Friends, Our September 17th fundraiser has been postponed. After a series of discussions, the Hive Market determined that they do not share our values of environmental protection, leading us with a need for a new venue and more time to plan. We have postponed our fundraiser to October 8th, with a new venue at the…
Category: Ecology
Sept 9 Cemetery Cleanup
On Wednesday, September 9, the LDS Church Wards will be out at the old Spanaway Cemetery doing a Fall cleanup. The event will take place from 4pm to 6pm that day at 176th & A Street in Spanaway. Participants should try to bring their own equipment, including gloves, drinking water, and clippers, cutters, wheelbarrows, weed…
Roadless Rule Conservation Measure at risk, House and Senate members call on administration not to repeal it
[Editor: The Roadless Rule safeguards nearly 60 million acres of national forest land across the U.S., including about 2 million acres in Washington State, map below] Popular Roadless Rule conservation measure protects 44 million acres of pristine U.S. Forest Service lands from destructive and expensive roadbuilding, logging, and supports outdoor recreation economy WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S….
CPTC Flett Property Habitat Stewardship – Saturday, August 22nd
There is a habitat stewardship event on CPTC’s Flett Property this Saturday, August 22nd from 9:00 AM to noon! I have attached the flyer with pertinent details and all of the 2026 dates for our remaining habitat stewardship events. For this event, we will be spreading mulch in the Flett Wetland restoration area to slow regrowth of blackberries. We can also…
Toxic Algae Advisory for Spanaway Lake
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….
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,…
March 16 roadside spraying and maintenance begins
There is an “Owner Will Maintain” program in Pierce County for those who do not want the County contractors to come by and cut or spray the roadside where they live. If you do not have these two signs placed at the edges of your property, spraying could happen anytime between March 16 and May….
Jan 25 CCRA Bresemann Forest Walk
On January 25, the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance (CCRA) will host According to Pierce County, “This naturally wooded site is approximately 70 acres with a system of pedestrian nature trails within the Parkland/Spanaway area. The beautiful and secluded walking trail may have users thinking they are miles from the city as they stroll along Spanaway…
High Tides this week
The National Weather Service has issued a Coastal Flooding Advisory for the Puget Sound coastal areas of Pierce County from 01-03-2026 04:00 AM to 08:00 AM. Minor to moderate coastal flooding is expected with inundation of up to 2.0 – 2.5 feet along shorelines and low-lying coastal areas. These conditions are expected during high tides…
Nov 18 Public Comment Deadline
COMMENT OPPORTUNITIES Pierce County Surface Water Improvement Program (SWIP) Pierce County provides services in fulfillment of various regulatory drivers, including: Clean Water Act and NPDES Permit Compliance; Endangered Species Act (ESA) Compliance, Culvert Replacement Program, The Hirst Decision and Watershed Planning, Floodplain Management and NFIP Compliance. Pierce County geographic area covers the Puyallup and Nisqually…