May Regenerate Whatcom / Permaculture Meet-up! Birchwood Neighborhood Bike Tour!
May 30 @ 2:30 pm – 6:00 pm
The May Whatcom Permaculture Meet-up, in partnership with Regenerate Whatcom, will be a special treat indeed! The event will include a bicycle tour of various properties in the neighborhood that practice permaculture, regenerative agriculture, and good ole fashion gardening!
We are pleased to invite you to the upcoming Birchwood Permaculture Bike Tour and Potluck on Saturday, May 30th, from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
Organized in collaboration with Whatcom Permaculture and Regenerate Whatcom, this neighborhood event features a rolling tour of local permaculture properties. Seven host stops are confirmed, offering real-world examples of intentional land use, ecological design, and food production.
Note: Please register for the event and a follow-up email will be sent prior to the event detailing the finalized bike route, specific stop locations, exact times, and the full schedule of discussion topics.
Event Logistics & Parking
* When: Saturday, May 30th, from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
* Where: Starts and terminates at 3116 Pinewood Avenue.
* Parking: Because street parking is not permitted in the immediate neighborhood, please park your vehicles at the nearby Birchwood Elementary School parking lot and walk or bike over to the starting point. Please arrive at 2:30 PM to drop off your potluck items, orient yourself, and be ready to start the tour promptly at 3:00 PM.
* The Route: Participants will travel by bicycle between properties within the neighborhood.
* The Stops: Each location will host a mini-meetup or short tour focusing on distinct themes, possibly including hemp building, hügelkultur, swales, and biochar.
* The Potluck: Our starting location serves as the central hub. You can drop off potluck dishes here before the ride begins. We will return to this site at the end of the tour to eat and socialize.
Meet Your Hosts & The Neighborhood History
The tour originates and concludes at the home of Julian Kapoor, Julie Miller, and their family.
Julian and Julie are California natives and former evolutionary ecology researchers who relocated to Bellingham in 2022 to focus on climate change mitigation, public health, and to find more intentional community. They chose Birchwood specifically for its unique urban agricultural history.
In the early 20th century, much of the Birchwood neighborhood was intentionally platted into long, deep lots to allow working-class families to sustain themselves with backyard orchards, gardens, and livestock. This design left a legacy of deep backyards and mature fruit trees that makes the area highly suited for modern permaculture integration.
While managing a 6-year-old and a 1-year-old has kept Julian and Julie’s large-scale property adjustments on a gradual timeline, their 0.3-acre site features several active polyculture experiments. It provides a realistic look at the early, foundational stages of planning a food forest. Julian’s recent focus on producing and utilizing biochar will serve as the demonstration theme for this stop.
David MacLeod
miles58@yahoo.com