Project Titles:

• Construct Brown Farm Boardwalk – Phase 1 (FFS #R1BM)
• Construct Brown Farm Boardwalk - Phase 2 (FFS #R1GT)
• Remove Evergreen Barn (FFS #R1BL)
• Repair Headquarters and Visitor Center (FFS #R1GH)
• Replace McAllister Creek Dike (FFS #R1GJ)

State: Washington

Project Description: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has overseen the completion of four facility improvement projects at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The projects were funded using $2.75 million in ARRA funding.

The majority of the funding, just over $2.66 million, was used in two stages to replace the 1.04-mile Brown Farm Dike Trail. The remaining funds were used to remove the derelict Evergreen Dairy barn, conduct repairs and upgrades at the Refuge’s headquarters and visitor center, and develop water monitoring support systems at the new McCallister Creek dike.

“New records are already being set for public visitation in response to the opening of the new boardwalk,” Nisqually NWR Manager Jean Takekawa said. “The response by the public has been extremely positive and thousands of visitors have already benefitted from the new opportunity to observe and photograph wildlife and habitats.”

Over the past four years, the Nisqually NWR has worked closely with two key partners, Ducks Unlimited and the Nisqually Indian Tribe, to restore historic Nisqually estuary by connecting it with the tides of Puget Sound. This 762-acre site is the largest estuary restoration project of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.

“Due to its scale, scope and importance, the Nisqually estuary restoration is one of those once-in-a-lifetime projects,” said Ducks Unlimited Pacific Northwest Conservation Director Tom Dwyer. “You do all the important estuary restoration work and then complete the picture by making the area publically available with the boardwalk.”

Nisqually has historically received more than 160,000 visitors annually, and the Visitor’s Center upgrades help Refuge staff better serve the visiting public. The barn removal reduced ongoing law enforcement, security, and safety issues and improved the habitat of the Refuge’s Black River Unit.

Photos:

Feature Story: Washington Company Rehires Laid Off Workers for Recovery Act Project at Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Originally posted 07/12/2010
Updated 07/13/2010
Updated 08/04/2010
Updated 08/12/2010
Updated 02/17/2011
Updated 03/31/2011
Updated 04/18/2011
Page Completed 08/30/2011