Habitat Improvement

Read about our ongoing habitat improvement work.

Jul 07

New workshop for Puget Sound waterfront homeowners: "Living with Sea Level Rise"

Posted on July 7, 2023 at 3:27 PM by Mary Krauszer

Shore Friendly technical assistance to shoreline landowners on Key Peninsula Shoreline landowners in the Key Peninsula receive technical assistance from the Shore Friendly Pierce program.

The Shore Friendly Pierce program provides technical and financial assistance to marine shoreline homeowners and landowners stewarding their properties with practices that benefit the health of Puget Sound. 

One challenge facing waterfront homeowners is adapting to sea level rise in the Puget Sound. Our newest workshop, presented by Andrea MacLennan from Herrera Environmental and Jeff McCord from Nickel Bros, will focus on the drivers and impacts of coastal erosion, how sea level rise can intensify erosion, and strategies and adaptations to prepare for future conditions. 

Workshop content will be split between two evening sessions on August 16, 5:00-7:00 pm and August 17, 5:00-7:00 pm. We recommend waterfront homeowners attend both sessions.

The workshop will be hosted on Zoom. Pre-registration is required: https://zfrmz.com/Q02PUBK25eVyAIZ8iW20 


Apr 04

South Prairie Creek Preserve Restoration Project Interactive Storymap

Posted on April 4, 2023 at 4:49 PM by Camila Matamala-Ost

Arial drone footage of South Prairie Creek Preserve  on a sunny day in May last year.  Drone footage of South Prairie Creek Preserve on a sunny day in May.

South Prairie Creek Preserve (SPCP) in its current state is a culmination of almost 20 years of restoration efforts by Pierce Conservation District using a wide range of conservation and preservation methods --- because no single restoration method can completely rehabilitate a site this large.

These restoration strategies are outlined in this informative and beautiful Storymap created by PCD’s Habitat Team. The interactive document summarizes the history of SPCP, including the land stewardship history by the Puyallup and Muckleshoot tribes, restoration outcomes of project, and includes images of the spawning salmon that proliferate in the fall.


Dec 01

Planting Trees for the Salmon of the South Prairie Creek

Posted on December 1, 2022 at 4:00 PM by Camila Matamala-Ost

Volunteers after their hard work planting trees!
Volunteers after their hard work planting trees.

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who came out to South Prairie Creek Preserve on November 19th

We had a great turnout. Close to 20 community members attended! Together, the volunteers planted over 200 trees and native plants in a short amount of time .  Even though the ground was quite frozen, that didn’t stop them from helping the habitat of South Prairie Creek Preserve 

10A beautiful day at South Prairie Creek.  The ground is frosty and the sun is out.
Volunteers were able to see salmon that had already spawned along the creek.

The trees they planted will provide many ecological benefits like:

  • increasing habitat for wildlife and
  • improving streambank stability to prevent erosion in the future

 

IMG_7398A salmon that spawned in south prairie creek lying dead in the water.
A beautiful day at South Prairie Creek. The ground was frosty and the sun was out.