Common Waters: Delta
A Gathering on Lummi Nation Lands
Saturday, May 2, 2026 | Noon – 9 PM | Children welcome!
There is a river at the center of this community. It has been here longer than any of us, feeding salmon, filling fields, sustaining families—Lummi, Nooksack, and settler alike. Right now, that river and the people who depend on her are at a crossroads.
We are not here to debate it. We are here to experience it together.
Common Waters: Delta is a day-long gathering on Lummi Nation lands. A chance to move through storied places, hear from the people who carry this river's history in their bodies, and imagine together what the future might hold.
Come as yourself. Not as a representative of your organization, your industry, or your position. Just as a person who lives in this place and cares about its future.
The Day
12:00 – 4:00 PM — Sharing Stories from the Sea Ponds, to Northwest Indian College, to Marietta
We'll meet at the Lummi Nation Stommish grounds by 11:30, get on a bus, and experience four stories of the Lummi Nation lands together. The day will be grounded in place, story, and listening. Lummi knowledge-holders will share their people's history and vision for the future. Others from across the watershed will share theirs. We'll have time alone with the land and water, and time together to begin imagining what a shared future might look like.
4:00 PM – 9:00 PM — Evening on Hale Passage
We'll return to the Stommish grounds, and programming will continue through dinner.
The locally-sourced menu will include salmon caught and prepared according to Lummi traditions. Outings will be available on a carved canoe recently restored by brothers Free and Raven Borsey. Bonfires, stories, and time together on the water as the sun goes down.
Families are welcome. A parallel experience will be available for both children (5-12) and youth (12+) throughout.
What to Bring
Layers for variable weather
Boots you don't mind getting muddy
An open mind and a patient heart
Attendance
This event is by invitation only, and capacity is intentionally kept small. If you've received this invitation, your place is held and we encourage you to bring your partners, parents, and children. Please RSVP with your group size by April 25th.
If you plan to attend the entire event, please be sure to select tickets for both the "Morning Journey" and "Evening Gathering" above.
If you'd like to attend and haven't received a direct invitation, you're welcome to register. We'll review all requests and do our best to accommodate.
Water Wars (how to avoid) is a community storytelling and gathering initiative rooted in the Nooksack watershed. We hold neutral, third-party space — unaffiliated with water rights adjudication, legal processes, or any community's official positions. Participants are invited to attend as individuals, not as representatives of any organization or institution.
"We are not enemies." — Jay Julius, Lummi Nation, to Brad Rader, Whatcom Family Farmers
Every story costs something to tell well.
Your contribution helps cover events, production, and the time it takes to build community across old dividing lines. All donations are tax-deductible through Whatcom Community Foundation.