News and Events

September 2022

Construction of a new outdoor classroom began last week at the River Center and is expected to be complete in early January 2023. The project coincides with installation of the River Center’s exhibit hall in mid-October, and completion of the salmon restoration project in Railroad Bridge Park.

The River Center’s picnic shelter and amphitheater, built in the woods by volunteers and used by River Center education staff for over 25 years to teach both children and adults, were removed in June to make way for the river restoration project now taking place.

Over the years, more than 20,000 students began their field trips at the picnic shelter before donning black rubber boots and wading into the Dungeness for watershed studies. The amphitheater which seated 100, was used for “Learning by the Light of the Moon,” musical performances and ceremonial events.

Activities held in the amphitheater will be reinvented and held in the new plaza which can seat up to 300 with a performance space just outside the River Center’s doors.

The new outdoor classroom, located adjacent to the park-host site south of the River Center, will have space for 30 students. The building includes plumbing, electricity, a restroom, storage, and three roll-up doors that can be opened for an “outside” feel and closed for security. The building will be ADA accessible.

“As a longtime educator at the Center and Park, I am thrilled for the addition of this classroom space that will be used to create meaningful outdoor experiences for all ages,” said Powell Jones, River Center director. “Having a dedicated space for our outdoor classes, in such a beautiful design, emphasizes our commitment to outdoor education and is the perfect finishing piece to our floodplain restoration project.” 

The building is rooted in Coast Salish design: Its shingled round roof will resemble a traditional “potlatch” hat. These hats are woven from cedar strips and worn by the person hosting a potlatch. The hat is added to in height for each potlatch hosted. The building’s ceiling and columns will be constructed of unpainted red cedar.

Landscaping will “enclose” the building in greenery. A trail to the classroom that serpentines through the woods will add interest for school children disembarking from school buses and entering the outdoor classroom from the parking lot.

When not in use, the classroom, like all the spaces inside the River Center, can be leased by the public for private events and will be accessible for supply vehicles.

Designed by Kirk Nelson, Jamestown S’Klallam senior construction manager, with input from Powell Jones, River Center director, final drawings were produced by Otak, an engineering firm based in Vancouver, WA. The classroom is being built by Clark Construction, Bainbridge Island.

The new classroom is paid for by “Floodplains for Design” grant as part of the Jamestown Tribe’s removal of the 1960-era levee, parking lot mitigation, and salmon passage. The grant also funds a new bridge from the historic railroad trestle that will adjoin the existing Olympic Discovery Trail. A separate span will link the River Center’s plaza to the bridge.

New Exhibits

Jenna Ziogas, River Center Education Manager, will present an illustrated preview of the environmental education exhibits that are to be installed this fall in the Center’s remodeled exhibit space.



For more information: : https://olympicpeninsulaaudubon.org/events-calendar/september-21-2022-opas-meeting-and-program

Bird Strikes

Dee Renee Ericks for two years has been the OPAS project leader of the Olympic Peninsula Audubon’s program to reduce, and hopefully eliminate bird strikes on the large glass windows on the Peninsula College Campus in Port Angeles.

Eriks’ presentation will provide the current status of the work, action to be accomplished this fall, and an outline the future plans and resources that will be necessary for the success of this project. 

Purple Martin Nesting Boxes

Beginning with three scrap wood boxes hung on the abandoned wood pilings in front of the 3 Crabs Restaurant there are now 65 Purple Martin boxes, built and installed by OPAS volunteers, extending from Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge to Port Angeles. Ken Wiersema will present a short program that details the results of the 2022 breeding season and new information on the migration patterns of the western subspecies of Purple Martins.

Photo Credit: Dee Renee Ericks

Sequim Bike Rodeo

THANK YOU to The Cedars at Dungeness, 7 Cedars Resort and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe

 for hosting the 

4^th Annual River Center

Charity Golf Tournament

And to the following business sponsors:

Alder Wood Bistro

Angeles Millwork & Lumber Company

Blue Sky Real Estate

Castell Insurance

Colin Hiday Concrete, Inc.

Enterprise Fleet Management, Inc.

Fogtown Coffee Bar

Hartnagel Building Supply, Inc.

Hurricane Coffee Co.

Jamestown Excavating

Jamestown Family Health Clinic

Jim’s Pharmacy

Johnston Land Surveying, Inc.

Jon Jack Insurance Agency

Kitsap Bank, Sequim Branch

Korsmo Construction

Marguerite A. Glover/Peter Black Real Estate

North Peninsula Electric, Inc.

Oasis Sports Bar & Grill

Rice Fergus Miller

SCJ Alliance

SENSE, Inc.

Swains

The Lodge at Sherwood Village

Wilder Auto Center

And to our raffle prize donors:

Camaraderie Cellars

Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course

Dungeness River Center Gift Shop

Kokopelli’s

Annette and Pete Nesse

Northwest Native Expression Art Gallery

Oak Table Restaurant

Tuttie Peetz

Wanda Schneider

Dungeness River Nature Center Golf committee members:

Tuttie Peetz, Annette Nesse and Wanda Schneider, with thanks to Robin Auld