Each year, $50,000 in Make a Splash grants is awarded to community groups working to protect our environment. Read more about the work they have done to protect and restore water quality in Tacoma.
$2,000
Through art, this project encourages awareness of the impact our stormwater and drainage systems has on our local waterways. Up to twelve artists are selected to create on-site sculptures, installations and other artwork to interest the community in learning more about how the water is affected and how we can help. The exhibition will be displayed in the Swan Creek Park for the community to enjoy.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Lisa Kinoshita via verticalshout@gmail.com or by phone at (253) 961-5220.
$4,000
In partnership with the McKinley Business District, this project will result in the removal of 8,000 square feet of pavement along McKinley Avenue between 35th Street and Division Avenue. In its place, shrubs and trees will be planted to aid in over 200,000 gallons of stormwater infiltration.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Allan Warren via allanw@piercecountycd.org or by phone at (253) 278-4320.
This project will educate and raise awareness on the importance of clean water for everything from human consumption to recreation to commerce to wildlife. The target audience will be 5th grade students from Tacoma and Pierce County. Students will get to enjoy a day filled with educational speakers as well as hands-on activities that encourage a deeper understanding of the impact water quality has on us, as well as the impact we have on it.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Jayme Gordon via jaymeg@piercecountycd.org or by phone at (253) 845-9770.
This project will reduce the amount of polluted stormwater by depaving about 4,000 square feet where Yakima Avenue and 46th Street meet. The newly depaved area will be planted with native shrubs and trees. Eighty volunteers or more will be actively involved, leading to not only the removal of excess pavement, but in the education of the community on the effects polluted stormwater has on our environment.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Russell Miller via the12veiron@hotmail.com or by phone at (253) 941-1373.
With the support of organizations such as the Dept. of Agriculture, Dept. of Ecology, and Seattle Public Utilities among others, this voluntary certification program is directed toward educating current and prospective landscapers in sustainable practices. It will be a three-day course culminating in a half day examination on the principles learned. The course will cover methods for preventing polluted stormwater runoff and protecting native plants and animal habitats.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Jeanne McNeil via jmcneil@wsnla.com or by phone at (253) 661-6055.
$2,946
Green Tacoma Day is an event for volunteers to get involved with more experience field crews, such as the Washington Conservation Corps, to restore sites around the city. Restoration will include removal of invasive plants as well as replanting of native flora to prevent soil erosion and loss of habitat for the local wildlife. The event will provide needed support for the restoration sites while educating the community.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Jennifer Chang via jchang@forterra.org or by phone at (253) 383-7245.
This program, provided by the Tacoma Nature Center, educates local 5th grade students on watersheds and water quality by providing a free field trip to investigate a wetland habitat. The trip and classroom visits are provided to 11 classes from Tacoma public and private schools.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Michele Cardinaux via Michele@tacomaparks.com or by phone at (253) 591-6439.
$3,612
This project involves students learning about protection and restoration of our local watershed, Swan Creek by doing field studies and completing specific coursework related to conservation. With the help of their education and observation of Swan Creek, students will come up with and implement ideas on how to positively impact the watershed.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Wynne Brown via wbrown1@tacoma.k12.wa.us or by phone at (253) 571-2869.
$2,625
This project supports the teachers that are working with the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium to educate three 5th grade classes about the ecology of the Puget Sound. Inspired by the hands-on field experience in the program, the children’s interest in helping the ecosystem has only increased in the last 2-3 years of the program.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Cathleen McConnell via cathleen.mcconnell@pdza.org or by phone at (253) 404-3666.
$3,813
With the help of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the South Puget Sound, this program delivers six weeks of watershed stewardship curriculum to 1st-9th grade students, including hands-on education on how to prevent water pollution. In the past five years, the program has reached hundreds of kids annually fostering a sense of teamwork and responsibility for the environment.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Citizens for a Healthy Bay via chb@healthybay.org or by phone at (253) 383-2429.
$3,200
This project aims to install a two-tank, 530 gallon rain-water harvesting system at the Tacoma Nature Center. The tank will collect and slowly release stormwater from the building’s roof thus demonstrating stormwater flow control during winter rains and water conservation for the summer drought periods.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact David Hymel via dhymel@gmail.com or by phone at (253) 389-2060.
This program will offer a public/private stormwater education program through Vision2Action symposiums. The discussion will spread the message of sustainable green infrastructure to reduce polluted stormwater runoff. This will encourage participants and the community to act on the models discussed at the symposia to aid in the protection of our local waterways.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Chris van Daalen via cvan@theverdantgroup.com or by phone at 360-789-9669.
$3,804
This project will allow middle school students to attend Mount Rainier Institute’s environmental education camp as well as bring the knowledge they learn into group projects tied with other environmental programs. The students will create watershed education films for the Puyallup River Pollution Project as well as share their knowledge at the Jason Lee Sustainability Fair in the spring.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Kathy Hall via khall@tacoma.k12.wa.us or by phone at (253) 359-0689.
This project is intended to educate readers of the magazine Senior Scene on environmentally conscious practices. Articles printed both in the monthly magazine and online will aim to provide ways that seniors can limit their impact on local waterways and on the overall environment.
For more information, or to get involved with this program, contact Pat Jenkins via pjenkins@lcsnw.org or by phone at (253) 722-5687.