Your Dollars at Work in Olympic
Your generosity made these projects possible!
2011
Hurricane Ridge Road Winter Access - $50,500
Thanks to organizations and businesses in the Port Angeles area, including the City of Port Angeles and the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Hurricane Ridge Road was kept open all of the winter of 2010-2011. Increasing traffic from strictly weekends, this generous funding effort allowed tourists, skiers and the general public to enjoy Hurricane Ridge throughout the snowy season.
Engage Diverse Audiences in Elwha River Restoration - $10,000
To celebrate the beginning of dam removal, Olympic National Park will work with its partners to plan, organize and present a special kick-off event on the weekend of September 16-18, 2011. The program will engage diverse audiences, including children, youth, families and others in learning more about the Elwha River Restoration. Partnerships will be fostered and strengthened through planning and preparation for this community event.
Elwha River Restoration Education and Outreach - $30,000
The nation's largest dam removal in history will begin in September 2011 in Olympic National Park, setting in motion a landmark restoration project. New educational materials will focus on visitor safety, travel and orientation information, to enhance learning and enjoyment of this landmark project. Funds will also support a seasonal interpretive ranger dedicated exclusively to the Elwha River Restoration.
Citizen Science: Olympic Marmot Monitoring Year 2 - $4,500
This program will continue the very successful and popular Olympic Marmot study initiated in 2010. More than 80 volunteers - ranging in age from 11 to over 70 - provided park biologists with important population data. Study results will enhance our knowledge base of the connection between marmot ecology and climate change, and inform natural resource management decisions in the park.
Roosevelt Elk Spring Surveys - $11,000
The Roosevelt Elk is the iconic animal in Olympic National Park. A significant monitoring project using GPS radio collars was launched in 2009-2010 through support from donors to Washington's National Park Fund. Sustaining the annual monitoring of these elk in the "spring range" -- Hoh, South Fork Hoh and Queets - is vital to the park's mission of protecting its native wildlife.
Lake Quinault Tourism Enhancement - $20,000
Expedia's generous contributions support a number of current projects underway in Olympic National Park. Most recently the Lake Quinault community has launched a tourism program, made possible in part through volunteer expertise and a $20,000 gift from Expedia. Wayfinding signage will be added around the lake, highlighting information about waterfalls, homesteads, and natural and cultural features. Signage is expected to be placed during the winter of 2011.
2010
Olympic Marmot Wayside Exhibit - $9,500
As one of the park's most popular native species, the Olympic marmot is receiving greater attention with this summer's volunteer monitoring program. This exhibit will provide an opportunity for thousands of visitors who walk the Hurricane Hill trail each year to learn about and better appreciate the Olympic marmot, including life history and population dynamics that recent and ongoing research reveals.
Lake Crescent Freshwater Mussels Assessment and Monitoring - $20,495
Lake Crescent is a pristine lake enjoyed by thousands of visitors each year. The project will provide a baseline survey of the lake's native mussel population to protect it and also and prevent invasion by non-native species.
Elwha Restoration Project Community Outreach - $34,320
As restoration of the Elwha River reaches its peak with dam removal set to begin in 2011, the park continues it education and outreach initiatives both locally and nationally with interactive, web-based information as well as digital animations that show progress from start to finish.
Adopt-A-River: Study of Fish Populations - $38,965
Park visitors, educators, researchers and public lands managers will benefit from monitoring the health of four rivers: South Fork Hoh, North Fork Skokomish, East Fork Quinault, and the Elwha. This project will detect trends and allow for specific management actions including: implementation of more appropriate fishing regulations, evaluation of existing hatchery releases, control of non-native fish species, and prioritization of habitat restoration projects.
2009
Monitor Fisher Restoration - $20,000
About the size of a house cat, fishers are members of the weasel family and also related to 
mink, otter and marten. They are native to the forests of Washington, including the Olympic Peninsula, but vanished from the state decades ago due to over-trapping in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Study and Protect Roosevelt Elk -$25,000
Olympic National Park is home to the iconic Roosevelt Elk. A significant monitoring project using GPS radio collars was launched in 2009-2010 through Washington's National Park Fund.
Assess Olympic Marmot Population - $26,300
Marmots occupy mountain meadows above 4000 feet. Although they are found throughout the Olympic Mountains, they are rare in the wetter southwest areas of the park. About 90 percent of Olympic marmot habitat is protected within Olympic National Park.
2008
Fisher Reintroduction Monitoring and Education Project - $40,000
Beginning the reintroduction of a once-thriving species that has been extinct in Washington State for over 80 years. This project monitors the survival, movements, and broad scale landscape selection patterns of released fishers. Additionally, funding will support outreach, education and citizen science so the public can participate in and learn about the conservation of an imperiled native species.
Elwha Dam Removal/Restoration Project Traveling Exhibit - $55,000
Park staff worked to provide a comprehensive, national-level Elwha education program to help the citizens of our nation understand the significance of this important restoration project. The Elwha Education package interprets more than just the story of the ecological restoration of a watershed; it also tells the story of a broader community of citizens whose values changed over time. It is a story that weaves together the voices of many groups and demonstrates how over time, our nation makes decisions that affect our ecological, economical, and social fabric.
Thank you donors and friends for all your support!