First Creek Action Plan

Speak up for East Tacoma’s First Creek!

First Creek shapes and defines its neighborhood. It’s history, natural beauty, clean air and water, and space for plants, animals, and people are precious assets. Over the years, the Creek has suffered impacts from development and neglect. This summer, community members are partnering with the City, the Puyallup Tribe and the Tacoma Housing Authority to make an action plan to restore and enhance First Creek! Share your knowledge, hopes and vision for the Creek at one of the upcoming workshops this summer:

Wednesday, July 27th, 7:00pm-8:30, Portland Avenue Community Center (3513 Portland Ave.). First Creek tour prior to meeting (5pm-7pm)—contact staff if you’d like to come along.

Wednesday, August 17th, 7:00pm to 8:30, Salishan Family Investment Center (FIC) (1724 E. 44th Street).

Also on August 17th: First Creek Youth Summit –between 10:00am and 3:00pm, at the Salishan FIC.

Other events will be scheduled soon. For more information or to get on our contact list, visit www.cityoftacoma.org/planning, or contact Elliott Barnett, City of Tacoma at (253) 591-5389, elliott.barnett@cityoftacoma.org.
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First Creek Annual Picnic Pot-Luck

Please Join
First Creek Neighbors

For our annual picnic and pot luck at First Creek
Wednesday, July 6 at 6:30pm

Bring your smile, something to sit on and get to know your neighbors. Don't forget the kids because there is plenty of room to run. If you like, bring your favorite pot-luck dish to share.

The picnic will be held in the meadow below the 32nd Street Bridge. Access the area by walking down from East Wright and East T Streets or follow the road trail from East 29th Street on the West side of the Casino.


Top photo taken at the 2010 Picnic
Bottom photo from the 2009 Picnic.

For more information call Edwina at 474-7083
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4th Annual Community "Clean Sweep” Project

CLEAN SWEEP 2011
Saturday June 4th, from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.
School and Community Clean-Up.
Where: Various Eastside Schools.

Celebration and Award Ceremony
Awards, Food, Fun and Entertainment
When: 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Where: First Creek Middle School
1801 East 56th Street, Tacoma, WA

Educate our children about the positive impact they can have through community service. Create a fun, positive activity for our businesses, schools, community members, and children to particiipate in and get to know one another. Build partnerships among schools, businesses, and community members to help kepp our community clean.

David Whited from The Puyallup Tribe, Natalie Dam from Tacoma Eastside Action Membership and Helen Wilson from Green Thumb Community Garden

Celebration and Award Ceremony
Awards, Food, Fun and Entertainment

Burns Towing volunteered their business services.
Picking up a lot of the biggest trash and garbage

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For more information please contact Kate Frazier: Kfrazie@tacoma.k12.wa.us
Or at this late day, stop by one of the elememtary schools at 9:00 to help at.

Click here to download PDF Flyer

It's an easy day of picking up trash around the schools and neighborhoods, please join in an help make a difference.

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Policeman's Helmet - Non-Native PlantFirst Creek Watershed

Pictures of Policeman’s Helmet (Impatiens glandulifera). Taken in the First Creek in the Summer of 2010.

Policeman’s Helmet is a Non-native plant. It's an herbaceous annual plant growing from 3-10 feet tall and is shade tolerant. It likes to grow in moist forests and along streams and creeks. It is a Class B Noxious Weed, that is harmful to Pierce County and Washington State.









If you would like to volunteer to help make First Creek a healthier environment, please contact Dan Fear at (253) 304-2808. We will be having ongoing clean-up work parties and events throughout the Spring and Summer.
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New First Creek Signs

New signs identifying First Creek are now installed along East 34th and East Fairbank. These signs were created to show people driving through the neighborhood where First Creek is located.

A special thank you goes to Theresa Dusek from AHBL, Inc. for getting the signs made. Also to the City of Tacoma for installing them.





