Our first stop today was to the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge itself consists of about 16,000 acres. It was established in 1937 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one of my favorite Presidents!
This Wildlife Refuge is special in that it starts with an Art Trail. The art is supposed to tell us to slow down and enjoy nature and also to caution us not to lose what is so precious to us all.
Start here with the tiny life forms shown
on this Diatom and Algae Gate
Relax and have a picnic lunch at the Dragon Fly Table
The Worm Bench celebrates a seldom seen invertebrate
Each contributor is acknowledged on these
bird and salmon post caps
Many species rely on the death of spawning adult salmon.
Far from the end life is celebrated with the giant salmon bones,
Shorebird Swirl - Staging shorebirds take off for the Arctic
Bronze Shards tell how the oily sheen in
the bay is natural plant decomposition
These revolving posts of spinners tell us that from the
bones of the parents spring the next generation of
salmon. The bay is their nursery.
bones of the parents spring the next generation of
salmon. The bay is their nursery.
All kinds of bugs and crawlies living in the stream
get a boost when the spawning salmon return.
Willapa is particularly rich in amphibian species.
The Snowy Plover
The Northern Pintail
Violet-green Swallow
Marbled Murrelet
Northern Flicker
Bald Eagle
The Great Horned Owl
One in 8 - which will be the next feather lost to Extinction? Many of these birds remain on the endangered species list.
The Red-legged frog leap arcs in bronze show
how far these amphibians can leap
These are bronze larval houses on the Caddisfly Rocks
Bronze inhabitants of this stream are displayed
in the four pillars that represent the upturned stream
Potent symbols of the Northwest come together here:
the forest and the fish join to be tree salmon
Cuckoo Wasp
The Roseate Skimmer
Twelve-spotted Skimmer
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