Key Peninsula Beautification Expands to the Purdy Spit

The Key Peninsula Beautification Project expanded its reach to the Purdy Spit this spring. Thanks to Kathy Lyons and Bruce Murray, drivers are now greeted by a restored “Discover Key Peninsula” sign, a mural featuring a mother and baby orca, and new plantings.

“I call it the welcome mat to the Key Peninsula,” Murray said. “I am overwhelmed by the community response and universal support for the project.”

Murray, who grew up walking the beach to the old store owned by the Whites and Goldmans in Wauna, has worked on the eradication of the invasive knotweed along the shoreline for the past year (see “Purdy Spit to Be Purged of Invasive Knotweed Species,” May 2024). The knotweed has been removed, though it requires regular monitoring and maintenance to prevent any regrowth.

Lyons, founder of the Beautification Project, contacted Murray to see if he was interested in adding plantings.

The beach along the spit is Pierce County Parks property, but the Washington State Department of Transportation is responsible for the road, shoulder, and bank. WSDOT approved the plantings and also provided the crushed rock placed between the shoulder and the plantings. Lyons got permission to paint the mural on the nearby wellhouse, artist David Stafki designed and painted it, and Kathy Wright of Paint-Right Painting donated the paint.

Volunteers planted more than 60 native and drought-tolerant plants and then covered the bed with bark donated by Purdy Topsoil. Within days of spreading the bark, Murray saw that a dozen of the largest plants had been stolen.

Lyons posted news of the theft on Facebook and immediately had offers from individuals to help raise money or donate replacement plants. A representative from Lowe’s Home Improvement called and told her to send him a list of what she needed. She will take Lowe’s up on the offer, she said, and this time plans to install barberry, a plant that provides color while its spines deter thieves.

Murray is working on some final additions. Volunteers uncovered the concrete base that once supported the sign at the old Wauna store and Murray will install a commemorative plaque honoring the White and Goldman families in the near future. The Key Peninsula Historical Society is working on an interpretive sign describing Wauna’s history.

Lyons spent much of her time after retirement in 2014 meeting people and working on her garden at home. After moving closer to Key Center in 2017, she said, “I got to thinking about towns that got all cleaned up and looked great.”

She first brought planters and hanging baskets to Key Center in 2019 and shared before-and-after photos on Facebook.

People responded to her postings and offered to help, and the Beautification Project was born. She now has a group of about 20 volunteers who have helped with new projects and maintain the old ones.

Lyons joined the KP Community Council soon after hanging those first baskets and has been president since 2023. She chairs the Beautification Project, one of several council committees.

The Beautification Project has completed many projects, including the plantings and welcome sign at the intersection of the KP Highway and Olson and Cramer Roads in Key Center, plantings along the Smoke Shop and Madrona Café, and, most recently, new beds in front of Glen Cove Repair. Funding for the projects has come from local businesses, WSDOT, Peninsula Light, and the IGA Round-Up program.

In 2022, the group collaborated with WSDOT to replace the weeds in the triangle at the intersection of the KP Highway and State Route 302 with drought-tolerant plants. WSDOT donated $1,500 for the work, and volunteers trucked in water for the first year.

Lyons said she doesn’t plan additional projects. Her crew of volunteers will mostly maintain the existing beds. Some love weeding, others take responsibility for watering, and the local businesses largely maintain their own plantings.

“There is something magical about this place,” Lyons said. “I wake up in the morning, and I am just so happy I am here. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”