​​​​​​Purpose

The Sehome Hill Arboretum Board of Governors was created under the Inter-Local Cooperation Agreement between the City of Bellingham (City) and Western Washington University (WWU). The purpose of the Board is to develop and coordinate the Sehome Hill Arboretum program. The Board works with the City and WWU in planning the use of such capital, operating and maintenance funds as shall be authorized by the City of Bellingham or WWU, and such endowment funds to the Arboretum as may be received by either agency. The Board coordinates with WWU and City Parks and Recreation maintenance and operations programs, all volunteer projects associated with the Arboretum. The Board establishes and submits priorities for maintenance and development of the Arboretum in accordance with the Long Range Master Plan adopted by the City and Western Washington University. Finally, the Board may make recommendations to the City Council and Board of Trustees of WWU concerning the continuation, modification, or termination of the Inter-Local Cooperation Agreement

Time Requirements

Meetings are typically held on the third Thursday of every month (excluding June, July and August) at 4:00 p.m. at the WWU Physical Plant, 915 26th Street, Bellingham. Meetings normally last one and one-half hours and members may need to spend an additional few hours of their time outside meetings for site visitations. See Meetings and Events for currently scheduled meetings.

Membership

The Board of Governors shall be composed of eight (8) members, and shall include the following individuals:

• City of Bellingham Director of Parks and Recreation or his/her designated representative
• Two non-City of Bellingham staff members selected by the Mayor
• WWU Director of Facilities Management or his/her designated representative
• Two non-WWU staff members selected by the President of WWU
• One member at-large selected by the Board of Governors
• One student member appointed by the WWU Associated Students Organization