The Black River Unit
The authorized boundary of the Black River Unit encompasses approximately 3,800 acres. Land acquisition is still in progress; currently, the USFWS owns and manages approximately 1,000 acres. See the Black River Unit map for more details. The Black River is a tributary of the Chehalis River, the second largest watershed in Washington. The Unit’s wetland habitats make up one of the largest undisturbed freshwater wetland systems remaining in all of Puget Sound. The river's diverse habitats include prairie oak woodlands, sphagnum bogs, wet prairies, alder bottoms, and wetland conifer forests. The Unit contains critical spawning and rearing habitat and migration corridors for steelhead and cutthroat trout and coho and chinook salmon. At least 150 species of migratory birds, including waterfowl and neotropical songbirds, use the wetland and riparian habitats. It is also one of only 3 places where the Oregon spotted frog is known to occur in Washington. The Oregon spotted frog is a State listed endangered species, and a candidate for Federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Location Public Access |
The Black River Unit was established in 1996 and is managed as part of
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. It encompasses a large mosaic of wetland
and riparian habitats and surrounding uplands along the Black River. The
purpose of this Unit is to protect biological diversity, enhance, and
manage unique wetland and riparian ecosystems for the benefit of anadromous
salmonid production and rearing, migratory and resident waterfowl, migratory
neotropical birds, wading birds, and other wetland-dependent wildlife. Last updated:
May 1, 2009
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