Restoration
The Port’s environmental programs include efforts to protect and restore habitat areas and native species. The Marine Terminal, Marina and Airport all operate in habitats in which significant land and aquatic species make their homes. We incorporate protective measures for these species into the design and construction of our major projects and seek opportunities to collaborate with our neighbors on efforts that ensure the continued prosperity of both the Port operations and the environments within which we operate.
The Port also recognizes the importance of public access to the shoreline. We have invested significant resources in building and maintaining open spaces for the community to ensure Olympia’s working waterfront affords the community ample opportunities to recreate.
Mission Creek
In partnership with the South Sound Salmon Enhancement Group and the City of Olympia, the Port helped to restore the Mission Creek estuary within Priest Point Park on the eastern shores of Budd Inlet. The project restored fish passage and estuarine functions at Mission Creek by removing an existing road embankment, culvert and accumulated sediments. The restoration project was implemented by the Port, with the assistance of funds provided by the state Salmon Recovery Funding Board.
West Bay Restoration Assessment
The Port of Olympia, in collaboration with the City of Olympia and the Squaxin Tribe developed a science-based assessment of environmental restoration opportunities for the West Bay shoreline in Olympia, WA. The assessment supports the implementation of habitat restoration and water quality strategies and also includes evaluations of recreational opportunities within the project study area, particularly in West Bay Park and the lagoon located south of the developed park.
Twelve restoration alternatives were developed and 18 potential stormwater improvements identified. Taken as a whole, the potential restoration projects provide the opportunity to enhance the ecological functions of West Bay. Connecting the restoration sites would promote natural coastal processes and resiliency compared to piecemeal efforts at isolated sites. The concepts also include overlays of recreation opportunities that would accommodate increased public use of the shoreline.
