The Pierce National Wildlife Refuge is in southwest

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

within the

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region in ...

. It encompasses

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The p ...

s and uplands along the north shore of the Columbia River west of the town of North Bonneville. Refuge habitats include

s, Columbia River

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

corridor blocks, transitional

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (se ...

s from

willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

s to cottonwood/ash to

white oak The genus ''Quercus'' contains about 500 species, some of which are listed here. The genus, as is the case with many large genera, is divided into subgenera and sections. Traditionally, the genus ''Quercus'' was divided into the two subgenera ''C ...

to Douglas fir, improved pastures with some native grasses, and numerous creeks, seeps, and springs. Hardy Creek, which bisects the refuge from east to west, supports one of the last remaining runs of chum salmon on the Columbia River. The creek also supports small remnant runs of

coho salmon The coho salmon (''Oncorhynchus kisutch;'' Karuk: achvuun) is a species of anadromous fish in the salmon family (biology), family and one of the five Pacific salmon species. Coho salmon are also known as silver salmon or "silvers". The scientif ...

steelhead Steelhead, or occasionally steelhead trout, is the common name of the anadromous form of the coastal rainbow trout or redband trout (O. m. gairdneri). Steelhead are native to cold-water tributaries of the Pacific basin in Northeast Asia and ...

, and

Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ...

as well as a variety of native species of freshwater fish. The refuge headquarters also serves as the main office for Steigerwald Lake and Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuges. Visitor opportunities are limited to arranged group tours and viewing from the summit of Beacon Rock and the Hamilton Mountain Trail (both located in

Beacon Rock State Park Beacon Rock State Park is a geologic preserve and public recreation area on Route 14 in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Skamania County, Washington, United States. The park takes its name from Beacon Rock, an basalt volcanic p ...

References

External links

Pierce National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges in Washington (state) Protected areas of Skamania County, Washington Wetlands of Washington (state) Landforms of Skamania County, Washington {{Washington-protected-area-stub