About the Project

After a century of diking off tidal flow, the Brown Farm Dike was removed to inundate 308 ha of the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) on 11 November 2009. along with 57 ha wetlands restored by the Nisqually Indian Tribe, the Nisqually Delta represents the largest tidal marsh restoration project in the Pacific Northwest to assist in recovery of Puget Sound salmon and wildlife populations. Over the past decade, the Refuge and close partners, including the Tribe and Ducks Unlimited, have restored more than 35 km of the historic tidal slough systems and re-connected historic floodplains to Puget Sound, increasing potential salt marsh habitat in the southern reach of Puget Sound by 50%. More »

Restoration News

Reflections on the Water: Conversations About the Salish Sea. July 22, 2010. The waters of Puget Sound, Georgia Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca define the natural boundaries of the maritime Pacific Northwest. Known collectively as the Salish Sea, it also defines the people who’ve lived in this place from centuries past to the present. ... [Link]

Tides rechanneling Nisqually River. The News Tribune. February 08, 2010. The tides are back and change is afoot at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. No one knows that better than Jean Takekawa, who manages the 3,000-acre refuge southwest of Tacoma. She is in charge of returning 762 acres of the refuge to a saltwater marsh or estuary after more than 100 years as farmland and freshwater wetlands. “Water is really taking over,” she said this week as higher-than-normal tides flooded into the refuge. “Nature and tides are very effective at this –... [Link]

Northwest Now - Puget Sound and Nisqually Restoration . KBTC Public Television Tacoma. February 07, 2010. The tide is moving back in to the Nisqually delta. After more than 100 years without saltwater, historic farming dykes have been removed and the waters of the Puget Sound are moving in to recreate a fertile estuary for fish, birds, plants, and mammals. As we splash around in the waters of the Puget Sound, it's disheartening to realize that the Sound is one of the five most polluted waterways in North America. Every year, roughly 52-million pounds of toxic chemicals wash into the Puget Sound.... [Link]