(Puyallup, WA) Over the past year, several trees have been vandalized along the trail at WDFW’s Puyallup Fish Hatchery. Vandals using chainsaws and axes have damaged or killed trees, many between 50 and 200 years old. One could say these old trees are priceless within this community with costs to remove the hazard trees totaling over $6,000. It has also caused public safety concerns — one 200-year-old Douglas fir was cut 3/4 of the way through and left ready to fall.
The Puyallup Fish Hatchery sits on 120 acres with 111 dedicated to public trails and welcomes visitors year-round during daylight hours. The onsite Educational Center is open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, staffed by volunteers from the Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation. The hatchery now raises over 700,000 Chinook per year to help with salmon recovery, along with 300,000 coho and 170,000 trout for westside lakes. Through a partnership with the Puyallup School District and the Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation, classes of 4th-grade STEM students arrive at the hatchery in the fall when salmon are returning to Clarks Creek. Their outdoor learning experience includes education on salmon lifecycle/migration, human impact on our environment, and science. Unfortunately, if this illegal activity continues, the Clarks Creek Loop trail system may become restricted to public access.
They are asking that anyone with information surrounding this incident to call WDFW Enforcement at 877-933-9847, use our online reporting form at https://bit.ly/3MdHwd6, or text WDFWTIP at TIP411 (847411).