 |
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stream Team Receives Local and National Recognition Awards For those of us working at the Conservation District, most days are spent nose-to-the-grindstone, working hard to develop projects and programs that will be interesting and informative to Pierce County residents. Our mission to educate and promote actions that protect our natural resources keeps us very busy! Every once in a while, if we do our jobs well, someone notices. This spring, Stream Team received not one, but two important awards. We are honored to have received this recognition, but also quite humbled, because none of this would be possible without the amazing volunteers who participate in and support our program. To you we give our heartfelt thanks. So please give yourselves a pat on the back, and continue to join us at any of the many activities available throughout the year! Cascade Land Conservancy Educational Achievement Award In recognition of the leadership and coordination required to maintain this relationship and direct the efforts of the Elk Plain students to the needs of the Clover Creek Reserve, Stream Team received the CLC’s John Stanford Educational Achievement Award on May 6. Held at the Washington State Convention Center, the CLC’s annual awards breakfast drew more than 1,900 people from the region’s environmental, business, and civic communities. The award received by Stream Team, in honor of the late Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, celebrates the commitment to future generations and recognizes innovative projects that engender an appreciation for the natural environment through hands-on experience. ***Check out the YouTube video about this program!*** Earth Team Regional Volunteer Award “The Stream Team is one of only six groups nationwide to be honored with a regional award,” said NRCS State Conservationist Roylene Rides at the Door. Stream Team will officially be presented with the award at the annual Washington Association of District Employees training in Leavenworth on June 14. Some of the activities by Stream Team volunteers that contributed to this award include the following:
Last year in Washington, Earth Team volunteers donated more than 5,700 hours to NRCS’ conservation efforts. “The monetary value of that effort is nearly $115,000,” Rides at the Door said, “but the benefit to the environment and to future generations is priceless. We’re delighted the Pierce Stream Team has been recognized with this prestigious award. And we’re delighted the Stream Team and so many other groups and individuals are helping us help the land as Earth Team volunteers.” Additional information on the Earth Team Volunteer Program is available online at www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/volunteers. Coastal America Partnership Award All those who took part in or assisted with the Red Salmon Creek restoration efforts are invited to the awards ceremony and celebration on June 4 from 1-3 p.m. at Red Salmon Creek. Please join us and accept our sincere appreciation for the work you did! For directions and to help us plan for the numbers of people who can attend, please RSVP. RSVP for the Coastal America Spirit Award Celebration at Red Salmon Creek: June 4, 2010, 1-3 p.m.: nltsteward@nisquallylandtrust.org or (360) 458-1111.
Each year, Stream Team recognizes the generous contribution of time and energy given by our volunteers towards to the improvement of water quality and habitat restoration in Pierce County. At the Pierce Conservation District’s Annual Meeting on February 24 (see article on page 1), the following Stream Team volunteers were given the spotlight to highlight their stellar contributions to the program in 2009. Terry Robbins and Trish Willebrand were recognized as Volunteer(s) of the Year. Terry Robbins has been volunteering with Stream Team since 1998. Terry has long been a regular at nearly every streamside planting, and often brings his trusty pick-ax for any rocks or roots that he might encounter. Over the past few years Terry has also helped Stream Team by staffing our Spring Fair booth at the Puyallup Fairgrounds and volunteering at our annual Native Plant Sale. Trish first joined Stream Team as a water quality monitor on South Prairie Creek in 2007 and has been a consistent monthly monitor ever since. In 2009, she helped install rain gardens in Lakewood and Puyallup, and brought her daughter to help bundle plants at our Native Plant Sale. On her own time she took the Natural Areas Stewardship Training offered by the Native Plant Society to truly understand the core principals of caring for local natural resources. Thank you both, Terry and Trish, for you dedication over the years. The Group of the Year award was given to the local chapter of Democrats Work, a group of politically-minded folks who believe in walking the walk, not just talking the talk. (Although they do like to talk!) Led by coordinator Brian Gunn, the Democrats Work group was integral to the planting of thousands of trees at the District’s Bee Spit property along South Prairie Creek last year. The group is hard working, dependable, and enthusiastic, and we hope to have them as partners on many future projects. Puyallup resident and home school parent Joan Keltgen-Lo was Stream Team’s 2009 Educator of the Year recipient. Joan has not only taken the lead on involving her two sons in water quality monitoring and planting maintenance, she has also rallied as many as 40 members of area home school groups to help with several large planting projects coordinated by the District along South Prairie Creek. Volunteers who reached their 5-year milestone of active participation with Stream Team were: Jason Buckingham, Paul Chromey, Dennis Dixon, Allen Dula, Chris Goodman, Bob Kimball, and Phil Schneider. Each of these volunteers received a hand designed salmon tile from Puget Sound artist Nancy Alcott. And to recognize volunteers who consistently go above and beyond in their participation and contributions to Stream Team, two new names were added to the Hall of Fame perpetual plaque: Tom Ginsburg and Chris Goodman. Again, we wish to not only thank the volunteers mentioned above, but also all of the 1,145 volunteers who participated with Stream Team in 2009 on everything from stream monitoring to curb marking, plus booth staffing, habitat plantings, and more. Together, nearly 4,400 hours of volunteer time were contributed to the betterment of Pierce County’s streams and wildlife!
