#chehalis river

Somewhere down the lazy river...

dead malls:

This month’s feature WWRP category is Natural Areas, and we’ve chosen to highlight the Chehalis Surge Plain Natural Area. Photo Credit: RCO PRISM.

For every month of 2017, the Coalition is focusing on one of the twelve WWRP categories. This month, that category is Natural Areas!

The Chehalis Surge Plain Natural Area is a perfect project to highlight, with its abundant natural habitat land and beautiful Sitka spruce forests.

The Chehalis River Surge Plain is the largest coastal wetland in the northwest, where fish, wildlife, and waterfowl thrive. The area includes nesting, roosting and foraging habitat for eagles, osprey, great blue heron, waterfowl, shorebirds, and neo-tropical migrant species. The area also includes habitat for bears, river otters, raccoons, beavers, muskrats, and other mammals.

Expanding development and industry from neighboring Aberdeen was leading to the loss and degradation of these important wetlands, threatening water quality in the river and Grays Harbor, as well as salmon and wildlife populations and local shellfish farms. A WWRP grant helped acquire 1,600 acres of the natural area, funded restoration work, and helped develop this popular angling, birdwatching, and hiking destination, including developing trails, a boat launch, and a tribal treaty fishing access.

The entire surge plain is composed of about 2,640 acres of meandering sloughs and islands in the river. And much like other wetlands, it acts as an enormous “sponge” that helps minimize flooding downstream.

THE STORY OF THE FLOOD: A CHEHALIS LEGEND

*re-printed from the August 2010 Chehalis Tribe newsletter.

Photo: Chehalis River | Dryad, WA | © H a v e n 

  A long time ago, the animals and birds lived as people. Thrush wanted to marry a certain young girl, but her parents did not approve of him.

But the young girl, however, wished to marry him. The girl persisted and finally her parents gave their consent. Thrush and the young girl were married.

Thrush always had a dirty face; he never washed before he ate. His mother-in-law asked him “Why don’t you wash your face?” Thrush did not answer. The next morning she asked again “Why don’t you wash your face? It’s getting dirty.” Thrush once again did not reply. She asked him the same question for 5 days in a row.

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.” ― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

Read some Chehalis River folklore at Gathering the Stories