Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area
Encyclopedia
Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area is a natural reserve in Olympia, Washington
protected under the Washington Natural Areas Program
. Once an important processing facility for the logging
industry, it has been designated as the Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log Dump Rural Historic Landscape. Today the area is a renowned sanctuary for a variety of birds, harbor seals, river otters, bald eagles, and a colony of bats, as well as serving as an important great blue heron
rookery. A recent conservation program in the area between the State of Washington and the Nature Conservancy is the first of its kind in the country.
In the 1920s the site was bought by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, which brought up to 1 million board feet of timber here annually by rail from all over Thurston and Lewis
counties until it closed the site in 1984. A former logging railroad crosses Woodard Bay on a wooden trestle and a narrow peninsula. It runs out onto a pier in Henderson Inlet across the mouth of Chapman Bay. Here logs were dumped in the water, gathered into rafts and floated to mills in Everett, Washington
.
s rest on old log booms outside of Chapman bay, in addition to the pigeon guillemot
s, cormorant
s and a purple martin
colony who roost in the area. Chapman Bay is closed to boaters, to protect nesting eagles and a heron rookery (which moved to Woodard Bay in 2004). Woodard Bay is closed from Labor Day to April 1 to protect wintering waterfowl.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources natural conservation area program was approved by the Washington State Legislature
in 1987 to preserve fish and wildlife habitat while also providing a place for passive recreation, research and education. Woodard Bay was one of the four original conservation areas statewide.
A new kind of marine conservation effort began at Woodard Bay when The Nature Conservancy
signed a 10-year lease with the Washington Department of Natural Resources
to restore 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of sub-tidal land in Henderson Inlet near the mouth of Woodard Bay to bring back the once-abundant Olympia oyster
. The lease is the first of its kind in the country.
The Conservation Area was expanded by 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) in 2008.
as well as forced labor by prisoners from the Cedar Creek Correctional Center. The site is nearby the northernmost end of the Chehalis Western Trail
.
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
protected under the Washington Natural Areas Program
Washington Natural Areas Program
The Washington Natural Areas Program, part of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, manages dozens of natural areas owned by the US state of Washington. These areas have received funding through the state's general fund since the Washington State Legislature enacted the Natural Areas...
. Once an important processing facility for the logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
industry, it has been designated as the Weyerhaeuser South Bay Log Dump Rural Historic Landscape. Today the area is a renowned sanctuary for a variety of birds, harbor seals, river otters, bald eagles, and a colony of bats, as well as serving as an important great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
rookery. A recent conservation program in the area between the State of Washington and the Nature Conservancy is the first of its kind in the country.
History
American Indian use to settlement in the 1850s and Puget Sound's logging era. Early in the history of the area, the Woodard family built a the railway for hauling logs down to the waterfront. From there they would load it on ships at the end of the peninsula.In the 1920s the site was bought by the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company, which brought up to 1 million board feet of timber here annually by rail from all over Thurston and Lewis
Lewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
counties until it closed the site in 1984. A former logging railroad crosses Woodard Bay on a wooden trestle and a narrow peninsula. It runs out onto a pier in Henderson Inlet across the mouth of Chapman Bay. Here logs were dumped in the water, gathered into rafts and floated to mills in Everett, Washington
Everett, Washington
Everett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 103,019 at the 2010 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
.
Features
The 600 acres (2.4 km²) features a maturing second-growth forest edging five miles (8 km) of shoreline at Woodard and Chapman bays on Henderson Inlet. The shallow, saltwater bays are largely undeveloped and has attracted wildlife not usually seen so close to an urban area. A colony of bats inhabits the underside of a railroad pier closed to the public. According to a zoologist with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, "The number of bats found in the area around Woodard Bay may have been similar to the numbers that use the pier today, but they roosted at many locations across the countryside rather than all in one location." Harbor sealHarbor Seal
The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...
s rest on old log booms outside of Chapman bay, in addition to the pigeon guillemot
Pigeon Guillemot
The Pigeon Guillemot is a medium-sized alcid endemic to the Pacific. They closely resemble the other members of the genus Cepphus, particularly the Black Guillemot, which is slightly smaller....
s, cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s and a purple martin
Purple Martin
The Purple Martin is the largest North American swallow. These aerial acrobats have speed and agility in flight, and when approaching their housing, will dive from the sky at great speeds with their wings tucked.-Description and taxonomy:...
colony who roost in the area. Chapman Bay is closed to boaters, to protect nesting eagles and a heron rookery (which moved to Woodard Bay in 2004). Woodard Bay is closed from Labor Day to April 1 to protect wintering waterfowl.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources natural conservation area program was approved by the Washington State Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
in 1987 to preserve fish and wildlife habitat while also providing a place for passive recreation, research and education. Woodard Bay was one of the four original conservation areas statewide.
A new kind of marine conservation effort began at Woodard Bay when The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
signed a 10-year lease with the Washington Department of Natural Resources
Washington Department of Natural Resources
The Washington Department of Natural Resources manage over of forest, range, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tidelands, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers...
to restore 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of sub-tidal land in Henderson Inlet near the mouth of Woodard Bay to bring back the once-abundant Olympia oyster
Olympia oyster
The Olympia oyster, Ostreola conchaphila, is the native oyster of the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico. The name is derived from the important 19th century oyster industry near Olympia, Washington, in Puget Sound....
. The lease is the first of its kind in the country.
The Conservation Area was expanded by 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) in 2008.
Facilities
Facilities include group meeting areas for small school groups, picnic tables, benches and a toilet. A camp car once used as a cookhouse and later an office has been refurbished to represent its former uses, much of the work done by the Washington Conservation CorpsWashington Conservation Corps
The Washington Conservation Corps is a subagency of the Washington State Department of Ecology. It employs men and women 18 to 25 years old in an outreach program to protect and enhance Washington's natural resources. WCC is a part of the AmeriCorps program.-Positions:Corps members serve between...
as well as forced labor by prisoners from the Cedar Creek Correctional Center. The site is nearby the northernmost end of the Chehalis Western Trail
Chehalis Western Trail
The Chehalis Western Trail is a rail trail in Washington.It occupies an abandoned railroad corridor that was once used by the historic Weyerhaeuser-owned Chehalis Western Railroad...
.
External links
- Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area Management Plan. Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 8/3/08.
- Woodard Bay Bat Colony. Bats About Our Town. Retrieved 9/5/09.
- Woodard Bay Natural Resources Conservation Area. Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 9/5/09.
- Woodard Bay Aquatic Conservation Lease. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 9/5/09.