Settlement Agreement Reached in the Appeal of Burley Lagoon Geoduck Permit
By Kirk Kirkland In the beginning there were four environmental groups working together to stop Taylor Shellfish from getting a permit for the largest Industrial aquaculture proposal in Pierce County. At their first hearing before the County’s Hearing Examiner, these groups presented a long list of issues to stop the permit for a 30 acre […]
Who is the Clover Creek Alliance?
by Marianne Lincoln Today at the Sustainability Expo in Tacoma, I worked at the table for the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance. We were next to the booth for the Nisqually Land Trust. Everyone walking by knew of the Nisqually River, yet they looked puzzled at our banner for Clover Creek. So, I asked everyone who […]
Morse Wildlife Preserve Celebrates Thirty Years
Looking for a peaceful, educational Sunday stroll? by Tom Galdabini Spring was vibrant at Morse Wildlife Preserve as we kicked off another Forterra Nature Discovery™ event — “Spring Birding.” There were signs of beaver, deer and, in the middle of our exploring and not very far away, a chorus of coyotes howling to each […]
State Legislative Session Ends with Flurry of Activity
As far as new environmental legislation goes, the Washington State Legislature’s session this year ended with excitement as troubled ideas like killing ghost shrimp breezed through committees in the last weeks and made it to the Governor’s desk. Futurewise activists did a remarkable job of getting Transit Oriented Development passed. And, while the Rent Stabilization […]
Legislation to Eliminate Ghost Shrimp — for Shellfish Industry
SHB 1309 An association of environmental coalitions in Puget Sound, Hood Canal and Port Angeles worked together to stop SHB 1309. The bill directs over $200,000 of scarce general fund dollars and a budget proviso of $2,000,000 to fund this effort. The bill argues that private business is due these funds since the Department of […]
Review of Thurston County Court Permit for Tiny Home Village
Review of Thurston County Court permit for the Tiny Home Village? On March 28, the Thurston County Superior Court convened on Zoom with over 60 people attending. Others in the courtroom were not visible on camera. Prior to the meeting, the judge had read the legal briefs about the appeal of the Conditional Use Permit […]
Is There Enough Water for 48,000 More Residents Moving to Spanaway this Decade?
By Kirk Kirkland and Al Schmauder Will Pierce County be able to meet future demand for clean drinking water required by increasing population and development in the Chambers-Clover watershed? Water managers conclude there will be adequate water to supply homes and other uses until about 2040. Lakewood Water District (LWD) committed to sell up to […]
Loss of Bear, Eagle Habitat in 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 over $140,000 dollars. Let’s take stock. In December of 2024, the Tacoma Rescue Mission brought in massive equipment, and on the high point in the midst […]
Why We Care about Spanaway Marsh
by Claudia Finseth HAPPINESS, FOR ONE THING Last week the annual list of the happiest countries in the world came out. For the eighth time in a row that designation went to Finland. The United States of America came in way down the line. We are not, generally, a happy people. One of the main […]
Looking Ahead to 2025 Local Elections
by Brett Johnson As the 2024 General Election recedes in the rearview mirror, a new year is now well underway. It’s a time to reflect on events of the past year, but also look toward the future. In other posts, the Coalition has detailed some of our legislative priorities in Olympia that we hope will […]
The High Price of Environmental Justice in Pierce County
by Kirk Kirkland In both the city of Tacoma and Pierce County, planning departments use a Determination of Nonsignificance to avoid enforcing environmental rules and Growth Management policies. Neighborhoods then must use the court system at great costs. Both Tacoma and the county neighbors had the support of their local Land Use Advisory Commission (LUAC) […]
Appeal of Largest County Geoduck Farm goes to Shoreline Board
Friends of Burley Lagoon (FOBL) and Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat (Coalition) have appealed a Conditional Use Permit that would allow the largest geoduck aquaculture installation in the county. A federal judge in Seattle in 2019 revoked 900 permits and asked that all new permits have a Cumulative Impact Analysis. The appeal asks the […]
What Happened Upstream that Caused Fish to Die in Spanaway Lake?
by Kirk Kirkland It’s complicated: Backhoes dredging in creeks without permits; 900 trees were clearcut; Understory vegetation bulldozed; Exposed soil left to run off into Spanaway Lake; Violation Notice from WDFW ignored; Fill and Grade Permit handed out after-the-fact without a fine. Then a few weeks later, fish in Spanaway Lake started to die. These […]
County Hearing Examiner Denies Responsibility to Protect Bald Eagles
by Kirk Kirkland The most interesting testimony at the recent appeal of the Pierce County Fill and Grade Permit for the Spanaway Marsh was about the bald eagles’ nest there. Eagles have a lifespan of up to 70 years and mate for life. These two have nested in the Spanaway Marsh for at least 23 […]
Protect our Coastal Beaches from Oyster Company Expansion
by Kirk Kirkland In Pierce County and at the state legislature we are passing significant legislation that is going to make our county and the state a better place to live. Avoid the negative news about the U.S. Congress. Tune into the state legislature to witness the state House of Representatives and county governments pass […]
Newsletter for March 2025 — Responding to Trump& local initiatives
Just a glance at the front page of many newspapers and it is depressing to read more than a headline. It is clear that Trump does not have a plan for reform. Like his last term he is only capable of destroying agencies like the National Park by reducing their funding. Congressman Adam Smith is […]
A Once in a Decade Opportunity
by Kirk Kirkland After a successful election in November 2024, the environmental community in Pierce County has a rare chance to work with newly elected leaders to pass our environmental agenda. Considerable ground was lost in the last 8 years, as the previous County Executive used his “Executive Priority” to ignore environmental laws of the […]
Claudia Finseth
Claudia Riiff Finseth is a writer, poet and editor; mother and grandmother; and life-long Washingtonian. Growing up in Longview, Finseth absorbed the values of civic planning, including trees, sidewalks, neighborhood parks and civic spaces, and open space where people can experience the renewing and healing effects of nature and native wildlife. She came to Pierce […]
Restoring Faith in Pierce County Government
by Claudia Riiff Finseth Pierce County will have a new government this month. What will the next four years be like? Will they be more of the same as the last eight years? I have great hope that they will be different. Different, first and foremost, is restoring a healthy county democracy. This can be done […]
About This Blog
Kirk Kirkland has been an environmental advocate for over 30 years. He has worked with Tahoma Audubon, Sierra Club and Futurewise as an environmental advocate, appearing before such bodies as the Washington State Legislature and the Pierce County Council. He retired from Tahoma Audubon in 2023 when they were considering changing their priorities. While active […]