Camp Murray Prepares for Spring

Story & Photos by SGT Charles Ames; additional material provided by Karen Zirkle, Murray Creek Restoration Project Manager - Posted Jun, 2004

[Clean-Up Day 99]          [Clean-Up Day 00]

Its a dirty job, but everyone sure seems to love it.  Every year the headquarters of the Washington Military Department sets aside its official chores, picks up shovels and rakes, and heads out the door, into what we hope is a sunny Puget Sound morning.  If the chance to improve upon our nature preserve-like working environment wasn't enough, then maybe it's those fresh barbequed hamburgers smothered in onions that brings people out.  What ever it is there's always a great turnout to apply a little TLC to the historic buildings and grounds of Camp Murray.  This year was all the more special due to the recent renovations made to Murray Creek.
Once a year, the full-time staff of Camp Murray, home to the headquarters of the Washington Military Department, step outside and pull on their work gloves to undo a winters worth of blight.

     Many relish the opportunity to soak up a spell of sun while curbing the growth of blackberry bushes and Scotch Broom and dandelions. All of our military and civilian agencies turned out in force to scrape away moss, pull weeds, pour bark chips, plant annuals and pull out overgrowth in a spring-cleaning frenzy.    (continued below)

To acknowledge the contributions of those bending to the task, senior department heads took up tongs and turners at a lavish pancake breakfast to get the days activities started, however this did not exclude the annual tradition of a potluck lunch and the blossoming of barbeque grills across the camp.

We haven't covered this annual event since 2000, but it's been happening just the same.  This year's event was made even more special because of all of the recent restoration work being done to Murray

Creek, the narrow waterway which winds through Camp Murray on its way to American Lake.  Interestingly, Murray Creek is the only surface water feeding American Lake. The Creek faces many problems contributing to its inconsistent flow since 1992, including its low gradient (not a high flow stream) and "loosing sections" (sections of the creek where surface water feeds ground water, so the water is leaching into the ground), to name a few.

A comprehensive restoration of Murray Creek was started by the Washington Military Department's Environmental Office, which includes working with Fish and Wildlife offices from Washington state and Fort Lewis. Pierce County Conservation District's Stream Team provided advice and planning skills, and volunteers to manually remove Reed Canarygrass (an invasive aquatic grass) and Japanese Knotweed. The knotweed can grow nearly a foot a day!  Even a group of school children from Evergreen Elementary School got into the act, helping to plant over 100 native plants.

In April and May of 2004 the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife acclimated and released 200,000 kokanee fingerlings into the creek to migrate down to American Lake, and plans to continue to do so over several more years. The goal will be to establish a sustainable population of spawning kokanee and used as a broodstock source, if healthy, to enhance the American Lake kokanee fishery and other kokanee populations in area lakes.