Puget Creek
Puget Creek is a small urban creek in the U.S. state of Washington, in the north end of Tacoma, It rises in Puget Park and flows north to Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound.[1] Its course follows a steep ravine containing Puget Gardens Park. The creek's course is mostly contained within the 66-acre (270,000 m2) natural area of Puget Gulch. Puget Creek is the focus of restoration work by the Puget Creek Restoration Society and community volunteers.[2] One of the restoration goals is the reestablishment of regular runs of coho and chum salmon, as well as sea-run cutthroat trout. The returns are in question based on lack of data over recent years.[3] While the salmon returns to Puget Creek are questionable the importance of terrestrial habitat restoration to the Tacoma region is significant.
The creek is one of only three potential salmon-bearing streams within the city of Tacoma. Restoration work in the late 1990s succeeded in helping salmon return on rare occasion. No breeding pairs have been recorded. There is a question whether a stream of this size can provide an economically responsible return on funds invested in this region, especially after 14 years of restoration efforts with minimal results. Coho and some chum salmon reportedly returned to spawn in Puget Creek in 2000, 2002, and 2003. There has not been any data or photographs provided to substantiate these claims made by Puget Creek Restoration Society(PCRS), and primarily by Scott Hanson, founder of PCRS. [2]
Puget Creek Gulch is a beautiful gulch that provides an important riparian zone that provides important habitat for local wildlife and migratory birds, but has shown little modern value to any varieties of salmon's reproductive cycle. It is still unproven that any salmon are using this creek for spawning. This region should be protected as an important block of natural forest that enriches the Tacoma area and the entire northwest. As far as it being a potential salmon bearing stream in the future is in question.
Puget Creek is mostly managed by Scott Hanson of PCRS, but his tenure is in question due his questionable leadership skills, and lack of ability to prove claims made by his organization. PCRS is allowed to operate within pierce county land by virtue of Metro Parks, but due Scott Hanson's unwillingness to provide data and crass people skills the future of the gulch is in question. Many people within pierce county and metro parks would like to not have to be subjected Scott Hansen's bull headed management techniques.
The creek was named for Puget Park, which in turn was named for Peter Puget of the 1792 exploration and mapping of Puget Sound by the Vancouver Expedition.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Washington Place Names, Tacoma Public Library; keyword search for "Puget Creek"
- ^ a b "Puget Creek Restoration Society". http://www.pugetcreek.org. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
- ^ "Salmon Habitat and Population Restoration Projects". http://www.pugetcreek.org/projectsalmon.html. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
Coordinates: 47°16′51″N 122°28′39″W / 47.2808°N 122.4776°W
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