Event Logistics & Parking

* When: Saturday, May 30th, from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM.
Please arrive at 2:30 PM to get situated; the tour will start promptly at 3:00 PM.
* Where: Starts and terminates at 3116 Pinewood Avenue.
* Parking: Because street parking is not permitted in the immediate neighborhood, please park your vehicles at the nearby Birchwood Elementary School parking lot and walk or bike over to the starting point.
* The Route: Participants will travel by bicycle between properties within the neighborhood.
* The Stops: Each location will host a mini-meetup or short tour focusing on distinct themes, possibly including hemp building, hügelkultur, swales, and biochar.
* The Potluck: Our starting location serves as the central hub. You can drop off potluck dishes here before the ride begins. We will return to this site at the end of the tour to eat and socialize. If you’d like to participate just in the potluck, expect it to start circa 5:00pm.

Note: A follow-up email will be sent prior to the event detailing the finalized bike route, specific stop locations, exact times, and the full schedule of discussion topics.

Meet Your Hosts & The Neighborhood History

The tour originates and concludes at the home of Julian Kapoor, Julie Miller, and their family.
Julian and Julie are California natives and former evolutionary ecology researchers who relocated to Bellingham in 2022 to focus on climate change mitigation, public health, and to find more intentional community. They chose Birchwood specifically for its unique urban agricultural history.

In the early 20th century, much of the Birchwood neighborhood was intentionally platted into long, deep lots to allow working-class families to sustain themselves with backyard orchards, gardens, and livestock. This design left a legacy of deep backyards and mature fruit trees that makes the area highly suited for modern permaculture integration.

While managing a 6-year-old and a 1-year-old has kept Julian and Julie’s large-scale property adjustments on a gradual timeline, their 0.3-acre site features several active polyculture experiments. It provides a realistic look at the early, foundational stages of planning a food forest. Julian’s recent focus on producing and utilizing biochar will serve as the demonstration theme for this stop.