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Now that it’s getting warmer out, let me tell you an anecdote about how I first learned about the woes of the Deschutes Estuary. This is 2015, and I had just moved to Olympia. My husband and I were exploring Olympia, stoked to be in a city with a vibrant downtown and beautiful waterfront. That was, until we saw Capitol Lake. Or, actually, we smelled it first. You’ve all seen Capitol Lake in the height of summer– overwhelming algal blooms in a seemingly stagnant body of water. This was confusing for us.
How could there be this giant eutrophic eyesore in the heart of Washington, a state known for beautiful waterways and a robust environmental ethos? The Capitol campus is, of course, a major tourist attraction… it’s not just locals who are confronted with this neon green spectacle, which, interestingly enough, is not even the most eutrophic local lake. Eutrophication is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Capitol Lake issues, yet it leaves such an impression. I immediately felt that this lake, and the water quality in the South Sound as a whole, cannot possibly represent who we are as Olympians, and who we are as the people of Washington. This place should reflect our values as residents of the Evergreen state– don’t we want the center of our Capitol city to feature a mighty free-flowing Deschutes?
As I got to know Olympia, I began to see the Yestuary! Bumper stickers around town, and became increasingly curious about the advocacy campaign to remove the 5th Avenue dam and restore our urban estuary. Flash forward a few years, and I now have the honor of serving as DERT’s Executive Director. It’s my privilege to advocate every day for the restoration of the Deschutes Estuary. We can do better than Capitol Lake, and we will– thanks to the community advocacy that pushed the Environmental Impact Statement to happen. At this point in the EIS process, the state has identified the Estuary as the likely preferred alternative to Capitol Lake. (more info about what that looks like here). The push is far from over, but let us take a moment to celebrate the inevitable removal of the 5th avenue dam! In a lot of ways, our work is only just beginning. One day, the estuary will be the gem of Olympia, and the symbol of our values as the Evergreen State.
If you feel the same way, I urge you to get involved. We are raising funds to continue our programs to educate citizens, students, teachers and decision makers as to the environmental and economic benefits of restoring the estuary to a naturally functioning highly productive ecosystem. Our purpose is to create dialogue around reconnecting the Deschutes River to its estuary– and we cannot do that without you.
