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Chris Rurik, KP News

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Meet the anemone-eating shaggy mouse nudibranch.
Naturalist Notebook: Squirrels, Swimming Eagles, and Shaggy Mice
The Key Peninsula's diverse wildlife continues to thrive, offering a unique ecosystem for residents and nature lovers alike. more
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Siberian spring beauty is also known as Candyflower (Claytonia sibirica), a native plant that blankets the forest floor each spring.
The Things With Spring in Their Names
Spring’s subtle rhythms unfold on the Key Peninsula where nature’s cycles echo renewal and quiet change. more
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Hazelnut catkins are the first native blossoms to appear in the new year.
Naturalist Notebook: Hazelnut’s Winter Flowers and Swarms of Kelp Crabs
Through the fits and starts of the KP's oceanic weather, spring’s progression can be tracked by the blooming and leaf-out of our diverse wild plants. more
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The Purdy Spit is a good place to watch surf scoters in action.
Underwater With the Surf Scoters of Burley Lagoon
Surf scoters, striking sea ducks with bold plumage, gather in Burley Lagoon, offering a stunning spectacle for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts this winter. more
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Basking sharks like this one, photographed off the shore of Scotland, would be an extremely rare sight today in the waters of the Salish Sea.
Sharks in Local Waters Are Here and Gone as New Visitors Arrive
Sharks in the Salish Sea: migrations, mysteries, and surprising newcomers spark public interest and research efforts. more
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Solar Array to Be Built at Purdy Transfer Station in 2025
Pierce County won a $2.3 million grant to install a solar array atop the capped landfill in Purdy. more
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“Mushroom season drives home the notion that a great deal of life happens underground.”
The Understory and Its Emergence at 360 Trails
The sky may be gray and the tree limbs skeletal, here in late fall, but the forest understory is a riot of color. more
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360 Trails Misses the Cut for Trust Land Transfer
Despite community support and a favorable application review, 360 Trails will not be transferred to local parks ownership. more
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This bridge along the trail leads from Gateway Park to 360 Trails.
After 20 Years of Growth, Key Pen Parks Plans for the Future
KP Parks will develop a plan to evaluate its properties, amenities, and necessary improvements over the next decade. more
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The northern end of the lagoon, with the remains of the old log dump pier.
In the Swirling Waters of Burley Lagoon: Part 2, High Tide
Part two in a series about Burley Lagoon - this month naturalist Chris Rurik explores high tide in the lagoon. more
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Burley Lagoon’s middle intertidal zone, where Pacific oysters thrive.
In the Swirling Waters of Burley Lagoon: Part 1, Low Tide
"The productivity of the lagoon is stunning. The glistening bulbs of contracted anemones await the tide, each in a perfect mudhole." more
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The Haley property beach and estuary from above Case Inlet.
State Parks to Develop Haley Property Near Jackson Lake
Washington State Parks secured a grant to fund improvements at the Haley property on the shores of Case Inlet. more
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A spotted towhee dines on the fruit of evergreen huckleberry.
The Artful Forest Family: Meet The Ericaceae of the Pacific Northwest!
The vibrant diversity and unique adaptations of the Ericaceae family, a group of plants thriving in nutrient-poor environments with the help of specialized fungi, bring color to northwest forests. more
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As they spend spring and summer on a circuit of trees they have tapped, sapsuckers also eat the insects that get stuck in their sticky wells.
An Uptick in Unwanted Hitchhikers? On Woodpeckers, Dragonflies and Ticks
It’s July. In the late evening, when a touch of moisture returns to the sky and I linger in the dregs of the day’s light, worn out by the farm, an occasional nighthawk adds its lonesome … more
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Towering trees shade a blanket of huckleberries and Oregon grape growing beneath.
KP Forest Once Inhabited by ‘Outsider Artists’ Protected Forever
Public trails will be built on the 60-acre property adjacent to the undeveloped Haley State Park land. “It’s what a Northwest forest should look like.” more
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For naturalist Chris Rurik, seeing this native snake made for a giddy moment and his first ever chance to hang out with a rubber boa.
A Rare Encounter with a Local But Near-Mythical Snake
The rubber boa is a non-venomous, constrictor snake native to the American West, known for its smooth, velvety skin, slow-moving behavior, and unique defensive tactics. more
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Pierce County Council Member Robyn Denson (D-7th) spent hours attacking the Purdy knotweed with other volunteers.
Purdy Spit to Be Purged of Invasive Knotweed Species
Wauna resident Bruce Murray has officially adopted the spit under the Adopt-a-Highway Program, which has sponsors for vegetation management as well as trash pickup. more
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There was time for sharing knowledge, history and wisdom during a tour with Great Peninsula Conservancy leadership and neighboring forest owners.
Great Peninsula Conservancy Expands Filucy Bay Preserve by 55 Acres
Four parcels donated to Great Peninsula Conservancy extend the preserve to the Pitt Passage shoreline. more
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Early spring nettles spotted along the trail.
Nettles and Their Butterflies in a Frenetic Spring
Watch a nettle emerge from the spring soil and tell me it doesn’t remind you of a butterfly crawling from its chrysalis. more
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Drone shot of the rare and mystical agarikon safely out of reach on an old growth fir.
Legendary 'Ghost Bread' Mushroom Discovered on the Key Peninsula
It was around New Year’s when Adam DeLeo made the discovery. Cabin fever propelled him into a local forest he had only visited once or twice and wanted to know better. more
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