Puyallup River Watershed Council announces March 23 forum

Wednesday Mar 23 2005 10:53 AM

Gary Ketcheson of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will present the cleanup plan for the Upper White River Watershed on Wednesday, March 23 from 5-7 p.m. at the Sumner City Council Chambers (1104 Maple St., Suite 205, Sumner, WA 98390) at a forum of the Puyallup River Watershed Council.

The Upper White River Watershed, for purposes of the cleanup plan, consists of the portion of the watershed that is upstream of the confluence of the White and Greenwater Rivers. Recent studies by the Department of Ecology and the USFS indicate that the surface waters have high temperatures and sediment loads, and that much of the problem can be traced to old forest harvest practices and to recreational abuse of flood plains. Much of the land in the study area has been transferred to the USFS, which will have a major responsibility for management actions aimed at restoring and conserving the watershed.

Efforts to clean up these problems will nevertheless be shared by a large number of groups including the Puyallup River Watershed Council, Pierce County, the Pierce Conservation District and the state Departments of Natural Resources and Ecology.

After the guest speaker presentation, a first quarter progress report will be given for the council's 2005 work plan.

This forum is held the fourth Wednesday of every month except November and December. The public is invited to attend. You can find out more about this organization and about future forum programs on our Web site: http://www.piercecountywa.org/pc/services/home/environ/water/swm/watershed/prwccouncil.htm

The Puyallup River Watershed Council is a forum that promotes and implements programs to restore, maintain and enhance the watershed in order to protect its environmental, economic and cultural health. It is a voluntary group with diverse membership, representing private citizens, cities, counties, tribes, state and federal agencies, universities and private industry.

Contact: Linda T. Burgess, Puyallup River Watershed Council Chair, 253-863-1860 or LTBurgess3@msn.com; or Travis Cary, Watershed Coordinator, Pierce County Water Programs, 253-798-4686 or tcary@co.pierce.wa.us