TPCHD — The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department has now issued a toxic algae caution advisory for Spanaway Lake as of August 13, 2026. You should avoid areas of the lake where you see algae because they can pose health concerns. You’ll see signs posted at the lake to let you know about the advisory….
Category: Ecology
July 29: Sequalitchew Creek Walk & Talk, July 30 Bresemann Forest Cleanup
From 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, July 29, meet at the Sequalitchew Creek Trail Head in Dupont near City Hall on Center Drive. We will begin by holding a small land and water ceremony to give gratitude and healing to Sequalitchew. Then we will take a walk along the creek to the sound, enjoying…
Pretty blooms, fatal attraction
By Marianne Lincoln It is mid-July and Wild Carrot is in bloom everywhere. Also known as Queen Anne’s Lace, the wild carrot flower is safe and pretty. But is has a deadly look alike, Poison Hemlock, and you need to know how to tell them apart. This video is pretty good, although it is amazing…
Breseman Forest Work Party July 30
We will be removing invasive plants from Bresemann Forest, bring gloves and water. July 30, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Meet in the parking lot near Spire Rock just before 5 p.m.
June 6 Habitat Stewardship at Flett Creek
The habitat stewardship event on CPTC’s Flett Property is this Saturday, June 6th from 9:00 AM to noon! The flyer below has pertinent details and all of the 2026 dates for the remaining habitat stewardship events in 2026. For this habitat stewardship event, the focus will be on cutting scotch broom using reciprocating saws and loppers. Training on the proper and…
Is zoning turning urban creeks into dry ditches?
Community plans in unincorporated areas and city urban planning are all being pressed by the state Growth Management Act to add more and more housing. Prices of housing are high because of housing shortages. But lost in all this demand for housing is how we plan for out green space and floodplains. Beginning in June,…
Dead trees foretell of larger issue
Bad news my friends, The largest tree in the Clover Creek Watershed has died. The sequoia with a 25-foot circumference thrived along a man-made channel for about 125 years. The lack of water killed this tree and many other old cottonwoods along this channel. Settlers in the early 1900s diverted water from the main channel…
April 19 Earth Day cleanup on 134th & A Street
Clover Creek Restoration Alliance (CCRA) is taking steps to adopt these 3 parcels of floodplain as a restoration project. We began in April 2025, removing trash from and around Clover Creek east of Pacific Avenue. On April 19, 2026, we will start at 134th Street and spread out around this County owner property and pick…
Experts to speak about Spanaway Lake April 18
The Spanaway Lake Boathouse will be the site of a community discussion about Spanaway Lake. The event is sponsored by the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance and Spanaway Lake Adventures, the operators of the Boathouse Concession. On April 18, at 11:00 a.m., the presentations will begin from Dr. James Tepper, Don Russell, Kurt Reidinger, Sean Arent,…
Immediately get that vehicle out of the creek!
If you Google, “Leaving a car in a creek.” Here is what comes up… “EPA Violations: Leaving a vehicle in water is considered illegal disposal of hazardous waste and a discharge of pollutants. Regulations on Vehicles: Federal regulations (36 CFR § 327.2) strictly prohibit parking or operating vehicles in a way that damages or endangers…
Clover Creek Community Park? Maybe so!
By Marianne Lincoln Over the past several months, I have been working on grant writing, proposals, and resource outreach for our watershed. Clover Creek is the most prominent feature in our portion of this watershed along with Spanaway and Tule Lakes. The grants led me to zero in on properties Pierce County had purchased due…
Watershed Youth Essay Contest
CCRA – the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance, is a ‘boots on the ground’ group working to restore, advocate, inform, and engage people about the water that supplies their community. Formerly the Clover Creek Council, CCRA has been working on projects through grants and donations, to plant trees and native vegetation, remove invasive species like ivy,…