Our goal is zero tolerance and this is part of our program. This isn't the first time this situation has come up in Washington, Melonas added. We're not just picking on Bellingham. Gordon Scott, conservation director for the Whatcom Land Trust, said BNSF's burgeoning course of action compounds an existent problem of limited public access to beaches in Bellingham and beyond. The lack of public access to shorelines in Whatcom County is a serious problem, he said.
Waterfront is a tremendous natural asset to just waste on a transportation corridor.
It has economic value for tourism and offers a real sense of character for the community. This contrasted with 17 percent statewide in 1991. Scott said the three to six percentage has probably lessened significantly since, considering BNSF's current access restrictions. Clark's Point was one of the few areas set aside for coastal access in Whatcom County until BNSF blocked its public entrance in March of 2000. Its closure was a precursor to the railroad's ongoing actions prohibiting public access across its corridor of land.