By Janine Gates It’s been a full year since Saving the Nisqually Delta was published! I have met so many dedicated, fascinating, and humble people on this journey! This week was no different as I took a City of DuPont sponsored moonwalk of the Sequalitchew Creek trail on Thursday evening. As the small group was…
Category: Waterfront
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,…
Do not disturb the redds
It is Fall. It is raining. In Washington, that means there are salmon coming up the creeks and rivers to spawn. The spawning female salmon make nests in which to lay eggs. They move their bodies and tails back and forth in the gravel to create a cone shaped hollow. They may create several in…
Why does the County lower American Lake?
By Don Russell “Is there a reason the County lowers the [American] lake level? Do they do this each year?” The answers to these questions are as follows; There is no rational basis or reason for the County to lower American Lake water level. Yes, they do this each year. Let me explain. In my lifetime I have…
June 18 Seminar on toxic algae
Join your neighbors to learn what causes toxic algae! • Get the toxic algae basics.• Learn what you can do to prevent algae.• How can natural yard care help? Join the Tacoma Pierce County Health Department from 6-8 p.m. on June 18 in the Alder Room at Sprinker Recreation Center! You can also join online…
March 28 court hearing
Dear Parkland, Midland & Spanaway Concerned Citizens, The momentous and long-awaited event is finally happening! Our experienced attorney will present a clear and compelling case, ensuring that the law is not misinterpreted in Thurston County Superior Court this Friday! Now more than ever, we must stand together and show our collective strength! Mark your calendars….
The latest on the Spanaway Marsh
By Claudia Finseth It’s March 25, 2025. Those of us fighting against the destruction of the Spanaway Marsh have been at it for over two years now and spent $140,000 dollars. So let’s take stock. In December of 2024 the Tacoma Rescue Mission brought in massive equipment, and on the high point in the midst…
Discussing our watershed March 12 and March 19
March 12, 6 p.m. at the Parkland Spanaway Library is the general meeting of the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance. This group advocates for the improvement of conditions in the watershed around Clover Creek and does creek cleanup projects in the area. If you are interested in our local watershed, please stop by or inquire about…
Hearings Examiner appeal denied
By Spanaway Concerned Citizens Spanaway Concerned Citizen’s team did an outstanding job presenting to the Hearing Examiner numerous reasons for appealing Tacoma Rescue Mission’s permits. Unfortunately, our appeal was denied. The good news is that the Tacoma Rescue Mission and the county were called out for their numerous violations. They know we are watching, reporting and will keep fighting to…
Why is the cost of environmental justice so high?
by Kirk Kirkland and Claudia Finseth Two neighborhood groups in unincorporated Pierce County have recently paid very high prices to attempt to protect their communities because the county is not doing it. Both were to try to stop two different kinds of large projects from dramatically changing their valued open space. Both proposed projects were…
Is the “Good Neighbor Village” being a good neighbor?
By Spanaway Concerned Citizens As concerned citizens, we rely on our elected officials to make decisions regarding topics that significantly impact the well-being of our communities — addressing critical issues such as providing housing for our chemically dependent, chronically homeless individuals is undoubtedly important. However, does this effort justify compromising regional environmental integrity and public…
Our Watershed, “WRIA 12” January 15
It is called a Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) by the Department of Ecology. The Chambers Clover Watershed includes Parkland, Spanaway, Midland, Collins, Frederickson, part of South Hill and NW Graham as well as Lakewood, McChord Field, Fircrest, Steilacoom, Dupont, and University Place, Below is a map of the WRIA’s in Washington State. Look for 12….
Pierce County’s Non-Significance
One of the hallmarks of the past eight years under County Executive Bruce Dammeier was the prolific use of the DNS, Determination of Non-Significance. It is a term used in land development after an environmental review form is filled out and a plan for development is submitted. In the past eight years, I cannot recall…
Spanaway Lake, now it’s the beavers
Over the past several years Spanaway Lake has been having issues. For us swimming as children, it was the “duck itch” caused by a parasite getting under our skin if we didn’t dry off well with a towel after swimming. Over time, the swimming beaches became less popular, the diving docks were removed, and the…
Aerial photos of the watershed in jeopardy
Spanaway Concerned Citizens got drone footage from the area where the Good Neighbor Village is being constructed under “Executive Privilege” in Pierce County. We all hope that there can be solutions for our unhoused citizens, but a wetland that is the watershed for Spanaway Lake is not popular with the community. To make it easier…
Puyallup Watershed Symposium, Dec 5
The Puyallup River Watershed Council is presenting the Puyallup Watershed Symposium on December 5, 2024, from 1:00 – 6:00 pm at the Pioneer Park Pavilion (330 S Meridian, Puyallup, WA 98317). The presenters’ abstracts can be accessed using the QR code on the poster or using this link. To register, you can do so by…
Sequalitchew Creek Moonwalk 2024
On July 20, 2024, from 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM, the public is invited to walk the Sequalitchew Creek Trail in the moonlight. The date in July is chosen each year to coincide with the full moon. The Sequalitchew Creek Trail is a gentle slope. It used to have railroad tracks for the Dupont Company…
Lakewood, what have you wrought?
Don Anderson (Mayor/City Council), followed by Steve O’Ban (State Senator), both attorneys and officials from Lakewood, worked on County Executive Bruce Dammeier’s proposal to put a community of tiny homes in the watershed above Spanaway Lake. The city recently voted to contribute $1,000,000 to the effort. On the other side of the military base, lake…
Clover Creek setbacks issue in Lakewood project, hearing Feb. 21, 11am, Lakewood City Hall
Sean ArentOrganizing Committee for Clover Creek Restoration Action Alliance Dear Residents of the Clover-Chambers Creek Watershed and Allies, We are the Clover Creek Restoration Action Alliance, watershed residents and allies who are fed up with the destruction of our natural resources and are organizing to fight back. Here are three things we could use your…