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The Dungeness River Audubon Center received feature treatment in Audubon magazine.

Size
Railroad Bridge Park’s 28 acres of multi-hued riparian (streamside) forest, sparkling salmon stream, and beckoning pathways form the home landscape of the Dungeness River Audubon Center in Sequim, Washington. The centerpiece of the park is the 1000 feet of public river access, and Audubon Washington is working with other conservation organizations to safeguard 300 acres of natural habitat adjacent to the park upriver.

Location/Description
Noted for its year-round sunny climate, Sequim lies on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula between the glaciated Olympic Mountains and the saltwater Strait of Juan de Fuca. The 1600-square-foot center, designed and built largely with volunteer labor, has porch poles of native trees and an engaging interior of murals and exhibits of local birds, mammals and plants. The RiverStage outdoor amphitheater hosts summer’s popular natural history program RiverTalks, while the RiverShed beckons families to picnic beneath its timber-frame canopy. The former Railroad Bridge provides a platform for viewing spawning salmon in the river below, and a diverse assortment of birds and trees at eye-level.

Partnership
In May, 2001 a partnership was formed among the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Rainshadow Natural Science Foundation (now the River Center Foundation), Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society and Audubon Washington. An executive committee comprised of representatives from all partners oversees operations of the center. The Dungeness River Audubon Center is the first center in the country to partner with a Native American tribe.

Key Audiences
While the center encourages environmental education and stewardship among all ages, it focuses resources and programs primarily on two segments of the population: middle-school children and retirees.

• Middle-school children
  Sowing the seeds of excitement about nature at an early age can lead to life-long concern for the environment and commitment to conservation. Therefore, the center will provide middle-school children with environmental education not available elsewhere in the region. Hands-on, science-based courses will emphasize birds, salmon, and watershed programs that take advantage of the center’s unique setting.
• Retirees
  While people may carry a passion for the environment for years, many do not have the time to fully pursue their interest until they retire. The Dungeness River Center provides people who are no longer bound to the workaday life with specific programs in the classroom and in the field that focus on the natural world. Currently, 68 trained volunteer docents, many of them retirees, actively participate in the center’s programs.

Conservation
Nestled in the Dungeness River watershed, the center offers ready access to rich riparian habitat of coniferous and deciduous trees and native understory that support many birds and mammals. Weekly birdwatching walks in the park have documented 62 species using the area, including the uncommon Redpoll, Red Crossbill, and White-throated Sparrow. Other watershed wildlife includes black bear, Roosevelt elk, Columbia blacktail deer, bobcat, river otter, and beaver.

The historic Railroad Bridge and Trestle, located along a five-mile stretch of handicap-accessible, pedestrian trail, dates from 1915 and provides picturesque access over the salmon-bearing Dungeness River for people traveling by foot, bicycle, wheelchair or stroller. Railroad Bridge takes visitors into the canopy of big-leaf maples and cottonwoods, including some of the state’s largest trees of these species.

For additional information, click on these links: Programs, Location, Contacts and Support.