Drought Reminder

Our summer of record high temperatures and record low stream flows is continuing, creating challenging conditions for fish. With many of our rivers running at 10% of normal flow the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife is urging folks to report sightings of fish that have become stranded while migrating upstream at the website: http://wdfw.wa.gov/conservation/drought/. They are also asking people to refrain from building rock dams across streams. These dams don’t allow fish to move upstream to find cooler water, spawn and feed.  You can report dams you have discovered by emailing wildcomm@dfw.wa.gov or calling toll free 877-933-9847.

Stream Monitor Hands-on Workshop

The district will hold a stream monitoring workshop on Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m.-12 p.m.  This workshop is open to anyone interested in becoming a stream monitor or learning more about water quality sampling.  The training will cover why we monitor, water quality testing, flow measurements, and habitat assessment, with time provided for participants to practice sampling techniques.

Once trained, volunteers will then be assigned to a stream site of their choosing and can begin sampling at their convenience.  Data collected by stream monitors is periodically shared with partner jurisdictions.  Volunteer stream monitors play a key role in stream stewardship by raising awareness of pollution problems and providing water quality data that the community can use to protect local streams. 

The workshop will be held out in the Key Peninsula area to highlight the need for stream monitors in the watershed. The Key Peninsula-Gig Harbor-Islands (KGI) watershed covers an area of 158 sq. miles, and has 179 miles of shoreline. Many of the streams are relatively short, and flow directly into the Sound. The watershed is also home to a number of commercial and recreational shellfish beds that can be impacted by poor water quality from nearby streams.

To register for the stream monitoring workshop, please contact Isabel at (253) 845-9770 x103 or isabelr@piercecountycd.org.  Directions to the workshop location and other information will be sent upon registration.

McKinley Business District Depave Planting

Hot off the heels of a very successful community depave, where 50 volunteers removed 2,000 sqft of asphalt in under 2 hours, we are gearing up for planting.  To prepare for planting on October 3 we had BNBuilders and Rino Construction remove an additional 5,000 sqft of concrete, remove 12” of compacted soil, and replace the beds with Tagro.  All contractor services and soil product were donated to the project – Thank You!

Fun Fact! – Removing 1,000 square feet of pavement can eliminate over 24,000 gallons of polluted storm water from our rivers and streams!