A Visit to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
This Greater Yellowlegged put on quite the energetic display as it navigated around the water and sand dipping its beak and splashing water around.
Just north of Olympia lies a wildlife refuge that is not only close by and easy to access, but also welcoming to those with children and disabilities.
With nice weather in the forecast for the weekend, my wife, our youngest, and I made plans to spend a portion of our day there. We headed out around noon and found the park packed. This wasn’t a surprise; beautiful days are hard to come by this time of year, and everyone wanted to be outside.
We weaved our way through the park, stopping often to look at ducks, listen for frogs, and turn around to watch large flocks of geese taking flight. Once we navigated the gravel path, we headed toward the boardwalk. Surrounded by the estuary on either side, it took us a while to make our way across because we were constantly stopping to watch herons in the tall grass.
If you like birdwatching, this is the place to do it—they are everywhere. The boardwalk extends out over the water as far as the eye can see. We strolled along, taking our time to scan the horizon and shallows. We even spotted a large group of seals beached on a small nearby island.
We spent nearly four hours wandering the park while I took photos. However, understanding the history of this land is just as important as appreciating the protection it received in 2015, when President Barack Obama signed the Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act. This act redesignated the wildlife refuge in honor of the Nisqually tribe leader and treaty activist, Billy Frank Jr.
The Nisqually describe this basin as the point of origin for their people. In fact, the grasses that grow in the basin influenced their endonym dxʷsqʷaliʔabš, meaning "people of the grass." Historically, 14 permanent villages relied upon this delta for sustenance. In the 1830s, a fort was built near the basin, bringing fur trading, farmers, and missionaries. This migration eventually led to the Medicine Creek Treaty in 1854. Under the treaty, the tribes ceded their lands to the federal government and were removed to reservations.
Today, the refuge stands in massive contrast to most outdoor places. The land and water are teeming with animals; you would be hard-pressed to look anywhere and not see something worth watching.
