Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife Reserve · Olympia, Washington
The Nisqually River delta where it meets Puget Sound, protected in 1974 and renamed in 2015 for Billy Frank Jr., the Nisqually leader who was arrested more than fifty times for fishing in his own river and whose campaign led to the 1974 Boldt decision affirming tribal treaty rights. In 2009 the refuge removed a century-old farm dike and returned 762 acres to the tide, one of the largest estuary restorations ever undertaken in the Pacific Northwest. It sits immediately off Interstate 5 between Olympia and Tacoma.
100 Brown Farm Road NE, Olympia, Washington, 98516, United States
Refuge open daily from sunrise to sunset. The visitor centre keeps shorter hours and is generally closed on some weekdays - check before travelling for it specifically. The Nisqually Estuary Boardwalk is closed seasonally in parts for waterfowl hunting on adjacent land and for high-tide flooding; the closure dates are posted at the trailhead.
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos