Tapteal Greenway

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

05/09/2026

The first roughly two miles of the Tapteal Trail follows the paved Sacagawea Heritage Trail from Bateman Island to just across the Yakima River. With the help of thirteen volunteers we picked up litter from along about a half mile section of the trail this morning. We started where last weeks cleanup left off and made to the bridge over the Yakima River, filling sixteen large garbage bags in the process. Big thanks to the Hanford High Recycling Club for providing the bulk of our volunteers.

05/08/2026

The second day of Salmon Summit last month was canceled due to predicted high wind gusts, so Finley Elementary organized their own salmon release today at Two Rivers Park. We staffed a station where we talked about the connection between salmon and three riparian critters.

05/06/2026

Join us Saturday May 9th from 9:00-11:00am for a Sacajawea Trail cleanup. We will meet at the east end of Carrier Road. After crossing over the railroad tracks and under Hwy 240 we will pick up trash along the bike path heading south.

05/04/2026

There was an Order of the Arrow scouting event at Horn Rapids Park this past weekend. It brought in Scouts from troops in the Tri-Cities and from Walla Walla. Saturday was a service day for the Scouts and they tackled multiple projects in the park. The two largest projects were collecting litter along the trail from Wanawish Dam to the park and removing tumbleweeds from among some of the stands of sagebrush in the park. A 20 yard dumpster was largely filled by the time we were done. Our thanks to all of the Scouts that participated.

04/29/2026

Last night we participated in the STEAM Night event at Orchard Elementary School. I was able to get a couple pictures before things got busy. That cottonwood stump was collected from along the West Fork of Amon Creek several years ago.

04/28/2026

There are a few days left in the Trails for Tomorrow matching gift campaign. Did you know that for the 2026 tax year you will be able to deduct up to $1,000 ($2000 for married filing jointly) of cash donations to qualified charities (such as 3 Rivers Community Foundation) without itemizing?

LESS THAN 1 WEEK TO GO! ⏰

🥾Love your local trails? Here's a chance to give back!

We're cheering on 3 Rivers Community Foundation's Trails for Tomorrow campaign!

This April, donations to the Richard Smith & Elaine Chapman Conservation Fund are matched dollar-for-dollar (up to $50,000) AND matched again for 3 Rivers' annual grantmaking. That's double the impact for trail maintenance and land preservation in Benton & Franklin counties!

As folks who care deeply about keeping trails like Badger Mountain open and thriving, we couldn't be more on board with this effort. Every dollar helps. 🌱

🔗 Donate here:
https://www.3rcf.org/press/trails-for-tomorrow-every-step-forward-protects-the-future/