The Big Quilcene Estuary lies on the
Quilcene bay on the coast of
Jefferson County, Washington
Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,977. The county seat and only incorporated city is Port Townsend. The county is named for Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson County ...
in north-west
Washington state
Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...
on the
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
. (Big Quilcene Estuary: )
Protected area
The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group partnered with the JCCD, Jefferson Co., local property owners and the
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is a department of the government of the state of Washington, United States of America. The WDFW manages over a million acres of land, the bulk of which is generally open to the public, an ...
to restore manage the Big Quilcene Estuary. The project permanently protects and restored the mouth of the
Big Quilcene River, removing 5,000 feet of levee to restore 40 acres of salt marsh with 3,000 feet of tidal channels in the
Quilcene Bay.
Species
;Primary Species Benefiting
*
Chum salmon
The chum salmon (''Oncorhynchus keta''), also known as dog salmon or keta salmon, is a species of anadromous salmonid fish from the genus ''Oncorhynchus'' (Pacific salmon) native to the coastal rivers of the North Pacific and the Beringian Arctic ...
;Secondary Species Benefiting
*
Bull trout
The bull trout (''Salvelinus confluentus'') is a char of the family Salmonidae native to northwestern North America. Historically, ''S. confluentus'' has been known as the " Dolly Varden" (''S. malma''), but was reclassified as a separate speci ...
*
Chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...
*
Coho salmon
The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family (biology), family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon (or "silvers") and is often ...
*
Coastal cutthroat trout
The coastal cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii'', sometimes referred as ''Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii''), also known as the sea-run cutthroat trout, blue-back trout or harvest trout, is one of the four speciesTrotter, Patrick; Bisson, Pete ...
*
River lamprey
*
Steelhead
Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the Fish migration#Classification, anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or Columbia River redband trout (''O. m. gairdneri'', also called redband steelhead). Steelhead are native to cold-wa ...
* Other Wildlife
See also
*
Hood Canal
Hood Canal is a fjord-like body of water that lies south of Admiralty Inlet in Washington State that some consider to be the western lobe and one of the five main basins of Puget Sound.[Quilcene, Washington
Quilcene is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson County, Washington, United States. The population was 598 at the 2020 census.
The community is located on the Olympic Peninsula at the head of Quilcene Bay, ...]
*
Big Quilcene River
*
Donovan Creek Estuary
*
Little Quilcene Estuary
*
Little Quilcene River
*
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
References
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External links
Jefferson Land Trust
Nature reserves in Washington (state)
Bays of Washington (state)
Estuaries of Washington (state)
Protected areas of Jefferson County, Washington
Bodies of water of Jefferson County, Washington
Bays of Jefferson County, Washington
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