The Voice of the Key Peninsula

Chris Rurik

Browse
Sort by: Featured Most recent
80 results total, viewing 1 - 20
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
Brown elfins fly in spring and early summer and use salal, madrona, manzanita, huckleberry and many others as host plants.
Finding Butterflies in a Clearcut Forest
Life gets interesting when you take the time to get to know your wild neighbors. more
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
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
|
Most forests in the area face similar issues as this scene from YMCA Camp Seymour where stewardship practices encourage healthy old growth forests of the future.
WSU Extension Brings Flagship Forest Management Course to KP
Forestry education is coming to the Key Peninsula. Washington State University’s extension forestry service will offer its flagship nine-week forest stewardship course to local landowners. more
|
The main stem of Minter Creek, looking north from under the new SR 302 bridge.
Following the Salmon Under the New Minter Creek Bridge
“This is crazy,” Amy Amos keeps saying as we wade up Little Minter Creek, stepping over logs and bundles of willow branches until we are directly under the Key Peninsula Highway. more
|
Welcome to Club Clam. Nature night walks reveal an otherwise hidden world.
Nightlife — The Beach at Maple Hollow
It is past midnight. A full moon struggles to cut through the mist that rises from Henderson Bay. The night’s work has just wrapped, and though we are stiff and half-frozen, a little jackknife has the naturalists I’m with in stitches. more
|
The McColley property is just across Cramer Road NW, at the head of Glen Cove.
YMCA Camp Seymour Purchases Neighboring McColley Property
A new chapter has begun for an old farmhouse at the head of Glen Cove. more
|
Moon snails are in the family of Naticidae predatory gastropod mollusks.
Moon Snails, Moon Jellies, Moon Wobble, and More
For all our handwringing about the sun and what it is or isn’t doing, it is the moon, lustrous and unsought, that has the power to haunt the mind’s eye. more
|
Whiteman Cove with YMCA camp canoers. The causeway on right will be breached and bridged.
Whiteman Cove Restoration to Begin in 2024
Restoration of salmon habitat at Whiteman Cove is set to begin in 2024, following a $6.9 million appropriation in the state capital budget. more
|
A female common merganser (center) can be told from the red-breasted mergansers around her by her distinct white chin patch.
Three Birds That Follow Rivers
It is November. Gullies are soggy. The exact edges of creeks are hard to define. The last leaves are limp yellow rags that drag across my shoulders as I make my way downhill. more
|
Explore the Hidden Wonders Around Us
Dusk, late summer. A deer works the edge of the pasture. A lonely frog, peeping, is answered by a cricket. As the light slips, a bat skitters in and out of the shrinking circle I can see. more
|
The gray whale was spotted in Mayo Cove days before its death.
Darkness and Light — The Life and Death of a Whale
The bones look like driftwood from a distance, half-submerged at the high tide line. Binoculars reveal them to be ancient stone artifacts. Or so it seems. This whale carcass is hard to believe. … more
|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Next »
Currently viewing stories posted within the past 1826 days.
For all older stories, please use our advanced search.

The Inn Network WNPA Logo

UNDERWRITTEN BY THE FUND FOR NONPROFIT NEWS (NEWSMATCH) AT THE MIAMI FOUNDATION, THE ANGEL GUILD, ADVERTISERS, DONORS AND PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT, NONPROFIT LOCAL NEWS

© Copyright 2024 Key Peninsula News
Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions