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Highlights of upcoming events and volunteer opportunities are listed below. To view the entire calendar for the quarter, click on the PDF link to the right.
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You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view the document below. To download a free copy please visit the following link:
Download Acrobat Reader |
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Stream Team will hold a stream monitoring workshop on Saturday, May 15, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for anyone interested in becoming a stream monitor or learning more about water quality sampling. The three-hour training provides an overview of the field tests used by Stream Team, and includes a hands-on component for trainees to practice stream sampling techniques. Also covered are stream flow measurements and habitat assessments. Upon completing the training, volunteers will be set up on a stream site of their choice and can begin sampling at their convenience. Stream data is periodically uploaded to the University of Washington’s Naturemapping website at http://www.cbr.washington.edu/naturemapping/, and made available upon request. To register for the stream monitoring workshop, please contact Isabel Ragland (253) 845-2973 or isabelr@piercecountycd.org. The workshop will be held at Swan Creek Park (east Tacoma). Directions to the workshop location and other information will be sent upon registration. Rain Garden Workshops The management and treatment of stormwater run-off, particularly in urban and suburban areas, has long been an issue of concern regarding the health of Puget Sound. Everything from major public works projects to changing individual behaviors is being tried to minimize the amount of polluted water that runs into our streams, lakes, and marine waters when it rains. Gaining in popularity is the use of rain gardens, which are shallow depressions strategically placed in a landscape to capture rainwater from downspouts, driveways, and sidewalks, and allow it to slowly infiltrate into the ground. Rain gardens can reduce localized flooding; help recharge groundwater aquifers; provide beneficial wildlife habitat; and filter oil, grease, and toxic materials before they can pollute local waterways. Modeled after last year’s successful series, Stream Team is once again joining Stewardship Partners and WSU Cooperative Extension to hold eight rain garden workshops around Pierce County this spring. Targeted towards homeowners and anyone else interested in learning more about rain gardens, the evening workshops cover what you’ll need to know to construct a rain garden of your own, including a soil perk test, plant suggestions, and general costs. Workshops are free, but registration is required. To register for one of the rain garden workshops listed below, please contact Stream Team at (253) 845-2973 or streamteam@piercecountycd.org. All workshops are from 6-8 p.m., and directions to the classroom venue and confirmation of other details will be sent upon registration. 2010 Rain Garden Workshop Schedule
Rainwater Collection for the Home Puyallup Thursday, April 22, 6-7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 2, 1-2:30 p.m. On October 12, 2009, the Washington State Dept. of Ecology issued an Interpretive Policy Statement that clarifies the long-standing water right ambiguity associated with rainwater harvesting. A water right is not required for on-site storage and use of rooftop collected rainwater. Rainwater harvesting is valued as a water conservation tool to reduce demands on more traditional water supply sources. With so much rain falling in western Washington, it seems counterintuitive to imagine a need for an additional water supply. However, the need becomes more obvious when you realize that when the rain isn’t falling (summer) we use the most water (irrigation). The easiest and smallest scale rainwater harvesting technique is to divert downspouts into rain barrels to augment irrigation needs. Thanks to funding from the Puyallup/Chambers-Clover Small Grants Program, all the materials for a rain barrel will be provided, and the class on how to put them together and their uses will be instructed by Dan Borba from Natural Rain Water. Each class is limited to 30 participants. At the end of the class, you will get to take home your very own rain barrel to get you started in home rain water collection.Please contact René at (253) 845-9770 ext. 106 or renes@piercecountycd.org to register. |
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