Event Details: PIERCE COUNTY, WA — Space is limited at our collaborative tables requiring response by November 9 to show interest, ask questions or reserve a seat. Please use this URL or QR code below. Not working? Email CCWCnotices@gmail.com directly. Whether you live along an inland creek, wetland, or neighborhood lake, or near the marine…
Category: Ecology
Washington and its watersheds
By Marianne Lincoln This was from a Google search, but it tells where the watershed planning is coming from and why. You can certainly do more research yourself. The next article I am working on is a press release asking people in government units, in Tribes, people living on freshwater shorelines in the watershed, and…
Native Plant Pre-sale starts Nov 1
The Pierce Native Plant Sale pre-sale officially opens SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026! Mark your calendars and get ready to shop for your favorite native plants! Starting Sunday, November 1, head to piercenativeplantsale.com to browse the selection and place your order. Some plants sell quickly, so don’t delay in placing your order. Please note that pre-orders…
Large scale projects in Spanaway and Frederickson are culprits in the vanishing creek flow
Editorial By Marianne Lincoln Surface water can be annoying. The rain douses roads and properties. It seems like no one’s friend, but actually, all that water has always had a purpose; it goes back into the aquifer and creates the streams that flow and brings life to the ecosystem. Water has always had it place…
Oct 24 Free Trees at Parkland Spanaway Library
Pierce County Tree Share — Tacoma Tree Foundation Pierce County Tree Share is taking place at the Parkland Spanaway Library on October 24 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, October 24, 202610:00 AM 1:00 PMParkland/Spanaway Library13718 Pacific Avenue South Tacoma, Washington, 98444United States Residents of Parkland, Spanaway, Midland, and South Hill can receive free trees and…
Watershed Festival for Clover Chambers on October 10
The 2nd Annual Clover Chambers Watershed Festival is about to kick off at noon on October 10 at the Flett Creek Natural Resources Laboratory, across from CPTC at the light for Hageness Dr. There will be tours of the Flett Outdoor Lab, and Exhibitor Fair, Watershed issues talk, a Scotch Broom pulling contest, and snacks….
Fundraiser for Sequalitchew Creek moved to Oct 8
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…
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…