Photos by Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Scott Story, Nanette Seto and Julia Lippert work their way up the Black River near the 110th Avenue bridge. Canoeing is a great way to see the unusual wildlife of this branch of the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge.

Wildlife Technician Scott Story returns with collected purple loosestrife as Julia Lippert (left) and Nanette Seto wait in their canoe.

Harvested purple loosestrife hangs from the stern of the canoe.

Black River bayou

Refuge backwaters hold outdoor recreation potential

N.S. NOKKENTVED, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published August 14

"It's very wild; it's really a neat spot." -- Doug Roster, deputy refuge manager

LITTLEROCK -- Big leaves of waterlilies line the slow-moving black water that feels more like the Southeast than the Northwest as a beaver cuts the surface and disappears in one of the deep pools.

It's a jungle. It's home to green-backed herons and belted kingfishers, to otters and salmon, to more than 150 species of birds and animals.

It's the Black River unit of the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The refuge includes the corridor of swampland from the south end of Black Lake about five miles south to Littlerock. Along the way the narrow river twists through shallow passages, over beaver dams, through fallow pastures and beneath overhanging trees.

But it's not your usual Northwest river.

"It doesn't come out the mountain," says Ken Guza, an avid canoeist, who has paddled all but the northernmost end of the river, which eventually runs into the Chehalis River south of Oakville.

"It's a wonderful place," he says.

Paddle through

The best way to see the north end of the Black River is by canoe, and for now it's about the only way. Access is a narrow plank bridge and boardwalk a couple of hundred yards long that lead to a small floating dock, where 110th Avenue crosses the river. It takes a surefooted voyageur to negotiate the portage.

The refuge, established in 1996, is a haven for bird watchers with a little adventurer in them. It's also popular with anglers. Paddle out of sight and sound of the 110th Avenue bridge and the refuge comes alive with the sounds of birds. In the water, anglers find trout and salmon.

The slow-moving river forms a diverse wetlands that include often-dry woodlands to ponded areas that are always wet, refuge wildlife biologist Nanette Seto says. The river forms one of the largest undisturbed freshwater wetland systems left in Puget Sound.

The area was set aside to preserve those wetlands, she says. The Fish and Wildlife Service also is working on environmental education, to restore some areas and to halt the spread of invasive species, such as purple loosestrife.

"But our main priority is getting the land," Seto says.

Expanding the area

The authorized refuge boundary includes about 3,800 acres. So far, Fish and Wildlife Service has acquired about 500 acres, and officials hope to add another 623 in the coming year, Seto says. Development has moved in around the refuge, but much of the area is too wet to develop -- some parts are flooded in the winter.

The agency has been working with the Nature Conservancy and the federal Natural Resource Conservation Service, cooperative landowners as well as Washington Conservation Corps, Ducks Unlimited, Capitol Land Trust, Thurston County, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Chehalis Tribe and Chehalis Basin Partnership.

Guza also works with the Capital Land Trust, which is working to obtain easements on land adjoining the refuge corridor, he says.

In addition to preserving and restoring wetlands, the refuge also would serve wildlife-oriented outdoor recreation -- canoeing, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, says Doug Roster, deputy refuge manager.

Public access still is limited, and uses are primarily canoeing and fishing, Roster says.

Development issues

Thurston County's proposed Gate-Belmore Trail forms part of the refuge's east boundary. Much of the refuge, however, has been acquired in the past year and access has not been developed.

But in the next year or two, refuge managers will launch a public planning process that will include future amenities such as trails and access spots.

"I think the focal point is going to be the water access," Roster says.

The river is home to some important species, including chinook and coho salmon, coastal cutthroat and steelhead trout, Oregon spotted frog and Olympic mud minnow. Wood duck boxes hang from trees above the water. Deer, beaver and otter are common, and black bears have been spotted.

"It's very wild; it's really a neat spot," Roster said.

For the less adventurous, the Black River downstream of the refuge offers one of the best canoe trips for beginners and families. Access is easier just south of Littlerock -- offering one of the most leisurely canoe trips in Western Washington.

N.S. Nokkentved covers the outdoors for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5445.

Visiting Black River

- Guided trips: Black River Canoe Trips Inc. of Littlerock rents canoes and offers guided trips down the Black River. Call 360-273-6369.

- Launch to close: Bridge work has forced closure of a boat launch on Black River between Oakville and Rochester in Grays Harbor County. The bridge closed Monday and will remain closed through Sept. 15. The state Department of Transportation is working on the bridge on state Route 12, adjacent to the launch.

- Alternative: Another Black River access site is about 5 miles from Oakville near Gate. To get there, turn left on the Gate Road and go one-third of a mile, then turn right on Schooland Road for two-tenths of a mile. A public fishing sign marks the site.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

back to main Outdoors: Boating index