Cyanobacteria (toxic algae) blooms have been increasing in number and duration since the first local bloom was documented by the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD) in 1989. The TPCHD is concerned with toxic algae blooms because they can produce cyanotoxins that have been attributed to animal deaths in Pierce County. Swallowing the toxic algae or prolonged contact to the skin may result in illness such as muscle weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or nausea. Ingesting enough toxic algae could be fatal, although no human deaths have been documented in Pierce County. In 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the “Regional Examination of Harmful Algal Blooms” (REHAB) grant. The REHAB grant is administered by the Washington State Department of Health in partnership with the Washington Department of Ecology; Pierce, King, and Snohomish Counties; and Seattle University. There are several objectives that the TPCHD hopes to achieve with the REHAB grant activities. These objectives include: entering historical and newly collected data into one database, expanding the monitoring of toxic algae blooms, analyzing for other toxins that have not previously been monitored, helping review and possibly refine statewide standards, and increasing public outreach efforts. This is the second year of the REHAB grant. Volunteers are recruited every year to do much of the work involved with the REHAB grant. Water samples are collected by volunteers at public access sites previously determined by the TPCHD. The water samples are collected every other week from June through October. There are several different cyanotoxins tested for, including Microcystin and Anatoxin-a, which are the two most common. Samples are collected by inverting a sample bottle and dipping it into the water to almost elbow depth. The bottles are then turned upright and removed. If a toxic algae scum is present, the bottle is skimmed along the surface of the water to collect as much toxic algae scum as possible. The sample bottles are picked up by TPCHD staff and delivered to a lab for analysis. The volunteers also collect observational data such as weather, water temperature, lake use, algae particle count, and Secchi disk reading, and take a picture of the area where the sample was collected. Volunteer participation makes the REHAB grant possible. Through this work the TPCHD hopes to get a better understanding of toxic algae blooms and hopefully find ways to reduce the number of water quality advisories that are needed each year. For more information, contact Lindsey Tuttle at TPCHD (253) 798-3530.
Japanese, giant, and bohemian knotweed are all part of the knotweed family of plants that are found along our streams, rivers, roads, and wet areas in Pierce County. Each year, the above ground vegetation dies back after the first frost, but the root system remains and will begin growing early the following spring. Usually beginning in April, new knotweed canes begin to grow from a deeply buried root system and can often reach heights of six feet or more in just a few weeks. Knotweed is a concern for our local waterways because it begins its growth early in the season and quickly out competes and displaces native vegetation. A root or stem fragment as small as ” can form a new stand. It is this reproductive ability that allows knotweed to spread rapidly through a watershed. Although the root systems are large, they are relativity weak and easily break away from the bank of a river in a high water event, which also helps to spread fragments all down the watershed. South Prairie Creek Knotweed Project To complete this goal, a team of Knotweed Technicians will walk the stream and map each stand of knotweed within 150’ of the river’s edge. Taking the lead on the South Prairie Creek knotwood survey and mapping project will be two interns from Clover Park Technical College to help with the surveying of South Prairie Creek. Mike Roper and Kris Stanford are in their final year of the Environmental Science program and are enthusiastic to spend the summer working on this project. Students in the Environmental Science program must complete 270 hours of internship work, and their help will greatly benefit this project. By the end of 2010, the District plans to have mapped 18 of the 33 stream miles of the South Prairie Creek watershed. Additionally, we will be hosting a “Knock Out Knotweed” workshop on June 29, 6-7:30 p.m. At this workshop we will present an overview of the SPC Knotweed Project, discuss the impacts of having knotweed in a stream system, and demonstrate methods of control. If you would like to attend this workshop, please contact Melissa at melissab@piercecountycd.org or (253) 845-2973. Nisqually Knotweed Project Nels Parvi, Nisqually Knotweed Lead Technician, has been with this project since it began in 2007. Over the years, he has walked miles upon miles of the Nisqually watershed to find, map and treat the knotweed that threatens the health of the watershed. This year the District has hired two Knotweed Technicians to aid Nels with this work. Stephen Bean graduated with a B.A. from Western Washington University in 2007. After school, he began working with a Washington Conservation Corps crew that was sponsored by the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association. Stephen began with the Nisqually knotweed project in April to help with the mapping of knotweed and will continue with the project until September. Marianna Bissonnette is currently attending Clover Park Technical College and is in the Environmental Science Program. During the summer, Marianna will join Nels and Stephen to help treat the knotweed that was found during the survey work. This three person team plans to survey and treat knotweed on seven tributaries (Rocky Slough, and Powell, Lackamas, Horn, Brighton, Lacamas, and Murray Creeks) and the main stem of the Nisqually River.