Earlier this year on Martin Luther King Day, over a hundred volunteers worked to clean up the areas along 34th and Fairbanks. They removed trash, English Ivy and blackberries. A few days ago volunteers returned to do additional work, today the area is looking really good and the way that it should look.

If you would like volunteer in the effort to make First Creek and community better, please contact Dan Fear at danfear@hotmail.com. Also, every first Wednesday of the month, First Creek Neighbors meet at the Portland Avenue Community Center at 6:30 for their mouthly meeting.
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First Creek VolunteersGlobal Youth Services Day

Here's some pictures from the April 16th event at First Creek Middle School. A total of 144 youth and adults signed in and attended.

The goal of the day was to plant dozens of native trees and smaller native plants, also grub out some blackberries and English Ivy. Plus, to learn about the environment and storm water and have a fun in the process. The day was hugh success and everyone had a good time.

Donna Chang, instructor at First Creek Middle School
Introduces the activities of the day

Students admiring the new sign they helped creat.
It will be placed near the area they've been restoring with Native Plants

Volunteers from Lincoln Hign, UWT, First Creek Middle School
and the community participated

First Creek Middle School students planting Native Plants

Students helping First Creek by planting Native Plants

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Global Youth Services Day is an annual events with youth around the world volunteers in their communities to make a difference. This was also Parks Appreciation Day in Tacoma and many volunteers around the city participated in cleaning up our parks.

UW Tacoma and First Creek Middle School wrote grants to help support this project and the days activities. Also, a special thanks goes to the Puyallup Tribe, Pierce County Stream Team, First Creek Neighbors, and the City of Tacoma for helping.

Join us next year!
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First Creek Youth Services Day April 16thFirst Creek Middle School

Join First Creek Middle School, UW Tacoma Environment Sciences program, Pierce County Stream Team, Green Tacoma Partnership, students and community members on April 16th to help improve the First Creek Watershed.

We'll be meeting at First Creek Middle School at 56th and Portland Avenue starting at 9:00 and ending around Noon. There will be an educational program and lunch for those that let us know ahead of time.

Check back and we'll have additional information as we get closer.
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Martin Luther King Day - Day of Service

First Creek Watershed Cleanup, January 17, Tacoma, WA., Martin Luther King Day of Service - Participates: First Creek Middle School, University of Washington Tacoma (Environmental Sciences Dept), University of Puget Sound (Football Team), First Creek Church, Grace Methodist Church, TEAM (Tacoma Eastside Action Membership), First Creek Neighbors, Green Tacoma Partnership and Pierce County Stream Team, and other friends. This is a yearly event, join us next year and help make our environment better.

This was a very successful day, with 126 volunteers signing in. We removed Ivy and Blackberries, a lot of liter and trash and we improved the sidewalks on two sites, East 34th and First Creek and also at Fairbanks and First Creek. Thank you to everyone who participated, good work!

Two albums of additional photos:
To view the albums below, it's best to right click on the link and then open in a new window.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=272293524408%3A804448659&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee Photographs by Dan Fear

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=472293524408%3A2050329176&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee Photographs by Al Harmon

Our next major Cleanup Event will be on April 16th.
Other smaller work parties occur throughout the Spring and Summer. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Dan Fear at (253) 304-2808 or danfear@hotmail.com

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Annual MLK Weekend Cleanup EventFirst Creek Watershed

First Creek - 2nd Annual MLK Weekend Cleanup Event
Monday, January 17th, 2011 from 10:00am to 1:00pm
East Fairbanks St, two blocks east of Portland Ave., Tacoma, 98404

First Creek, named for the fact that it is the first creek you encounter while walking upstream from the mouth of the Puyallup River, is getting a facelift as neighbors, students, and community groups join forces and reclaim the beauty of this little stream. This is a second annual Martin Luther King Jr. holiday event where First Creek Middle School and UW-Tacoma are hosting an English ivy and weed pull in preparation for future replanting. The work party will take place 10am to 1pm, on N. Fairbanks St., two blocks east of Portland Ave.
Contact event organizer and Habitat Steward Dan Fear 253-304-2808 for more information.
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