By Marianne Lincoln The summer of 2021 was one of the driest and hottest on record in Western Washington. This Winter, we were introduced to the term, atmospheric river, a huge swath of wet clouds ready to wring themselves out on a path thousands of miles long from the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Added…
Category: Ecology
Watershed Manager asks state to mandate water law
Letter from Cindy Beckett, EPA Certified Watershed Manager, to the Washington State Legislature Pierce County, Washington has very literally and permanently destroyed 60% of its water resources to date, the rest is on the chopping block now. That includes the recharge area to the people’s Sole Source Aquifer, our only Salmon bearing creek system that…
Does anyone in charge really understand ground water?
[Editor Note: These are recent letters between our Tacoma Pierce County Health Department Director and a local Watershed manager. GMA = Growth Management Act, SSA= Sole Source Aquifer, UGA=Urban Growth Boundary] Hello Dr Chen Thank you for your response. Unfortunately, some of the information that has been supplied to you is incorrect as I will…
Clover Creek is DEAD
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Native Plant Sale open for pre-orders
What is the Annual Native Plant Sale? A nonprofit sale run by the Pierce Conservation District – with a mission to get environmentally friendly native plants to our residents as easily and cheaply as possible! Our plants are bare root or plug stock, which means they do not come in pots or burlap bags (your…
Toxic Algae Advisory for Spanaway Lake
On 7/21/2021, the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department issued a toxic algae advisory for Spanaway Lake. This is the link to the toxic algae advisories. What is a toxic algae bloom? Algae bloom occur in fresh water with the right amount of sunlight, temperature and nutrients. These conditions cause rapid growth of algae, which can…
Tacoma Garden Club Community Grants Program
Our Community Grants Program is now live and accepting applications. The Tacoma Garden Club’s Community Projects Committee is looking forward to another year of helping community organizations with funding for projects that align with the mission of the program. Please consider this opportunity, or share with others that may be interested! Especially in these challenging times…
Spanaway Lakefront owners petition County for special assessment district
By Marianne Lincoln, 5-3-2021 The Friends of Spanaway Lake (FOSL) , a 501(c)(3) non-profit association of lakefront property owners, has drawn up a petition to the County Council to create a special Lake Management District (LMD). This Special taxing area would charge each lake lot owner between $4 to $8 per lakefront foot to help…
Pierce County fails at ecology according to community members
By Marianne LincolnI f you have lived in the suburbs of Pierce County more than 30 years, you have seen a great deal of change. What were once gravel roads with large ditches, became oil and gravel composites. Those composites are now arterials carrying significant traffic numbers within the urban growth boundaries. Waterways that used…
Herbicide spraying begins March 22
Annual county roadside herbicide applications start March 22 Pierce County roadsides will get an annual makeover this spring and summer. An initial application of herbicides to combat weeds along road shoulders will start March 22 and continue through June. Targeted noxious weed and brush control applications will occur through the end of November as needed….
Creek, creek go away!
As we look harder at the damage that has been done to water flowing over Pierce county, going back to old plat maps, you see some mysteries about where empty channels run. The thing to notice is the path that Clover Creek takes through Parkland and into and out of Steilacoom Lake. Enjoy exploring. You…
Inconvenient water
Editorial: Marianne Lincoln Is water an inconvenience? Apparently, if you are an official developing Pierce County, it is. First, I must say, this is nothing new. Developments in Pierce County have been moving water out of the way for a very long time. Here is a litany of examples: 1853 a dam was constructed at…
Pierce Prairie Post 