Click image to enlarge
|
Pierce National Wildlife Refuge, Washington.
View includes Beacon Rock (left), Hamilton Mountain, and Aldrich Butte. The wildlife refuge is along the water. Image taken from Beacon Rock boat dock.
Image taken August 1, 2004.
|
Pierce National Wildlife Refuge ...
|
Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is located in Southwest Washington within the
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, at Columbia River Mile (RM) 142. The refuge encompasses wetlands and uplands along the north shore of the Columbia River west of the town of
North Bonneville, and east of Beacon Rock.
Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge is two miles downstream. Immediately downstream is Pierce Island, one of the islands seen by Lewis and Clark.
Pierce National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1990 when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received a
donation of 319 acres from the landowner, Mrs. Lena Pierce, for “wildlife
refuge, recreation or park purposes”. In donating the land
to the Service, Mrs. Pierce requested that the Service administer the
Refuge as an inviolate sanctuary and stipulated that hunting should not be
allowed. Following the death of Mrs.
Pierce in 1988, the Service acquired the remaining 10 acres of private
land within the approved Refuge acquisition boundary under the authority
of the Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956.
Refuge habitats include wetlands, Columbia River riparian corridor blocks, transitional woodlands from willows to cottonwood/ash to white oak to Douglas fir, improved pastures with some native grasses, and numerous creeks, seeps, and springs.
Spectacular views of Pierce Refuge can be seen from the top of Beacon Rock.
The refuge headquarters also serves as main office for
Steigerwald Lake (RM 126) and
Franz Lake (RM 138) refuges.
Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the
Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge complex.
|
Hardy Creek ...
|
Hardy Creek, which bisects the Pierce National Wildlife Refuge from east to west, supports one of the last remaining runs of chum salmon on the Columbia River. In addition to chum salmon, the creek also supports small remnant runs of Coho, steelhead and Chinook salmon as well as a variety of native species of freshwater fish.
|
|
From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
|
Clark, November 2, 1805 ...
Examined the rapid below us [from their camp at Fort Rains, looking at the Cascade Rapids] more pertcelarly the danger appearing too great to Hazzard our Canoes loaded, dispatched all the men who could not Swim with loads to the end of the portage below, I also walked to the end of the portage with the carriers where I delayed untill everry articles was brought over and canoes arrived Safe. here we brackfast and took a Meridn. altitude 59° 45' 45" about the time we were Setting out 7 Squars came over loaded with Dried fish, and bear grass neetly bundled up, Soon after 4 Indian men came down over the rapid in a large canoe.
passed a rapid at 2 miles & 1 at 4 miles opposite the lower point of a high Island on the Lard Side [Bradford Island], and a little below 4 Houses on the Stard. Bank, a Small Creek on the Lard Side [Tanner Creek] opposit Straw berry Island [Hamilton Island], which heads below the last rapid, opposit the lower point of this Island [Hamilton Island] passed three Islands covered with tall timber [today there are two, Ives and Pierce] opposit the Beatin rock [Beacon Rock]
Those Islands are nearest the Starboard Side, imediately below on the Stard. Side passed a village of nine houses [Skamania and Skamania Landing], which is Situated between 2 Small Creeks [Woodward Creek and Duncan Creek], and are of the Same construction of those above; here the river widens to near a mile, and the bottoms are more extensive and thickly timbered, as also the high mountains on each Side, with Pine, Spruce pine, Cotton wood, a Species of ash, and alder. at 17 miles passed a rock near the middle of the river [Phoca Rock], about 100 feet high and 80 feet Diamuter,
proceed on down a Smoth gentle Stream of about 2 miles wide, in which the tide has its effect as high as the Beaten rock [Beacon Rock] or the Last rapids at Strawberry Island [Hamilton Island],- Saw great numbers of waterfowl of Different kinds, Such as Swan, Geese, white & grey brants, ducks of various kinds, Guls, & Pleaver [today just below Beacon Rock is Pierce National Wildlife Refuge and Franz National Wildlife Refuge]. ...
we encamped under a high projecting rock on the Lard. Side [Rooster Rock],
here the mountains leave the river on each Side, which from the great Shute to this place is high and rugid
[Columbia River Gorge, including Bridal Veil, Cape Horn, Yeon Mountain and St. Peters Dome, Oneonta Bluffs, Basalts at Multnomah and Horsetail Falls];
thickly Covered with timber principalley of the Pine Species. The bottoms below appear extensive and thickly Covered with wood. river here about 2½ miles wide.
Seven Indians in a Canoe on their way down to trade with the nativs below, encamp with us, those we left at the portage passed us this evening and proceeded on down The ebb tide rose here about 9 Inches, the flood tide must rise here much higher- we made 29 miles to day from the Great Shute [Cascade Locks]-
|
|
|
Return to