BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com)—Since 2013, Recreation Northwest has taught the Whatcom County community about the benefits of nature, provided outdoor activities and set an example of how to be stewards of local parks.
Today, the nonprofit is led by three individuals who work as a leading force in outdoor education and connecting individuals with nature.
Founder and CEO Todd Elsworth started Recreation Northwest with the established knowledge of the region’s landscape through his time with the Bellingham Traverse. Elsworth soon began working on what this nonprofit would look like and what it would do.
“When we looked at the three tenants that we wanted to consider as a nonprofit, it was stewardship, education and fun,” Elsworth said.
In 2014, Recreation Northwest became stewards of Fairhaven Park to offset the impact of the Bellingham Traverse and began working on the Trail and Wetland Boardwalk Project. By 2018, work parties consisting of community members and stakeholders began removing invasive plants and fostering new growth of young native plants in the area.
The Trail and Wetland Boardwalk Project was completed in 2022.
In 2024, Recreation Northwest celebrated their multi-year project in Fairhaven Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly-completed Hundred Acre Wood Outdoor Classroom. With a native plant garden, recognition rock bench, adventure rock trail and an amphitheater, the Outdoor Classroom was created to establish a dedicated space for community members to engage with nature.
“The thing that we’re most fortunate about here in Bellingham is our incredible park system and the connectivity of trails that we have through greenways,” Elsworth said. “And so it’s it’s my respite, it’s my church, it’s nature’s classroom.”
Upon completion of the Outdoor Classroom, the nonprofit shifted their gears to focus more heavily on the Parkscription Program they offer.
Staci Segalla and Elizabeth Nelson take the lead on the day-to-day operations of the program, where the nonprofit works directly with middle schools and high schools in the area as a chance to get out of their normal classroom.
“When we get to these parks, it’s an opportunity for these kids to be present with nature,” Segalla said.
Currently, Recreation Northwest works with the Bellingham School District.
From journal entries to sensory activities to learning about the Blue Mind Theory, the Parkscription Program aims to help students in Whatcom County center themselves and leave feeling better than they might have before they arrived at the park.
“We see [Options High School] every Wednesday for a whole class period,” Segalla said. “They have a transportation option, so there’s a lot of different varieties of parks that they can go to, but you notice the teacher saying, ‘I haven’t seen that kid smile yet this week’ or ‘This kid only shows up to class on Wednesdays because they like to come to this class.'”
Segalla and Nelson take a holistic health approach when conducting the Parkscription classes with students. The two emphasize the lasting impacts of being outside and what that does for someone’s mental health.
“By having schools close to parks and being able to walk to those parks, they’re creating a third space where they can be comfortable going outside of school, outside of home,” Nelson said. “It’s a space where teens can feel safe and have familiar activities to do once they are there.”
In the future, Recreation Northwest is looking to expand their Parkscription Program into the Ferndale School District and throughout Whatcom County schools.
For more information on Recreation Northwest and their Parkscription Program, head to their website at recreationnorthwest.org.
We Are Whatcom is a weekly column featuring Whatcom County residents making a positive impact on the community. To submit a Whatcom County resident to be featured, click here.
