What’s happening on Phillips Rd?

Submitted by Clover Park Rotary (Lakewood).

The signature project of Clover Park Rotary Club (Lakewood) is the South Puget Sound Urban Wildlife Interpretive Center. For the last several years the Club has installed concrete pads and set picnic tables and benches, replaced old fences with new along Phillips Rd. painted shelters at the site and planted numerous indigenous plants and flora to rid the area of other invasive vegetation.

For many years, the site was the property of the State of Washington Department of Fish and Game. After acquiring it in 1922, they used it as a game farm and fish hatchery.

The game farm and fish hatchery were very popular with the public. School districts from all over south Puget sound took field trips to the site to see pheasant, chukar, deer, steelhead and trout, and hear of activities of the workers in repopulating the States forests and lakes. Approximately 40,000 people visited the site annually during its peak.

The State of Washington closed the game farm in 1985. The fish hatchery remains, and while the days of busloads of kids visiting on a daily basis may have gone by, the site is regaining life as an “Urban Wildlife Interpretive Center.”

Enter Alan Billingsley and Clover Park Rotary (Lakewood). In 2019, Billingsley realized the Center needed some hands-on assistance in making the site a place where the public wanted to go. Game farm administrator Darric Lowery met with Alan and was elated that someone in the community would register such interest. Being a past president, Billingsley understood that his Club was full of people that liked to get their hands dirty. What’s more is, he also knew of others with the same bent.

Soon, Billingsley had enlisted the help of Lakewood Rotary, Tacoma South Rotary, Steilacoom Kiwanis, Lakewood First Lions, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Pierce College students, Clover Park students (Usually led by Superintendent Ron Banner), members of the Oakbrook Community, UPS students, NW Youth Corps.

Four Eagle Scout candidates have designed and completed projects at the site in completion of their Eagle Badge.

Hands-on activities are scheduled through the year according the schedules of the various groups. Clover Park Rotary participates when prompted by Billingsley, usually no less than twice yearly, they weed, and plant indigenous plants, and accomplish projects that are a priority at that time.

Through Billingsley’s efforts, the Club has obtained $26,000 in grants, not to mention in-kind donations of 2 picnic tables (dedicated to long-time Lakewood Rotary member, Ted Weir) and 2 benches along with help in building the fence down Phillips Rd. from Lakewood Rotary.
Five park benches were purchased by Tacoma South Rotary, Steilacoom Kiwanis and Lakewood First Lions and Tyo family of Oakbrook.

During the last year, ending July 1st, Billingsley logged over 2000 volunteer hours in labor accomplished at the Center.

Most recently, the Club received news from Lauren Jackson, the AmeriCorp Environment Education Project Coordinator, that Pierce College faculty and students will be spending September 18th in a “Heat-and-Eat” session where groups of faculty and students will pay particular attention to a study of the Garry Oak site at the Center where students will collect data and monitor the location. They will conduct “birding sessions,” evaluate the care and identification of native plant species along the ADA interpretive pathway, and use the opportunity to learn more of the history of the location and its connection to Steilacoom, Lakewood and Western State Hospital. Pierce College has been an important partner in improving the site, said Billingsley. “Having them able to come and learn more about the Center will allow us to continue this important partnership.”

It is the goal of the State and Billingsley to make the center into a hub of environmental education it once was. Getting to the former peak of 40,000 annual visits may be a bit of a struggle, however a recent assessment of visitors to the site this summer indicated that 110 to 150 visitors per day came to the Center. The Wildlife Center is open to the public daily during the hours of daylight.

What’s next for the site? Billingsley and Clover Park Rotary is working hard to raise $15,000 to complete the fence project along Phillips Rd. “A lot of work has been done, but there is still a lot to do. We know we have the labor, now we need the cash to purchase fencing and get that part complete,” said Billingsley.

If you are interested in donating to this project in time, talent or treasure, you can contact Alan Billingsley at (253) 584-4914 or through Clover Park Rotary www.cloverparkrotary.org.

Want to give back to your community in a spirit of fellowship? Go to: www.cloverparkrotary.org and go to “Join our club.”