a complete overhaul of the organization.
Elsworth said that the organization’s main goal is to become “self-appointed stewards” and complete the Bay to Baker trail and the Salish Coast Trail.
Currently, the Bay to Baker trail is developed from Maple Falls to Maple Creek Park, as well as at Squalicum Creek Trail.
The coalition will be adopting the “Coast Millennium Trail plans” for the Salish Coast Trail, according to an information page on the coalition’s website, where a draft map of the trail is also available.
Elsworth said the need for an advocacy group can be seen in different areas, including the absence of usable space for walking and biking commuters.
“The next piece in working with these communities… is how do we get through these areas with what currently exists, and then how do we plan with those communities to make improvements to create more of an off-road, multimodal experience, separating cars from bikers and pedestrians,” Elsworth said.
Furthermore, talks of completing the trails have been in planning documents for decades; according to the organization’s updated case statement, Whatcom County didn’t have an organized advocacy group to get the ball rolling.
Elsworth said sections of the trails that exist within city limits have been completed thanks to the work of Bellingham Parks and Recreation and Public Works.
“Where the majority of our work is going to be moving forward is out in the county and with the smaller cities and communities heading north from here… all the way up to the Canadian border, working with Blaine, Birch Bay, Washington State Parks” Elsworth said.
Bellingham Parks and Recreation Director Nicole Oliver wrote in an email that the coalition is a “valued nonprofit partner” for the parks department.
“After working for many years with them on stewardship projects in Fairhaven Park and the Parkscription program, they are now transitioning to trail advocacy, engagement and community organizing, especially for regional connectivity,” Oliver said.
Oliver said the parks department will continue providing support through jurisdictional work with the port, Whatcom County and other groups to create further trail connections.
The first phase of work will include signage and identifying where the current route is in the coming months.
“We’re confident that we have an existing current route identified,” Elsworth said.
A main piece of the puzzle is finding funding, which mainly comes from state and national grants Elsworth and and coalition Chief Operations Officer Elizabeth Nelson are writing.
“Another piece of the funding is, as we’ve just launched the Trails Coalition, we’re building a membership platform for individuals and businesses to support,” Elsworth said.
There are different levels of cost for each type of membership: individuals are $35, households are $60, nonprofits are $100 and businesses are $250.
Elsworth said the program has secured funding from an American Trails grant; the team continues to apply to grants and hopes the membership model will help make the program financially sustainable.
“We had many trail advocacy groups to look to for examples of how these groups are effective and where the funding comes from,” he said, adding that there is more “traditional” support for trail planning compared to mental health and nature programs.
The coalition is growing in other ways, Elsworth said, with an updated board of directors to “better reflect the work that we’re doing moving forward.”
“We did have some transition from some of our older board members that were really more focused on our Parkscriptions work, and that was their expertise,” he said, adding that new board members with trails and recreation expertise have joined the board.
Elsworth said he hopes all these changes impact the community through connection of the bigger cities to more rural areas.
“Our regional communities are all spread out, and there’s people that live in Ferndale, work in Bellingham or live in Bellingham and work in Ferndale,” he said. “Especially with what we’re facing now with gas prices and all that, what does this look like for our community to have a larger perspective on what active transportation looks like?”
—By Libby Williams