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Conservation Corner

Welcome to our online newsletter where we will keep you updated on everything the Pierce Conservation District is working on, from our work On the Farm to Water Quality Improvement. The  Conservation Corner highlights our most interesting stories, but does not include everything. Find our other stories linked in the sidebar and below. 

The latest from...

Mar 06

Help Us Celebrate Earth Day

Posted on March 6, 2023 at 3:23 PM by Camila Matamala-Ost

Right of Way Restoration Info Sheet  spread wildflowers info sheet Evergreen Understory Info Sheet

As the days grow longer and warmer, many of us are eager to get back outside and celebrate the return of spring. Earth Day is one of my favorite spring celebrations. Plants that have been dormant all winter are emerging from the ground, bees and butterflies are busy collecting pollen from new flowers, and bright green leaves adorn formerly bare tree branches.

While Earth Day is still over a month away, we’re starting our celebration plans early! A regular Earth Day activity is planting trees and flowers, which is always a great idea, but late April can be a challenging time for the plants.

Like a lot of us, most plants go dormant in the winter. As soon as spring comes, they start to “wake up,” growing their roots, branches, leaves, and flowers. If you try transplanting plants while they’re growing, it can stress them out and reduce their chances of surviving. The best times for planting in your yard are late winter/early spring (just before the plants wake up) or early fall (after most plants have gone dormant but before continuous hard frosts).

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Mar 06

Welcome Habitat Steward Lucy

Posted on March 6, 2023 at 11:18 AM by Camila Matamala-Ost

Lucy stands at a restoration site with a shovel beneath her foot. She looks content. The Water Quality Team recently welcomed our newest volunteer Habitat Steward, Lucy, who will be hosting monthly work parties at Bradley Lake Park for the upcoming year.  Welcome, Lucy! Thank you for your dedicated service. We thought it would be fun to do a little interview so everyone could get to know her a little better.


Pierce Conservation District: What made you want to get involved in Habitat Stewardship?
Lucy: I got involved in the Habitat Stewardship after volunteering at Green Puyallup Day. I wanted to get involved in volunteer work in my community and give back to the green spaces that I have enjoyed for many years.

PCD: What is your background and career aspirations?
Lucy: I grew up in the Lake Tapps area and went to UW Tacoma for my B.S in Environmental Science. My career aspirations are to work in Water Quality at a local level. I would also love to work for the EPA or Department of Ecology someday!

PCD: What do you look forward to in the upcoming Habitat Stewardship year?
Lucy: This year I am looking forward to meeting and educating volunteers at Bradley Lake Park. It is rewarding to see the progress with blackberry removal volunteers have made so far. I’m also excited for planting new native species in the upcoming months.

PCD: Any observations from the work parties you’ve attended?
Lucy: I love seeing people in the community come together to improve the habitats at Bradley Lake Park and Pioneer Place II. The volunteers' enthusiasm for giving back to the green spaces is very infectious!


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Feb 17

Wildlife of South Prairie Creek Preserve

Posted on February 17, 2023 at 2:16 PM by Camila Matamala-Ost

A bright green Pacific Tree Frog at South Prairie Creek Preserve


Restoring South Prairie Creek Preserve is an extremely collaborative effort. Just over the past year, we’ve had a hundreds of volunteers, staff, crew members, and partners at the site. And they’ve seen an incredible diversity of wildlife!

AmeriCorps member Sage Friedmen created this Wildlife StoryMap with the amazing wildlife photos from people who visited last year. It shows just a fraction of the incredible diversity of animal species at the preserve.

If you’re out at South Prairie Creek Preserve for a volunteer event, please send us your wildlife photos! You can email info@piercecd.org or the coordinator of the event you attended.

We’re looking forward to what kinds of creatures we’ll find in 2023.

If the embedded story map below doesn't work well you can visit the StoryMap on it's original webpage.