Tapteal Greenway

07/20/2026

It is a challenge trying to protect cottonwood trees from beavers but no denying beavers have a positive effect on habitat.

07/14/2026

Our tractor is back to mowing this week.

07/10/2026

We bought this tractor because it has a front loader and picked up a trailer along with it. We were happy to bring it over to the new BCD office and put it to use moving around some landscaping rock.

Shout out to our friends from Tapteal Greenway for their help this week moving rock in our waterwise demonstration garden! This newly planted Heritage Garden will show off many of our local flora while saving huge amounts of water compared to a lawn. The crew also introduced us to their go to tool for moving rock by hand-- the Mcleod tool-- write that down. Volunteers Dirk, David, Dan and Stan-- You 'rock'! 💪🚜🌻

Tapteal Greenway's mission is 'Promoting conservation, education and recreation along the lower Yakima River.' Check them out and stay in the loop about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities on their website and social media: https://tapteal.org/

07/07/2026

Another morning out on the lower Yakima River with running one of their Weedoos. The last three photos show the cutting blade in action slicing through water stargrass.

07/02/2026

Have you ever wondered what teachers do during their summers off? Previous Tri-Cities Conservationist of the Year recipient Lindsay Gailey is volunteering with Benton Conservation District. Today was a training session for using the districts three new Weedoos to 'mow' water stargrass in the lower Yakima River.

06/09/2026

Tapteal celebrated National Trails Day at Amon Creek Natural Preserve. Board members and volunteers joyfully removed a nasty invasive patch of kochia and tumbleweeds from the south end of the trailhead off Leslie Road and the big pond. It was rewarding work to see native plant life that had been suffocating under the dense invasive cloak, suddenly exposed so it could continue its battle to compete with the villainous invaders. The carcasses of the nasty plants were removed from the battlefield and deposited at the Richland landfill. Now, we must remain vigilant to repel the recurrence of the habitat bandits.
ACNP is undergoing an onslaught of other invasive assaults this year. Our next target is the phragmites that is trying to take over the creek. We don’t want a repeat of the suffocating takeover like in the Yakima Delta by this aggressive invader.

06/03/2026

The Trails for Tomorrow donation matching campaign has been extended to September 30th. The goal for the campaign is to raise $50,000.

Thank you to everyone who supported Trails for Tomorrow helping to raise $33,025! This has truly been a collective effort, and we will maximize the impact of the Richard Smith & Elaine Chapman Conservation Fund by extending the campaign until September 30th or until the match goal is reached. This campaign reflects what’s possible when a community comes together with a shared commitment to stewardship. We look forward to continuing this work with you in the months ahead.
Dick and Elaine express their appreciation and gratitude to all who donated. With the area’s rapid growth and development pressures, they are especially grateful that so many people share their recognition of the importance of conserving and protecting open spaces, and maintaining existing ones, for all to enjoy. https://tinyurl.com/TrailsforTomorrow2026

05/17/2026

Yesterday's blustery morning did not deter a hardy crew from spreading wood chips along a section of the Tapteal Trail in Chamna Natural Preserve. They moved 5 1/2 piles of chips to cover about 150 yards of the trail.
You can be part of the solution. Grab a friend or family member, bring a 5-gallon bucket or two, and heavy rakes. Devour a couple of piles and let us know that you helped to improve a section of this awesome non-motorized trail. Thank you in advance from the Tapteal Greenway.

05/11/2026

The Trails for Tomorrow campaign has been extended to May 15th so there is still time to have your donation matched.

We’re making great progress—and we’re not done yet! Thanks to so many generous supporters, Trails for Tomorrow is now well over halfway to our goal. That means more support for local conservation, healthier trails, and stronger community grantmaking across our region. If you’ve already donated—thank you. If you’ve been meaning to—there’s still time to be part of it.

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/TrailsforTomorrow2026
Donate: https://threeriverscf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=2057

Every step forward protects the future. Photo: Friends of Badger Mountain