The Olympian: Nisqually River to soon be free

The Olympian covers the Nisqually Tribe’s current habitat restoration project at the mouth of the Nisqually River:

The last major dike removal project in the Nisqually River estuary will wrap up next week, freeing the river to flow naturally near its mouth for the first time in a century.

Dike removal part of the Nisqually Delta ongoing restoration cycle
The 6,670 feet of earthen dike pulled out of the river delta near the Red Salmon Slough on the Pierce County side of the river caps nearly 12 years of estuary restoration work where the river meets South Sound.

In that time, more than 8 miles of dike have been removed to recover more than 900 acres of estuary on both sides of the river, federal and tribal officials said.

The latest project is on property owned by the Nisqually Indian Tribe. The bulk of the previous work has been on the west side of the river on the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.