Silver Creek Trail, Open and Ready for Business Over the past five years, Stream Team has been working with the City of Puyallup to restore Silver Creek to a functioning stream system in the Puyallup River watershed. In 2010, the city received a grant through the Green Partnership Fund to aid with restoration efforts and to also install a soft walking trail between 12th Ave. S.W. and 11th St. S.W. On March 19, 74 students from Northwest Christian School in Puyallup planted 320 live willow and red osier dogwood stakes upstream of 12th Ave. S.W., some of which already have several inches of new growth. On April 10, Boy Scout Brian Cropp earned his Eagle Scout honors by coordinating the installation of two sitting benches for the site and a planting of 110 native plants. Troop #525 committed 220 volunteer hours to this project and made the site more attractive for the community. On April 17, several groups of volunteers worked together to accomplish many projects on site. The Lions Club built 500’ of trail through the site. Boy Scout Troop #598 grubbed the roots of blackberry from a 50’ x 10’ section in the upper site. And Stream Team volunteers aided in planting 15 native plants, placed gravel around newly installed benches, and removed reed canary grass from previous plantings. Finally, on May 22, the staff and family members from Light Dental Studio spent three hours finishing the 900’ trail, and cleared more blackberry from the upper site area.
Earth Day Celebration at First Creek On a drizzly morning on April 24, nearly 100 students, parents and community members helped pull scot’s broom and plant 266 native trees and shrubs in the First Creek watershed. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, First Creek Middle School students removed blackberry and ivy from the area where the new plants were added. Plans are to expand restoration efforts through the watershed each year, while also maintaining previously restored sites. Thank you First Creek Eagles! |
Summer Stream Monitoring Schedule
Quarterly stream monitors should schedule their stream sampling between June 21 and September 14, 2010. Bi-monthly volunteers are scheduled to monitor during July and September. Remember: August, September, or October is the time to do your stream habitat assessment. Volunteers are also encouraged to run replicate tests once or twice a year. Don’t forget to mention when you call in to reserve a kit that you will need extra sample bottles if you are planning on testing replicate samples. Give Isabel a call at (253) 845-2973 if you have any questions about which monitoring schedule you should follow, the habitat assessment, or if you are interested in scheduling a stream monitor training. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Stormdrain Stenciling
Did you know that your home is waterfront property? Yes, it’s true! Stormdrains carry surface water run-off along our neighborhood streets, directly into the nearest stream, lake, wetland, or Puget Sound. Water flowing through these stormdrains does not receive any sort of treatment before entering the receiving water body. This means that whatever we put down our stormdrains will wind up in these waterways as well. Stormdrain stenciling is a simple, fun way to prevent stormdrain pollution in your neighborhood. You can let everyone in your neighborhood know anything dumped in the street ends up in our waterways by stenciling the message “Dump No Waste” next to stormdrains. Stormdrain stenciling is a great activity for many sorts of organizations such as neighborhood groups, scout groups, and school groups. Interested? Please contact Stream Team at (253) 845-2973 for information on checking out our stenciling kits. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
For more current news and information, download a copy of our quarterly newsletter, the Tahoma View.
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
