You’re Invited Party to Celebrate Successful Fundraising Date: October 8 Time: 6:00 PM Location: DuPont Civic Center 303 Barksdale Ave, DuPont, WA 98327 Come celebrate our successful fundraising effort that started last June. With your help, we cleared our first major hurdle when CalPortland’s attorneys tried to strip us of our right to appeal their […]
by Kirk Kirkland Energy prices across the United States are rising rapidly. Electricity demand is surging to unprecedented levels. Political leaders and private developers lack consensus on how to meet the power challenge of artificial intelligence. Previous newsletters detailed local legislative actions in Olympia alongside data center moratoriums in Seattle and Pierce County. Before taking […]
By Kirk Kirkland Reporting on the climate crisis is a good way to lose hope for the future. Each new story in the New York Times this summer felt like being caught in an avalanche of worsening news: extraordinary wildfires, severe flooding, and heatwaves that have displaced thousands. There is no doubt that these climate […]
by Kirk Kirkland In the last several years Pierce County has been implementing Transit Oriented Development in Parkland and Spanaway as a way to reduce traffic congestion and build more livable communities. The Keep Pierce Moving Campaign is about increasing bus service all across the county for 275,000 more new residents and 140,000 new jobs that […]
Grit City Community Collective is joining two upcoming national rally days with sign waving rally’s in our favorite spot at the entrance to Pt Defiance Park in front of Defiant Goldfish. As you all know, this may well be our last opportunity to keep our precious democracy. Let’s all do everything we can do to make sure we […]
By Kirk Kirkland Cal/Portland has a permit to de-watering the aquifer and destroy Sequalitchew Creek near Dupont WA and Northwest Landing. We’ve been fundraising all summer and almost have enough money for our attorney to produce our final brief. September 8 is the date of our fundraising party. I’ve been working on stopping gravel […]
Katharine Viner, the editor in chief of the Guardian, an independent newspaper published in England, is leading the world in stopping the expansion of AI data centers. She reports that: “From the deserts of the southern United States to the cramped backstreets of east London, the fight against data centers has rapidly gone global. “The […]
by Kirk Kirkland., The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to eliminate the 2001 National Forest Roadless Rule. Proponents of repealing the Rule argue that it is necessary to combat future wildfires in our national forests. The wildland firefighters say that repealing the rule and allowing roads to be built in areas of the forest […]
There is currently a nationwide, bipartisan movement defanging the 2010 Citizen’s United decision. States are seeking to exercise a fundamental states’ right to define the powers granted to corporations, ensuring these do not extend to engaging in ballot measure or election activities. This has been called the “Montana Plan,” or “Corporate Power Reset,” and Hawaii […]
The transition to fall is underway at Morse Wildlife Preserve. Nesting birds like Tree Swallows have begun their migration, while other signs of fall migration are appearing. Flocks of Evening Grosbeaks have recently been spotted moving through the preserve. After a hot, dry August, the land received some much-needed rain. Mushrooms are appearing, and Bigleaf […]
by Kirk Kirkland Across the United States, a quiet infrastructure crisis is unfolding in real-time. Driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, technology corporations are rushing to build hyperscale data centers at a pace that far outstrips the ability of state and local lawmakers to regulate them. These large facilities operate around the […]
by Kirk Kirkland Congress, state legislators, and local Pierce County leaders have stepped up to establish common-sense guardrails addressing the fears around AI data centers. Rather than letting rapid technological expansion outpace public policy, our leaders are putting community priorities, and economic accountability first. At the federal level, lawmakers are pushing for a national pause […]
by Kirk Kirkland Just a few days before appearing before the Pierce County Superior Court judge, CalPortland’s attorney filed a frivolous motion attempting to dismiss our lawsuit. They argued that improper signatures invalidated our land use petition. Instead of focusing on setting the dates for our legal briefs, we found the opposition trying to stop […]
Al Schmauder is the Water Steward for Chambers and Clover Creek Watershed. For over 25 years he has organized work parties to keep the fish ladders open. This year he also maintained the signs at the Chambers Dam and other places along the creek to educate visitors about the effort to keep salmon runs returning. […]
More than 100 local communities around the country have enacted moratoriums on data centers. Washington state and 12 other states are pushing forward with their own statewide moratorium proposals. Washington state lawmakers moved forward this legislative session with Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill 2515 (E2SHB 2515). It was approved by the house and sent to […]
by Kirk Kirkland We have had huge success in our fundraising effort to stop the CalPortland gravel mine’s expansion from impacting our aquifer. We were quoted $15,000 for an attorney to represent us at the first hearings. Roughly fifty people have stepped forward, many giving small gifts. Now we have contributions of $11,300 — enough […]
by Kirk Kirkland In August voters supported critical county council members elections that have continued the Sea Change that swept a new County Executive and two county council members that has changed the face of Pierce County’s government actions. The priority county government programs have focused on providing compassionate services at an amount not experienced […]
by Brett Johnson As of Monday August 10, over 30% of Pierce County voters have spoken in the August primary election results. Ballots featured several choices including Pierce County Council, State House and Senate seats, various judge positions, and even Precinct Committee Officers. The City of Tacoma also proposed a streets initiative to replace one […]
Bears Ears Monument challenged by Trump to join a long list of court cases that stop him. The Trump administration cut Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument by over 1.2 million acres. The administration claimed the move restored recreational access. President Trump publicly stated that hunting, fishing, and walking were virtually impossible within the site’s boundaries. […]
. Morse Moments From the Morse Force August 2026 Morse Bluebirds Raise Six Young The Preserve hosted another breeding pair this year, and at the end of July, the pair successfully raised six healthy nestlings that all fledged. It’s wonderful to see another year of successful nesting, and an encouraging sign for the future […]
