July 31, 2026 was a gorgeous summer day in Happy Valley for a walkabout with Terri Wilde, visiting 3 Earth Repair projects in the area. We started and ended at the Outback at Western Washington University, first walking through the Food Forest.

Terri Wilde is a decades long native plant enthusiast, herbal medicine maker, forager and rooted as a permaculturalist. Terri now stewards land east of Concrete, WA and maintains her long time roots in Bellingham.

We then walked to WWU’s biofiltration ponds on the south side of campus. These ponds filter the turbidity as well as significantly reducing the quantities of phosphorus and other toxins in the water. Water infiltrates in these ponds to maintain natural hydrology of the basin. The ponds were so full of life! An Indigenous food, Wapato, Sagittaria latifolia, sometimes called Indian potato, produces edible tubers, filled the pond.

We moved through an area of large Sequoia trees, planted many years ago, and into the permaculture garden of the Oasis Collective house. The area is full of well established perennial food plants, as well as chickens and annual vegetable gardens. Terri surprised us with homemade spanakopita made with foraged nettles and other greens. It was so tasty!