Photo by Claire Todd Dear Pierce County, The management of invasive species is a key component when developing restoration sites in an attempt as a means to re-establish the native plant species. From our work in my Environmental 350 course at PLU, we discovered that herbicides are heavily used to...
Photo by Jim Richardson You can make a difference in our watershed’s health and resiliency by planting perennial plants. Perennials, unlike annuals, are plants capable of strong, lasting root systems which are incredible for retaining groundwater, adapting to climate change, and sucking up Co2! As residents of the Clover Creek...
Photo courtesy of Claire Todd Dear Pierce County Surface Water Management Division, Imagine if all of Clover Creek looked like this restored area, if all its concrete lining was torn up, its natural curves restored, and its native plants brought back. Native marine plants and wildlife would come back, and...
Photo courtesy of Google Images Hello Clover-Creek residents, My name is Chelsea and I am a student at PLU writing to discuss the issues that go on in our own backyards. The water quality that lies in this creek is problematic not only for our use, but for the organisms...
Photos courtesy of Claire Todd Dear Pierce County, The PLU students in ENVT 350 course are enjoying a picnic after an exciting afternoon of collecting samples at Mayfair Playfield! The plants, stream organisms, and birds also deserve to have an environment where they can enjoy a picnic too. To address...
Photo courtesy of Claire Todd Dear Pierce County, The county should remove channelization and pavement on the bottom of creeks in the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed. These modifications were designed to prevent flooding, but they have many adverse effects. Although it would be a substantial financial investment, it would be a...
Photo from Jacob Peterson at https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/9d2a3e4184ac4279a20cef5346c0de1d Restoring riparian zones is essential to the health of urban streams. A healthy riparian zone can help reduce in-stream temperature, provide nutrients and energy, and naturally filter water runoff and pollutants. Although funding salmon restoration programs can provide species-specific care, restoration supporting riparian zones...
Photo from the Pierce County Photo Gallery, https://www.co.pierce.wa.us/gallery.aspx?PID=568 Dear Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed Council, In our Environmental Studies 350 lab work, we found that nutrients like phosphates are present in Clover Creek at concentrations near the Washington Department of Ecology’s moderate concern level. These nutrients are often introduced to the watershed...
Photo courtesy of Al Schmauder Dear Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed Council Members, In 1993, the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed Council successfully repaired the substrate content of a channelized portion of Clover Creek by adding gravel, large stones, woody debris and other organic materials. It would be worthwhile for the council to revisit...
Photo by Claire Todd Dear Franklin Pierce School District, PLU’s Environmental Methods course focuses on the significance of Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed in our community. We would love to share some of that information with local high school students to promote awareness of the environment around us. Environmental education is becoming...
