Ryan Mello Announces $7 Million for Chambers Creek Bridge Replacement & Dam Removal

The existing Chambers Creek Bridge is structurally deficient and must be replaced. PSRC’s Bridge Pilot Program will fully fund the project’s design phase. Construction is scheduled for 2030. ________________________________________________________________ By Kirk Kirkland The Puget Sound Regional Council’s (PSRC) Executive Board approved $7 million in new funding to advance Pierce County’s Chambers Creek Bridge Replacement project. […]

Tribe Eyes Wildlife Refuge for Industrial Oyster Aquaculture

by Kirk Kirkland The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and Protection Island are for the birds. They pause here annually to feed in preparation for their migration across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On August 16, 2023, Protect the Peninsula’s Future, the Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, and Beyond Pesticides sued the U.S. Fish […]

Land Transfer Discussions Fail to Address Taxing Problems

By Kirk Kirkland A well-funded public relations campaign is sweeping the North Olympic Peninsula. It frames the proposed federal land transfer of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge complex to tribal sovereign trust as a conservation-friendly certainty. The narrative claims seamless management. The underlying infrastructure data, however, reveals an entirely different reality. The proposed transfer ignores […]

Vote YES for Parks Tacoma Prop 1!

by Brett Johnson If you haven’t voted by now, it’s time to look around and figure out what you did with your mail-in-ballot for the April 28th special election next week. That’s next Tuesday. Don’t wait–make sure your vote is counted! Ballots were mailed out to Tacoma voters last week. We haven’t endorsed candidates for the summer […]

The Three Minute Challenge at Dungeness Public Hearing in Sequim

This beach on the left side of the logs is for people and the muddy areas on the other side is set aside for wildlife — many of them protected the the International Bird Migration Treaty. ________________________________________________________________ by Kirk Kirkland On April 13, John Garner and I traveled 110 miles to Sequim. We testified at […]

The Lights of Towns are Killing Them

Every spring and fall, a silent tragedy unfolds beneath the glass canyons of our cities. While we sleep, Birds perish by the dozens all across the United States after striking illuminated windows [1]. On the Atlantic Flyway, the density of cities like New York and Boston creates a lethal gauntlet that claims upwards of 300 […]

The Battle for Dungeness: Commercial Aquaculture and the Black Brant

by Kirk Kirkland A 110-year-old federal refuge is currently the center of a jurisdictional tug-of-war. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) shifted management of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge to the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe through a co-stewardship agreement. This move coincides with tribal plans to install a 50-acre industrial oyster farm within refuge boundaries. […]

State Governor and Attorney General Push Back

by Kirk Kirkland Despite the chaos that resulted when the U.S. government started a war against Iran, there is the good news that shows how our state legislature, our Governor and the state’s Attorney General have pushed back against the ICE raids in our state. State Governor bans masked policing Last month we reported on […]

No Kings Rally to Protest Tyranny and War at Point Defiance

Join your neighbors and friends at the No Kings Rally. We will meet at the entrance of Point Defiance Park near the Goldfish Restaurant. On March 28, rise up and join the crowd on Pearl Street. Say it loud: no thrones, no crowns, no kings. We are not watching history happen. We are making it. […]

State legislation needs your help to make final passage in Olympia

by Kirk Kirkland This is the critical time to contact your legislators and let them know which of these issues are important to you. In the last few weeks the 2026 state legislature has voted these important bills out of committee and now go to the floor of each house.. Before the cutoff date I […]

County Government stands up up for your safety and civil rights

County Government stands up up for your safety and civil rights Most recently, the killing of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officials in Minnesota have prompted many questions about immigration enforcement in Washington State and Pierce County. At the County level, Pierce county government took action last to: create new protocols for County […]

Citizens’ Pushback Overwhelms Trump’s Administration and his Attorneys

By Kirk Kirkland and Gemini AI A New Wave of Resistance hits Department of Justice Have you lost hope that the current administration can be stopped from creating chaos and returned to the Rule of Law in our economy, our schools, and our nation’s response to climate change? Each month, I use Gemini, an Artificial […]

State Governors and Supreme Court stand up to Trump’s Bullying

State Governors and Supreme Court Stand Up to Trump’s Bullying by Kirk Kirkland It has been a gruesome year for those who see Donald Trump’s first year in office clearly. It’s been a parade of nightmares—corruption on a scale undreamed of and the shocking capitulation by many leaders in business, law, media, and academia. For […]

Burley Lagoon Geoduck Settlement and Highlights of Life on the Lagoon

For the Friends of Burley Lagoon, it has been a challenging year opposing the Conditional Use Permit to allow Taylor Shellfish to plant one of the largest, 25.5-acre, geoduck farm in the County. After a challenging appeal before the Hearing Examiner, they group filled an appeal to the Shoreline Management Board. Neighbors and volunteers spent […]

Governors Work Together to Reverse Trump’s Agenda

by Kirk Kirkland On Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, the Trump era turns five years old. The anniversary will always be a mournful one for America. While Trump remains in power despite past legal challenges, he continues to test the limits of Congress, the Constitution, and the courts. Mr. Trump has also learned that many Republicans […]

State Legislative Priorities for January Session

by Kirk Kirkland Each month during the legislative session the Coalition publishes an update on the progress of state legislation that Futurewise and other environmental groups hope to pass before the session ends. For over 30 years, Futurewise has been our close ally, and they have been the consultant that has largely shaped our environmental […]

Over 100 Acres of Clover Creek Preserved In Head Waters

In October of 2025 the Forterra land trust facilitated the $3.49 million purchase of 113 acres in the Frederickson area. The property purchase from Tacoma Water (City of Tacoma) was made possible with a $2.7 million grant from Pierce County Conservation Futures. The acquisition protects critical forest and watershed lands in a fast-developing area while […]

No Secret Police Act is a Path to Accountability

by Kirk Kirkland In Minneapolis, the chief of police took a strong position regarding the federal administration’s handling of apprehensions of immigrants. He stated, “If ICE agents use unlawful force in this city, my officers must intervene.” To translate that into plain, street-fighting English: “The city of Minneapolis does NOT belong to federal bullies.” In […]

Report of restoration efforts in 2025 by Clover Creek Alliance

by Kelsie Clark The members of the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance made a list of their 2025 accomplishments during their November board meeting. It was an exciting board meeting where people reflected on how much the organization had accomplished together. We held work parties across the watershed in DuPont, Springbrook, Parkland and Chambers Creek. We […]

Change in Return of Salmon Challenges Clover Creek Restoration Plans

by Kirk Kirkland & Al Schmauder Before the 1970 housing boom in the Pierce County’s Urban Growth Area, Spanaway and Clover creeks had salmon in their streams. After 25 years of restoring the creek by adding fish ladders and implementing various restoration plans for Chambers Canyon and Clover Creek, this summer it was time to […]

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