The area’s newest tourist destination has visitors flying in from all over – many of them on their own wings. Others – those of the human variety – are flocking to the South Sound to check out the mile-long boardwalk at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge that opened last month.
Built on top of an estuary that is undergoing restoration, the wooden structure gives visitors an up-close look at the changing scene as the tide ebbs in and flows out. Slowly, a saltwater marsh ecosystem is being revived. With it, the biologists believe, will come the Puget Sound chinook salmon, a threatened species.
Built at a cost of $2.8 million, the boardwalk is more than a recreation destination and tourism generator. Although some funding came from entrance fees and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the refuge, most was federal job stimulus money that kept 10 people working since last April.
The boardwalk has proved to be wildly popular; visitor services manager Sheila McCartan says the parking lot is often full – especially on sunny weekend days. While most visitors are from within 60 miles, the refuge is a destination for outdoors-oriented people from far and wide – more so since the boardwalk opened.
Little wonder why; it’s a bird-watcher’s bonanza. On a recent day at low tide, viewers could see great blue herons, egrets, scores of migrating Canada geese and ducks taking a break on their way north, kingfishers and a solitary swan. A bald eagle and a golden eagle seemed to be posing on snags so all the folks with their fancy, long lenses could get a good shot.
You don’t have to be a birdwatcher to appreciate the scenery. On a clear day, visitors can see Mount Rainier, Anderson Island and the Tacoma Narrows bridges from the observation platform at the end of the boardwalk.
For longtime visitors to the refuge – the place where the Nisqually River meets Puget Sound – the boardwalk more than makes up for the loss of the popular Brown Farm Dike Trail. That was removed in 2009 as part of the $13 million restoration of the estuary and saltwater marsh, along with the dikes that had kept out the tide since the early 1900s. The area was farmed for many years, and visitors can still walk past the Brown Farm barns on their way from the visitors center to the boardwalk.
The walk is flat but long – a four-mile round trip from the visitors center if you go to the very end of the boardwalk. But it’s worth the effort, the shoe leather and the $3 parking fee to experience this spectacular new recreation opportunity. South Sounders are fortunate to have this resource just a short drive away.
Learn more
Go online to fws.gov/Nisqually and nisqually deltarestoration.org.
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