By Kirk Kirkland Eighteen years ago, farmed oyster larvae began disappearing in mass die-offs, mystifying hatchery managers in the Pacific Northwest and threatening a thriving part of the region’s shellfish economy, according to an article in the New York Times in July 2025. Up to 90 percent of the farmed Pacific oysters are being lost. Businesses […]
By Brett Johnson As we enter late July, a crucial primary election is upon us. Many Pierce County voters have received their mail-in ballots, and will soon cast critical votes that will impact the outcomes of several races for local elected offices. From Charter Review Commission and city councils to school boards and parks boards, […]
By Kirk Kirkland At the final public hearing held in the Dupont City Council Chambers, over 70 people filled the room. For a Friday morning, this is a significant number. The proposal for mine expansion prompted a record of over 85 written responses to be submitted. The hearing began at 10 o’clock in the morning, […]
What has our state government done for people that counters some to the destructive things that President Trump has done to medical research in colleges, reducing staff and funding for the research arm of Environmental Protection Agency, and stopping the funding in 20 states that needed funding for FEMA Disaster Mitigation for hurricanes and floods? […]
Local Organizers report on July 17 Rally in Tacoma. “The Good Trouble Rally on July 17 in honor of John Lewis was wonderful,” said Beverly Smaby. ” It was smaller than the others we’ve had, and it was blistering hot, but the organizers had a good tent that provided information, poster-making materials, and soothing cold […]
The public hearing to review the Final Impact Statement on the expansion of the Dupont gravel mine turned into a circus The seventy-two members of the public in attendance had to wait four hours before given an opportunity to speak. By 2 PM, only a dozen or so people had returned after the lunch break. […]
By Marianne Lincoln Sequalitchew Creek runs from Sequalitchew Lake, through Edmund Marsh, to Puget Sound’s Nisqually Reach, through the City of Dupont, Washington. This is the same Dupont where the Nisqually Indians lived and later welcomed and worked for the Hudson Bay Company at Fort Nisqually. The Fort had two sites above the Sequalitchew. The […]
It is about a gravel quarry in Dupont that has been there since the late 1800’s, so why is it a problem now? The Pioneer Aggregates Project Proposal being considering by the Hearings Examiner in Dupont Friday, June 20 is about 14 years of gravel mining in their southeast parcel that includes dewatering the Vashon […]
by Kirk Kirkland For each issue of the newsletter I scan the New York Times and other internet sites for evidence that the tide of chaos created by Trump was turning and there was hope that the madness would be stopped by a well-organized resistance by our elected leaders. This week an e-mail from the […]
Futurewise gave Pierce County the “Excellence in County Planning” award at their annual meeting in May at their Spring Celebration. The award recognized the county’s stewardship of the land and celebrated on-going partnerships for habitat conservation and connectivity. In particular the award recognized Pierce County based on its innovative approach to land use, regional coordination, […]
by Kirk Kirkland Tucked into a budget reconciliation bill, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee made a recommendation to sell off more than 250 million acres of public lands across the American West to private developers. This proposal was personal and would have had a significant effect on National Forests in Washington. If passed, […]
Sean Arent is the president of the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance. The speech was presented at the public hearing of the Dupont mine’s expansion. The zoom connection failed during his presentation. It is printed here: _______________________________________________________ Let me tell you about the Clover-Chambers-Sequalitchew Watershed. Our watershed, located between the Nisqually and Puyallup watershed, is an […]
Seattle, WA —/(CFS) and its ally, Coalition to Protect Puget Sound Habitat, filed a motion for summary judgment in federal court. Groups ask the court to set aside Letters of Permission (LOPs) and stop nine large-scale industrial shellfish operations in Washington’s from working on sensitive coastal waters. Despite a 2019 Order from this Court requiring the […]
by Erik Schneider As spring transitions into summer on Morse Wildlife Preserve, signs of new life are emerging. Fledgling birds are appearing throughout the Preserve, across the diverse habitats of this landscape. The Morse Wildlife Preserve is open to the public on the Second Sunday of each month, from April to October. The next open […]
Volunteers gather each summer to restore the fish ladder at Chambers Bay. County staff have funding and will remove the dam at the same time that the upstream bridged is replaced. ____________________________________________________________________ Each fall Al Schmauder gathers volunteers and Puyallup Tribe employees to repair “his” fish ladder at the Chamber Bay Dam. The ladder was […]
From the Port of Tacoma to the crop growing farms of Puyallup Valley, this is the diverse County Council 5th District that Bryan Yambe represents. As the previous Deputy Mayor of Fife, he has brought residents, farmers and industry together. Meet Yambe and express your concerns at a fundraising party coming up on Wednesday June […]
In August, Nora Prindle will offer a class in Nature Journaling. This event offers a creative way to capture the essence of any experience in a way that is uniquely yours. Not only are we using words to capture the heart of things, we are also using drawing. It’s a new way of experiencing nature […]
The NO KINGS Day of Protest will be held Saturday, June 14th, Noon-3 PM at the at the entrance to Point Defiance Park, near the old Goldfish Tavern. On this day, Trump planned a military parade. Then the 50501 Movement organized 50 protests in 50 states. The 50501 Movement is a decentralized protest movement built […]
Complete the Streets By Kirk Kirkland Streetscapes can make all the difference in a community. Just look at what University Place has done, creating a tree-lined boulevard and walkable community on Bridgeport Way. A three year effort by Futurewise activists finally passed legislation in Olympia, implementing “Transit Oriented Developmen.” in cities and unincorporated areas. At […]
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 […]
