Archive for the ‘Northwest Traverse’ Category

As an integral part of our philosophy, we have offered incentives (aka “The BAIT”) to encourage individuals to raise money for local/regional non-profits through the Bellingham Traverse and  Olympia Traverse. With the support of local businesses (aka “Spawnsors”), individuals have raised tens of thousands of dollars for local and regional non-profits. We have supported many organizations over the years.

We thank these companies for their support, providing us with gear and goodies:
REI, Kulshan Cycles, Boundary Bay Brewery, La Fiamma, Eddyline Kayak, Necky Kayak, Delta Kayak, Fairhaven Bike and Mountain Sports, Flying Fish wine, The Alpine Experience, Bike Tech and Joyride Bikes.

As we move to incorporate ourselves into our own non-profit organization, Northwest Traverse, we are evaluating our practices to increase our efficiencies and effectiveness. We have been paying attention to how our participants have been behaving over the past with regards to fundraising (a disappointing decrease over the years) and how they also respond to the prizes that have been given out. While a noble effort to encourage the fundraising for others, it was not a message that resounded loud enough. Instead of trying to continue to sell a product that people don’t want/believe in, we are going to shift how we do things. The proposal outlines what we are going to do moving forward into 2012.

The proposal.
Local and regional organizations will be invited to submit an application to be THE ONE select non-profit for the year as the beneficiary of the Traverse. A committee will choose from the pool of applicants- to be implemented in 2013. As the THE ONE beneficiary, the chosen organization will receive a percentage of the surplus revenue for the event. They will also receive a complimentary registration to the event so they can (still) raise money on their own behalf as a fundraising opportunity for their organization.

The Traverse will no longer be providing the fundraising incentives for the individuals. Instead, the prizes will go to the “winners’ of the Traverse. The winners will be the FIRST PLACE finishers in all divisions (which is a lot of prizes). The Second and Third Place finishers will receive ribbons.

THE ONE organization will have to wait 3 years to be eligible again. More details to come.

If you have questions or comments about this shift, please contact Todd Elsworth, Director.

Over the years, we have had the opportunity to raise money and awareness for a great group of local and regional non-profits. One of our objectives was to “Connect Active People” in the community, bringing together individuals, organizations and businesses. People in both Bellingham and Olympia are regionally known for their commitments to sustainability. We are fortunate to live in communities that care as evidenced by the list of “friends” that we have made through our efforts.

Thank you to all the people who have participated in the past- your work has added to the social fabric that make our region the best place in the world to live, work and play. We are proud of our story and happy to share it with our friends and families. Scroll through and think how these organizations have touched your life. If there’s an unfamiliar one, click and learn.

Bellingham Traverse

Action for Africa

Appliance Depot 

Center for Tribal Water Advocacy 

Chuckanut Conservancy

Community to Community Development 

Conservation Northwest

Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services of Whatcom County 

Ducks Unlimited 

Evergreen AIDS Foundation

Farm Friends 

Habitat for Humanity

The Hub Community Bike Co-Op 

Kulshan Community Land Trust 

Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association 

Opportunity Council 

People for Lake Whatcom

Project Sea Wolf

RE Sources 

Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition 

Sierra Club Mt. Baker Group 

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group 

Surfrider Foundation 

Sustainable Connections

Washington Health Foundation 

Washington Trails Association 

Washington Water Trails Association

Whatcom Conservation District 

Whatcom Film Association – Pickford Cinema

Whatcom Parks and Recreation Foundation

WHIMPS Mountain Bike Coalition 

Whatcom Land Trust 

Whatcom Literacy Council

Womencare Shelter

Olympia Traverse

Friends of Capitol Forest

South Puget Sound Salmon Enhancement Group

Olympia Area Rowing

SUP Cleanup – Olympia Chapter

People for Puget Sound

Conservation Northwest

One fun aspect of the course for the Bellingham Traverse is the variation of the locations we get to visit in one day. I think of this little pocket beach as a reminder of the past and a glimpse to the future. This little beach will be a very different place in 10 years. We are happy to be a part of its history. Thank you to David Scherrer for the recommendation to switch the paddle to finish here (much better). Nice views of Lummi Island and Mt. Constitution off in the distance. Thank you Port of Bellingham for your support.

take out, eh!

The locals refer to this as Glass Beach but usually with a slur in their speech.

More info on Cornwall Beach.

