Five Year Review

It’s been five years since dikes built many years ago to create pastureland at the end of Hood Canal near Belfair were removed, along with many truck loads of fill dirt. The Pacific Northwest Salmon Center, working with government grants and many volunteers, have led this critical effort to improve and restore habitat for Northwest salmon. The results are impressive, as these drone photos taken in mid-October show.

My image was featured at the top of The Pacific Northwest Salmon Center website! It’s the second one in the slider :)

boyd-vander-houwen-hood-canal-salmon-center

At the Union River, next to the restored salt marsh, summer chum counts were the highest ever.

 

Spectacular new tide channels (seen at low tide) have been carved into the pasture land.

 

Walking and viewing bridges (upper foreground
And in foreground (lower foreground) give visitors a close up view of the Center in every season

Hood Canal Puget Sound Salmon Center

 

 

An overview of the former farm, with some fields still in use. This was the last shot I could take on a windy October day just before the drones automated controller told me to “and immediately” winds were too high.

Hood Canal Puget Sound Salmon Center

 

Another shot of the pasture land turning to saltmarsh and a valuable wildlife feeding area.

Hood Canal Puget Sound Salmon Center

 

Tide channels create some beautiful formations in the restored land.

Hood Canal Puget Sound Salmon Center

 

A second restoration site at Klingle on the Canal’s Northshore Road. This project also included hauling away tons of fill dirt that had been used to create beach front property.

Hood Canal Puget Sound Salmon Center

 

A new dike (right) was built to contain Hood Canal water and protect Northshore Road. At high tide, especially in the winter, the road still sees occasional flooding.

Hood Canal Puget Sound Salmon Center

 

Read more about the project at The Pacific Northwest Salmon Center.