Tree and Water Walk

Water is one of the key components of life. In Tacoma, it falls from the sky, flows in our rivers, and calls us to the Puget Sound. Water is a key part of our ecosystems and it is crucial that it stays clean. Trees play an important role in watershed pollution mitigation and are an important part of how water moves in our urban landscape. On this walk, we will learn from Sarah Low and Barry Goldstein about how trees are managed in a downtown landscape and their importance in reducing pollution carried by stormwater runoff.

Dress appropriately for PNW summer weather. Prepare to walk approximately 2 miles on pavement, up and down stairs, and on steep streets.

About Your Guides:

Sarah Low

Sarah C. Low, Founder of Tacoma Tree Foundation, combines a love of trees and nature with her professional background in urban and community forestry. Sarah has been studying trees since she noticed ants on a favorite flowering dogwood when she was 10. Her curiosity for trees and nature led her to pursue a career focused on urban ecosystem health and sustainability. All along the way, Sarah found relief, healing, connection, and joy outdoors. Sarah provides educational talks, leads mindfulness walks, and helps to connect people to nature and to each other.

Barry Goldstein

Born and raised in New York City, Barry graduated from Queens College (CUNY) with degrees in Geology and Biology, and then received his MSc and PhD in Geology from the University of Minnesota. He worked primarily on the relationship between landscape features and climate change, including the effects of climate on river systems. This has mostly been in regions affected by past glaciations (like Puget Sound), but has also included work in the American southwest as well as archaeological sites in Israel. He served on the Board, and as Board Chair, of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy from 2001-2008, which uses legal means to protect in-stream flows in Washington State. Barry retired (June 2021) from the Geology Department at the University of Puget Sound, after joining the faculty there in 1984. He currently serves on the Board at Communities for a Healthy Bay as well as their Policy and Technical Advisory Committee.

Meeting Location: Naomi Joe Coffee, 2101 Jefferson Ave, Tacoma