Environment

Gig Harborites love the natural surroundings in which they live, and Gig Harbor Now staff members keep them apprised of opportunities to enjoy and preserve their forests, waters and creatures.

Developer of local project to appeal Department of Ecology fine

Aug 15, 2023 | By:

The Washington Department of Ecology issued a $56,000 fine to RM Homes of Puyallup over what the department called “multiple water quality violations” at a construction site on Edwards Drive in Gig Harbor.  The department issued the fine on June 28. RM Homes owner Ryan McGowan said he has engaged a land use attorney and

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Jennifer Preston: Here’s how to clean like the Swedes

Aug 02, 2023 | By:

Reusable and recyclable Swedish dishtowels last for months and are made from cotton and cellulose (wood pulp). Swedish inventor Curt Lindquist created them in 1949. Now, they’re manufactured all over the world in beautiful patterns and whimsical designs. Most kitchen cleaning tools are made of plastics, like polyester or polyurethane. They are non-biodegradable, contribute to

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Rotary of Gig Harbor seeking potential exchange students

Jul 28, 2023 | By: Cindy Reed

Editor’s note: The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor wrote this article and submitted it for publication. The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor is looking for parents who feel they have raised exceptional young people who are destined for great futures — and for young people looking for ways to leverage their learning experiences by going

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Two in Tow & On the Go: Love-locks in Gig Harbor

Jul 21, 2023 | By:

Last week, the kids and I stumbled on a love-lock bridge right here in Gig Harbor. Roughly 150 padlocks hang from the crisscross of cables along the city bridge over Donkey Creek. They’re cute, but not everyone is a fan. Here’s a closer look.

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On Fox Island, an old Navy acoustics lab gets a new life

Jul 07, 2023 | By:

As a youth, Ty Clarke liked to water-ski and wake-board from his parents’ beach on the southwest shore of Fox Island. Cutting through the glassy water of Carr Inlet, at the turnaround point on their runs, Ty and his friends couldn’t help noticing something off-putting: a neglected concrete box of a building squatting on the

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The Battle for Carr Inlet pitted local community against the Navy

Jul 06, 2023 | By:

Think the fight against Walmart in the 1990s, or the more recent flap over building 35 new dwelling units at the bottom of Harborview Drive, stand as the biggest citizen crusades in peninsula history? Those were minor disagreements when compared to the Battle for Carr Inlet, fought in the early 1950s. Decades before the term

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Jennifer Chushcoff: Hidden deserts in our midst

Jul 05, 2023 | By:

If you spend more time maintaining your lawn than enjoying it, it’s time to consider your alternatives. Removing a lawn, or at least a portion, is good for the planet and for you. Looking out the window, those lush lawns seem pretty harmless. That’s only because a glance doesn’t reveal the truth. A lawn is

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PenMet Parks proposing levy lid lift renewal

Jun 22, 2023 | By:

PenMet Parks will ask voters in November to renew a six-year levy lid lift that would allow it to continue to collect property taxes of up to 6% more than the previous year instead of the state limit of 1%. When residents voted to form the district in 2004, they agreed to pay 75 cents

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State keeps South Sound closed to crabbing for sixth summer

Jun 22, 2023 | By:

Preseason testing showed one bright spot. Nisqually Reach averaged 7.3 Dungeness per pot pull. Chambers Bay drew 1.8, and the other six sites brought in fewer than one.

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County delineates first phase of airport tree removal

Jun 08, 2023 | By:

The first phase of tree cutting at Tacoma Narrows Airport will take down only a fraction of the total number designated for removal. Neighbors of the Pierce County-owned facility received a postcard recently describing Phase 1 of the project. The county sent the cards in late May to about 1,100 residents near the airport, according

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