Нискалли ұлттық қорығы: Тарих және табиғат мұрасы

National Wildlife Refuge near Puget Sound

The Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service on the Nisqually River Delta near Puget Sound in northeastern Thurston County, Washington and northwestern Pierce County, Washington. The refuge is located just off Interstate 5, between the cities of Tacoma and Olympia.

The oral history of the Nisqually describes the Nisqually basin as the point of origin of their people. Their endonym, , comes from the grasses that grew in the basin. The delta was relied upon to provide sustenance and the food sources were abundant enough for 14 permanent villages and a seasonal economy. Salmon was caught via a variety of techniques and the people were able to hunt a diverse array of wildlife, including various species of waterfowl, game, and sea mammals. The grass and woodlands in the area were used to gather seasonal fruits such as berries, grow crops such as camas, and provide timber for the construction of weirs and canoes. The Nisqually practiced cultural burning and, through managed modification, created a sustainable habitat for millenniums. In the 1830s, a fort was built near the Nisqually basin and fur trading began in earnest, leading to the loss of beaver dams and the natural wetlands. Yearning for more economic diversity, ranching began in 1839, and severe grazing damages led to a growth of trees on the prairies. By the 1850s, farmers and missionaries began migrating to the area, demanding for the Nisqually to be relinquished of their lands. The Medicine Creek Treaty was signed in 1854 and the signatory tribes, though given the right to fish, were removed to reservations, ceding all other lands under the treaty to the federal government. A brief war began due to dissatisfaction with the treaty, but ended due to a combination of the execution of Leschi (one of the leaders on the Native side) and federal expansion of the lands conveyed under the treaty. Frank, who died in 2014, had been arrested approximately 50 times during protests against the port build, as well as for Nisqually tribal rights, in the 1960s and 1970s, also was a central figure in restoration efforts. The national memorial is where the treaty was signed at the Treaty Tree, which is only accessible by boat up McAllister Creek.

State legislation enacted early attempts at restoration of the watershed in the mid 1980s, creating the Nisqually River Management Plan and Nisqually River Council. The power companies agreed to proper flow rates as well as the creation of the Clear Creek hatchery. In the 1990s, additional lands surrounding the Nisqually valley were purchased and added to the refuge as a buffer against encroaching residential growth. Tidelands began to be restored, starting in 1996, and culminating in 2009 with hundreds of acres of habitat, including the revival of 50% of salt marsh areas, restored. Large dikes were removed, and additional protections were taken on upstream rivers, lands, and valleys. In 1904 the Brown Farm Dike, five miles long, was created to protect farmland from tidal surge, resulting in a loss of important habitat for young fish, birds and marine mammals such as harbor seals. The saltmarshes and mudflats are located outside of the dikes. Rich in nutrients, they are the home to clams, crabs, shrimp and worms, which in turn feed ducks, gulls and herons. Over 20,000 birds, made up of 275 different migrating species, use the freshwater marshes and grasslands for breeding, resting or wintering. The most abundant bird types include raptors, shorebirds and songbirds. Larger animals such as hawks and coyotes feast in the grassland due to the presence of mice and voles. The riparian woodland and brush habitats contain many amphibians, mammals and reptiles.