Defining Sustainability
Fourth Corner Productions provides sustainable community-based events and campaigns in to educate people about the environmental, economic, social and cultural impact that our natural environment has on our community.

Our mission follows a triple bottom line business model to enable Northwest Traverse events to be sustainable.

The main tenets of the model are people, planet and profit.

People:
Connecting Active People – Bring people together for a recreational sporting event while educating people about the environmental, economic, social and cultural impact we have on our community.

Planet:
Foster Environmental Stewardship- utilize and promote low-impact methods for events through our promotions, management, logistics, and participation.

Profit:
Long term economic vitality – build a solid financial foundation to leverage the event as a means to raise money and awareness for local and regional non-profit organizations.

Course – Leave No Trace
In order to aim for a Leave No Trace goal, we mark the course with signs that will be reused year after year. These signs are removed from the course as soon as possible. In some instances, we do use chalk to mark the paths through the woods- but this is biodegradable material that washes away with the first rains.

Towards Zero Waste
In 2008, Fourth Corner Productions, signed up for the Sustainable Connections new program, Towards Zero Waste, to help us with our event waste management. Working with Sanitary Service Company we were able to segment our recyclables and trash into the appropriate bins, thereby reducing our effect on the planet.

If you like stories, here’s the abridged version of how the Traverse came to be…

The Story- My name is Todd Elsworth and The Bellingham Traverse is my creation. Born in Bellingham, raised in Kirkland, I graduated from Western Washington University in 1992. After graduation, I moved to Ketchum, Idaho where I met Mike “Baldy” Wilson who introduced me to the writings of David James Duncan. Reading The River Why is a strong reminder how much salmon matter to the people of the Northwest and the commitment that we as humans must have to protecting their habitat.

On my own life journey, I told my buddy Baldy that I was headed to the Northeast to pursue my dreams of studying and teaching American History. Baldy’s response was “You are a salmon boy- born in the Northwest, you will return”. With this in mind, I traveled by sailboat from Seattle through the Panama Canal to Antigua in the Caribbean. Then up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire where he lived for six years and became an active member of the community.

While in Portsmouth, I became involved with a bicycle advocacy group-Seacoast Area Bicycle Routes by creating an event to raise money for a bicycle/pedestrian bridge. The event was a success and consequently ran for four years. After a short teaching career, I joined his close friends at a design house, Harbour Light Productions, where they were able to take philanthropy to the next level helping non-profits throughout the region with design, web production and other related consulting services. Next, I became involved with many groups and gained a strong understanding of the unique needs and roles that non-profits play in any community. It was then time to continue the journey, but before leaving New Hampshire, I competed as a soloist in The Son of Inferno Pentathlon- it took me 6+ hours to finish.

Returning to Bellngham in 2001, I wanted to create an event that was essentially an extension of myself. It went back to the readings of Duncan- who had then released a book titled “My Story as Told by Water”. Elsworth had viewed his own life’s journey in an parallel to that of salmon. Here was an opportunity to create an event that helped to tell the story of salmon.

The ideas spawned from there. The goal was create an event that would help raise the visibility of the importance of salmon in the ecological landscape while taking part in recreational activities that people enjoy in the region. It had to be a big circle, so I literally connected the dots of the local parks utilizing the extensive network of greenways and roads to make for a scenic yet challenging course.

It was also important to have it be a community event. Many athletic events raise money for good causes that are health related, but not many raised money for the environmental community. I started with a list of groups that stood out as leaders including Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, RE Sources, North Cascades Institute, Conservation Northwest (previously NWEA) and many others. The objective was to give these groups an opportunity to be seen by the public in a forum called the Eco-Expo that hosted booths of the groups near the finish line.

The Bellingham Traverse was begun in 2001 and has morphed over the years. Now you know the rest of the story. (there’s more to it than that, but you have to sit down and drink a beer with me if you want to hear it)

NorthwestTraverse.com is a blog platform that will keep people of the Puget Sound updated on what is happening around the two main events that it supports- The Olympia Traverse and the Bellingham Traverse.  Both these events are multi-sport races that celebrate the lifecycle of wild salmon and the social, cultural and economic impact that the fish have had on our lives in the Northwest helping to raise money for local and regional non-profits. The Bellingham Traverse was founded in 2002 and its southern sister, The Olympia Traverse, was founded this year, 2010. Visit each site to learn more about each event and how YOU can get involved.