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Puget Sound harbor seals number in the thousands and are generally healthy.
Bird Flu Found in Puget Sound Harbor Seals for First Time
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that three adult harbor seals in Puget Sound tested positive for the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 strain Sept. 8. The seals stranded on … more
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Though rare, barred owls are known to swoop on people.
Barred Owls and Ant Marathons
Last month my wife was attacked while running near our home in Lakebay. It was dusk. She had just left the paved county road for a forest road when she felt something grab her hair and yank upward. … more
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Pierce County Updates Its Solid Waste Program
This spring Pierce County upped its game in collecting organic waste. It will now allow vegetable and fruit trimmings, tea bags and coffee with paper filters in yard waste collected at curbside and … more
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County Roadside Vegetation Management Program Changes
In late May and early June drivers may have noticed wider than usual swaths of dead vegetation along the sides of many Key Peninsula roads. A combination of factors, including unusual early spring … more
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This photo well illustrates how shallow a drain field is.
What’s All the Stink About Septic System Inspections?
Septic systems are the unsung heroes for homeowners on the Key Peninsula. They work tirelessly and discreetly handling nature’s call, and until something nasty happens, they’re often … more
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Bob and Barb Green watched this bear lick seed out of their bird feeder at Driftwood Point.
Bears on the KP: Stories and Notes on the Local Bear Situation
Last October, for the first time in recent memory, a bear paid a visit to Herron Island. By the time word got out and folks went looking, it was nowhere to be found, swum back to the mainland. … more
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A view of Burley Lagoon during an outgoing tide as viewed from SR 302 along the Purdy Spit.
Public Weighs in on Burley Lagoon Geoduck Farming
More than 100 people gathered May 22 for the first opportunity to speak publicly about a Taylor Shellfish Co. application to convert part of its current oyster and clam bed farms in Burley Lagoon to … more
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No Nukes: Carbon-free Electricity
We pay about 6 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity in Washington state, much less than the national median of 15 cents per kilowatt-hour. Here I’m just comparing the electricity costs, not the … more
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Penrose Point State Park Closed Until May for Septic Repairs
All day-use areas, trails, and camping at Penrose Point State Park have been closed since Jan. 15 for sewage system repairs and upgrades, according to the Washington State Parks and Recreation … more
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Is Fusion Power On the Way?
Harnessing fusion energy as a source for carbon-free, near limitless electricity seemed much closer last November when the Department of Energy breathlessly announced a key advance: there was a … more
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Proposed working areas: Leased area marked with green dashes; proposed planting sites marked with red border.
Burley Lagoon Geoduck Battle Enters Next Phase
The Taylor Shellfish Co. plan to convert part of its existing manila clam and oyster beds in Burley Lagoon to geoduck aquaculture has moved forward. Fourteen months after seeking comments on a draft, … more
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The barrier beach at McDermott Point Preserve.
Land Trusts Conserve 323 Key Peninsula Acres Through Community Donations, Partnerships
A shoreline summer camp, the former site of an iconic lighthouse, a working sheep farm and over 1,000 feet of mainstem Minter Creek are among seven properties that two local land trusts worked to … more
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Wandering through a stand of noble fir, like these at McDonald’s Longbranch Tree Farm, searching for just the right tree is a time-honored holiday tradition.
Local Tree Farmers Beat the Summer Heat to Save Christmas
Walking into The Wreath Works gift shop in Port Orchard, the fragrant smell of freshly cut fir boughs is overwhelming. “I bet it smells nice,” said longtime owner Phil Hunter. “I … more
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Scenes like this may be a thing of the past in Puget Sound waters south of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
Crabbing Not Likely to Return Near KP in Foreseeable Future
A Key Peninsula tradition — rowing to a favorite spot to set out a crab pot or wading during low tide with a net or a pitchfork to scoop up a meal’s worth of fresh crab — came to a … more
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“There’s so many factors that come into play. Maybe the native bees have been killed off by backyard folks spraying the previous summer for yellow jackets.”
Soggy Spring and Low Pollination Lead to Low Fall Fruit
The fruit harvest will be low in home orchards across the Key Peninsula this year. more
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Diseased Douglas fir trees are typically rotten inside.
Trees Come Down at Camp Seymour to Improve the Forest
In 2018 the top broke off a tall Douglas fir and fell into YMCA Camp Seymour’s amphitheater, smashing several rows of benches and destroying the fire pit ring. No campers were present at the … more
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Better Cement Can Save Us
Thin sheets of carbon, one atom thick, called graphene dramatically improve the strength of cement and concrete. A pinch or two of graphene can also improve the properties of other materials — … more
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Longbranch Marina, circa 2003
New Longbranch Pumpout Station Delayed Indefinitely
Plans to build a pumpout station at the Longbranch Marina, designed to give boaters a way to empty their sewage tanks, was halted by an unexpected permitting roadblock because of a shared well that … more
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Natalie Pierson
Climate Change Comes Home
On a hot day last August, the Whitmarsh family took a trip to Seattle to visit the Space Needle. Standing in the viewing area, we were shocked to see a large plume of smoke rising to the west. We … more
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DNR Plans Timber Harvest in Key Central Forest
At the Key Pen Parks commissioner meeting held via Zoom April 11, forest managers from the Department of Natural Resources presented its plan to harvest 110 acres of timber from the Key Central … more
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