Would you like to bring your vision to the BNA? Consider becoming a board member. At our September community meeting we will hold elections for open board seats. Please email birchwoodboardmember@gmail.com if you are interested in helping our neighborhood, can attend Tuesday evening meetings, can work on Google platform, are energized to serve on teams/committees, and able to serve a three-year term. Explain why you’re interested and what skills you bring that would help our organization. To qualify, you must have paid current member dues and be one of the following:
1. Resident: An individual whose primary residence is within the neighborhood, whether owned or rented.
2. Property owner: An individual who owns real property in the neighborhood.
3. Business owner: An individual who owns a licensed business operating within the neighborhood.
4. Business operator: An individual who is the on-site manager of a business operating within the neighborhood.
Current board members (10 of 11 seats filled)
Sarah Gardner (president): I lived in Whatcom County in the nineties and noughties “homesteading” on 20 acres while working in Bellingham. Life brought me to Puget Sound where I raised my 2 children and worked for Washington State as a facilitator teaching workshops and lending support to low income individuals from diverse backgrounds at North Seattle College. In 2020, I moved to Birchwood after my children fledged and have been remodeling a 1915 house in need of much love while raising a boisterous puppy. I enjoy creating art and spending time in wild places out of cell phone range.
Sarah has been a huge part of Save the Waterfront Foundation. She also serves on the Storybrook Park committee, is a Greenways committee member, has her eye on environmental issues, and contributes to the neighborhood newsletter. Her board term is 2022-2025.
Joy Patterson (vice president): I’ve lived in Birchwood since 2006. I’ve been a teacher for decades. I am an avid gardener, love cooking, good food, wild places, trails, parks, and beaches. I want to see our community become as vibrant as possible in terms of affordability, accessibility, walkability, livability, and wellbeing. I’m lucky to live in Bellingham, and am especially fond of our neighborhood.
Joy has written neighborhood grants – for neighborhood and parks/trails signage, the upcoming Birchwood Bash community gathering, and a Birchwood Tree Giveaway. She also serves on the Storybrook Park committee, is a steward of the Rainbow Bridge, and works on the website, newsletter, as well as Facebook and Nextdoor outreach. Her board term is 2022-2025.
Jeannie Gilbert (treasurer): I moved to Bellingham with my family in 1998 and into my current house in 2000. I came to go to WWU in the Marine Science program, went to work there in 2003, and retired recently. I have been the treasurer of the BNA for a few years now and love working on the Birchwood International Market (BIM). I run a webcast radio station and do crafts in my “spare” time. I have been so impressed with the Wood Hood’s ability to help their own and I am hoping now that the pandemic has loosened its grip, that through community meetings, the Market, and other events we can revitalize our sense of in this unique place.
Jeannie has written several grants to help fund neighborhood initiatives and has been our tireless BIM organizer. She is our official record keeper who steps in whenever needed to help our organization run smoothly. She serves on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Her board term is 2022-2025.
Louise Bjornson: I moved to Birchwood with my family in 1969, and love our Victory Garden neighborhood. We raised chickens, goats, and a lot of our food in our backyard, and are glad so many neighbors are raising produce to share. Our children went through Birchwood, Shuksan and Bellingham High School and my husband was a teacher here. I have been on the Birchwood board previously and served on the Bellingham City Council for 22 years, working to keep Bellingham and Birchwood a great place to live, with parks and pedestrian safety a priority. I love to read and hear stories about our community history and was lucky to talk personally with miners who had worked in the coal mine under our neighborhood. (360-733-7756)
Louise serves as our neighborhood representative on the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee. Her board term is 2022-2025.
Anne Marie Karlberg: My husband, two girls, and I moved to Bellingham (Toad Lake) in 1997 and we then moved into Birchwood in 2013. I worked at Northwest Indian College for 9 years and have been working at Whatcom Community College since 2008. I love walking the wonderful trails we have in the Birchwood neighborhood, gardening, and playing ice hockey.
Anne Marie hosts our board meetings, helps with website design, and has been serving as Storybrook Park committee member. Her board term is 2022-2025.
Stephanie Twiford: I was born in Bellingham, went to Lowell, Fairhaven & Sehome & WWU. Lived in Anchorage for 4 years, Hawaii’s Big Island & Aspen Colorado for a season. We purchased my aunt & uncle’s house in Birchwood in 1986 when our son was born, our daughter arrived in 1991. I volunteered at Birchwood, Shuksan & Bellingham, also with kids soccer, baseball and hockey teams. Most days I’m working in my yard or out for a walk with Lou my Golden Retriever. I love our neighborhood and enjoy being a member of the BNA board. I will work to retain the character of our neighborhood & keep our neighborhood safe.
Her board term is 2022-2025.
Katie Horvath: I just moved to Birchwood in 2023 from Detroit, Michigan. My husband is from the Pacific Northwest and I am from Colorado. We wanted to move closer to family and mountains, and we fell in love with Bellingham when we visited. We may be new to the area, but we already love our Birchwood neighborhood - the welcoming neighbors, the DIY and scrappy attitudes, the diversity of people, homes, and businesses, the trees, and the trails and access to the bay. We are excited to make this our home for many years to come. We were deeply involved in our previous neighborhood, starting a community council and a community garden and doing a whole lot of outreach and door knocking. In 2019, when the city attempted to rezone the area at the end of our street to industrial and put a factory there without any input from residents, we organized neighbors to successfully defeat this threat. I am thrilled to help out on the board of BNA and hope to work on similar outreach and engagement efforts here, because I believe that everyone in our neighborhood deserves to participate in making decisions together democratically about the place we all live.
Her board term is 2024-2027.
Grant McMeekin: Having lived in Bellingham since 2014 and a Birchwood resident since 2023, I have chosen Bellingham as my home. I love seeing the community grow and am passionate about leaving things better than I found them, I am currently the Park Steward of Storybrook park, and a volunteer with many local organizations including: Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Bellingham Parks Department, Bellingham Trash Club, Whatcom Million Trees Project, Washington Trails Association and the Birchwood Food Desert Fighters. In 2024 with the help of other board members I was the graphic designer for the Birchwood neighborhood sign. In my spare time I like to ride my bike in the neighborhood and spend time in my garden.
Grant is our resident designer, has designed our new logo, and helps BNA with all things tech. He is also an impassioned volunteer for various causes. His board term is 2024-2027.
Eric Scott: I have lived in Bellingham for 23 years and in the Birchwood neighborhood at our home on McLeod Rd for 13 years. I have worked various engineering jobs, full time and contract for about 15 years. My purpose for serving on the BNA board is to learn about issues that threaten Birchwood and work to protect the neighborhood.
His board term is 2023-2026.
MaryLou White: I’ve been a resident of the Birchwood neighborhood for over 30 years. My interest in being on the board is to represent the members of this community that want to maintain the character of the neighborhood as described in a neighborhood plan – specifically, single family homes, large lots, rural feel and wildlife.
MaryLou serves as our alternate representative on the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee. Her board term is 2022-2025