The Columbia River - Pierce NWR, Washington

Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Pierce National Wildlife Refuge, Washington"

includes ... Pierce National Wildlife Refuge ... Hardy Creek ...

Image, 2004, Pierce National Wildlife Refuge, click to enlarge

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 Beacon Rock and Pierce Island, one of the islands seen by Lewis and Clark. Hardy Creek bisects the Refuge in two. Upstream is Hamilton Island. Sixteen miles downstream lies the Steigerwald Lake Refuge.

Early Pierce Refuge ...

Pierce 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 Fish and Wildlife, Mrs. Pierce requested that they administer the Refuge as an "inviolate sanctuary" and stipulated that hunting should not be allowed. Following the death of Mrs. Pierce in 1988, Fish and Wildlife 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.

Pierce Refuge:
"Pierce Refuge is located in Skamania County, Washington, immmediately west of the town of North Bonneville and two river miles east of Franz Lake Refuge. The 329-acre Refuge is fully acquired by the Service.
The Service acquired 319 acres of the Pierce Ranch property in 1990 through donation. The warranty deed specified the area can only be used for "wildlife refuge, recreation or park purposes." When donating the land, the donor, requested the Refuge be administered as an inviolate sanctuary and stipulated that hunting should not be allowed. The land donation was accepted in accordance with the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1919 ...
In 1988, the Service acquired the remaining 10 acres of the Pierce Ranch ...."

Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2004, "Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan ..."

The refuge headquarters near Pierce NWR also serves as main office for Steigerwald Lake (RM 126) and Franz Lake (RM 138) refuges. The Pierce Refuge is a part of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge complex.

Spectacular views of Pierce Refuge can be seen from the top of Beacon Rock and nice views can also be had from the boat launch area of Beacon Rock State Park.

Views ...

Click image to enlarge	Pierce National Wildlife Refuge (left) and Pierce Island (right) as seen from Beacon Rock boat ramp, Skamania County, Washington. Aldrich Butte is also visible on the left. Image taken September 26, 2016.
Click image to enlarge	Aldrich Butte as seen from Beacon Rock boad launch, Beacon Rock State Park, Washington. Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is in the foreground. Image taken September 26, 2016.

From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, November 2, 1805 ...

Return to
Menu

^*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, 2003

Sources:

"Recreation.gov" website, 2004;
U.S. Department Fish & Wildlife website, 2004;
U.S. Department Fish & Wildlife Service, 2004, "Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan and Environmental Assessment, Steigerwald Lake NWR, Franz Lake NWR, and Pierce NWR";

All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.

/Regions/Places/pierce_NWR.html
October 2016