Proposed Whatcom gravel mine raises environmental, safety concerns

Just off a dirt road on a late March afternoon, the sun was streaming through the trees and birds were singing at Mark Porter’s Whatcom County house — the place his children, now in their 30s, have always called home. Porter has lived in his house, in the far reaches of the county near Peaceful Valley, for more than 30 years. He spends his days in his workshop and his garden, saying hi to the neighbors and their kids and dogs.  Now, he’s afraid he might lose it to a proposed 70-