Wednesday, February 15, 2012
N ~ Nisqually Delta
The Nisqually Delta is home to the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. It is here that I honed much of my bird watching skills. For over 100 years ago this delta was patch worked by dikes, drained and used for farming. The land was then bought and preserved as the Nisqually NWR. In 2001 a 6.9 magnitude earthquake damaged several of the dikes allowing the fresh water of the Nisqually River and the salt water of Puget Sound to enter into its former natural home. In 2009 the remaining dikes were removed and the precious estuary was on its way to being restored.
We now have a wonderful opportunity to study the recovery of vital saltwater estuary habitat. This mixing of fresh and salt water supports plants and animal life vital to the ecology of the region. It is here young salmon transition to the saltwater habitat. Visitors can observe the daily tidal changes from a new one mile long boardwalk that takes you well out into the intertidal area.
The Delta is ever changing and this new habitat supports scientific discovery as well as wonderful recreation opportunity.