The smallest
restoration site with the biggest name! (G. Siani,
NOAA, 2002)
Completed in 1999. The Skookum Wulge Beach site consists of 1.19 acres of
uplands and tidelands with 418 linear feet of waterfront
immediately inshore from a Trustee restoration site (#1),
formerly the Meeker Log Storage Lease. When the lease
ceased, the adjacent upland lands became available for
purchase. The Trustees purchased the land in 1999 and
conveyed title, in trust, to the Puyallup Tribe of Indians
for stewardship in perpetuity.
The Trustees assessed three options in 1999 for developing
the riparian portion of the site while maintaining its
intertidal nature. The options were extensively evaluated
by the design consultants and input during public meetings,
resulting in a decision by the Trustees to conduct no
active restoration on this small site at this time. The
Trustees will reevaluate this position should the monitoring
efforts determine that the site needs intervention in
order to continue functioning.
Following solicitation of proposed restoration project
site names from students at a tribal school and in consultation
with a Puyallup tribal linguist, the Puyallup tribal representatives
proposed names for five projects. One of those sites,
the Meeker Property, has been renamed "Skookum Wulge,"
which is Salish for "powerful salt water" or
"Puget Sound."
Restoration Activities
Objectives:
To enhance the nearshore and intertidal habitats for
salmonid and benthic resources and to provide an unobstructed
corridor along the shoreline which encompasses the intertidal
area and extends into the Bay to a depth of at least -10
feet (MLLW).
Goals:
Acquire undeveloped intertidal and riparian lands
along Marine View Drive between the mouth of Hylebos
Waterway and Browns Point,
Design and construct intertidal habitat enhancements,
Integrate intertidal habitat acquisitions and enhancements
with subtidal restoration efforts, especially those
adjacent to the restoration sites acquired under the
settlement with the Washington Department of Natural
Resources (WDNR),
Capture high quality, year-round freshwater runoff
from uplands and incorporate it into an intertidal marsh,
Restore subtidal areas to productive benthic habitats
where impacted by wood debris from log storage operations,and
Establish long-term stewardship and management of
the shoreline.
The site is a natural fill of unconsolidated glacial
till which slid off of the hillside above into Commencement
Bay in 1938; the shape of the riparian point of land extending
onto the beach is the result of this slide and subsequent
wave erosion from the Bay. The site is partially protected
from major winter storm effects from the northwest by
the Foss Maritime log storage area immediately offshore.
The Trustees have requested that the protective outline
of this log storage area be somewhat reconfigured to move
the inshore footprint to water deeper than -10 feet (MLLW).
Future changes to the area could possibly occur from a
phasing out of in-water storage of logs with a subsequent
complete removal of the protectiveness of the boomed logs.
While an apparent source of fresh water is evident on
the uphill side of Marine View Drive, the size of the
site does not lend itself into developing a freshwater
marsh, even with an available source of fresh water. The
Trustees will hold this site for future restoration activities
and will continue to monitor changes in offshore activities
as well as perform routine maintenance and cleanup of
the intertidal area.
From I-5 take Exit 137. Turn right and follow 54th Ave. E. Turn right at 509 N. (aka Marine View Drive). An easy way to ensure that all three Marine View Drive sites are identified (Yowkwala,Squally Beach, and Skookum Wulge) is to go to the Cliff House Restaurant on Marine View Drive (on the left) and then turn around and drive south looking for three project signs on the right side of the road. The second of these signs is for the Skookum Wulge property. The site is next to house #4108. The sign is located at a pathway to the site.
