Water is life. The watercourses that flow through the mountains, hills, and valleys of Cascadia nourish the land, support terrestrial populations (human and otherwise), and sustain the salmon that have been, literally, the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest since time immemorial. A network of sparkling tributaries feeds the branches of the Nooksack River, providing cool, clear water and offering refuge …

In the fall of 2005, I was given a 300+ year-old, 18-foot-long, red cedar log from a jumbled pile in the log yard of the Oeser Company in Bellingham,WA. A tag on the log indicated that it had been cut down by Georgia Pacific in 1982 at the base of the Twin Sisters Range in Whatcom County, WA. near the …