#chehalis river

[interdiscarts]

[frommylimitedtravels]

Somewhere down the lazy river...

Thanks to J and S for being such good hosts this last weekend. You guys are awesome.

[ianmacleodphoto]

dead malls:

south shore mall, aberdeen, wash.

[frommylimitedtravels]

The Chehalis at Rainbow Falls - Washington

[missiemoosie]

Dad, Juju, and I took a little trip to a riverside park today where we had some lunch :p I wanted to take more pictures of the river, but there were people around and I didn't want them thinking I was taking pictures of them.

[wildliferecreation]

12 Months of WWRP: Chehalis River Surge Plain Natural Area

This month’s feature WWRP category is Natural Areas, and we’ve chosen to highlight the Chehalis Surge Plain Natural Area. Photo Credit: RCO PRISM.

For every month of 2017, the Coalition is focusing on one of the twelve WWRP categories. This month, that category is Natural Areas!

The Chehalis Surge Plain Natural Area is a perfect project to highlight, with its abundant natural habitat land and beautiful Sitka spruce forests.

The Chehalis River Surge Plain is the largest coastal wetland in the northwest, where fish, wildlife, and waterfowl thrive. The area includes nesting, roosting and foraging habitat for eagles, osprey, great blue heron, waterfowl, shorebirds, and neo-tropical migrant species. The area also includes habitat for bears, river otters, raccoons, beavers, muskrats, and other mammals.

Expanding development and industry from neighboring Aberdeen was leading to the loss and degradation of these important wetlands, threatening water quality in the river and Grays Harbor, as well as salmon and wildlife populations and local shellfish farms. A WWRP grant helped acquire 1,600 acres of the natural area, funded restoration work, and helped develop this popular angling, birdwatching, and hiking destination, including developing trails, a boat launch, and a tribal treaty fishing access.

The entire surge plain is composed of about 2,640 acres of meandering sloughs and islands in the river. And much like other wetlands, it acts as an enormous “sponge” that helps minimize flooding downstream.

Because of the WWRP, this valuable land is now protected for sportsmens’ access, recreational activities, and habitat preservation.

[musingsofplace]

THE STORY OF THE FLOOD: A CHEHALIS LEGEND

*re-printed from the August 2010 Chehalis Tribe newsletter.

Photo: Chehalis River | Dryad, WA | © H a v e n 

  A long time ago, the animals and birds lived as people. Thrush wanted to marry a certain young girl, but her parents did not approve of him.

But the young girl, however, wished to marry him. The girl persisted and finally her parents gave their consent. Thrush and the young girl were married.

Thrush always had a dirty face; he never washed before he ate. His mother-in-law asked him “Why don’t you wash your face?” Thrush did not answer. The next morning she asked again “Why don’t you wash your face? It’s getting dirty.” Thrush once again did not reply. She asked him the same question for 5 days in a row.

Finally on the 5th day, Thrush said “If I wash my face, something will happen.” Nevertheless, his wife’s parents still insisted. Then they gave him an ultimatum. “If you don’t wash your face, we’ll take our daughter away from you.” So Thrush finally gave in, “All right then, I’ll wash my face”.

He went to the river to wash his face and sang, “Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, Keep moving back from the river.”

He washed his face. The dirt rolled off, leaving his face streaked all over. Then it began to rain. It rained all day.

Thrush told his in-laws, “Move back from the river. I washed my face as you asked.”

The river continued to rise. It rained many days and nights. Soon there were no places for the people to stand but in the water. The water rose and covered everything. There was no place for them to go. Many drifted away and were never seen again.

Thrush, his wife and his in-laws landed their canoe on this side of the land, in Upper Chehalis country. There was only the top of one tall fir tree sticking out of the water. And that is where the People tied their canoe.

They got together and planned what they should do next. They agreed that someone needed to dive in the water and see how deep it was. Muskrat dove into the water and came up with some dirt. He dove down into the water 5 times. Each time he brought up some dirt. From the dirt, he made a little mountain. He told the People to land there, that they would be safe. He told the People “This is the mountain that I have made for you so that you can be safe”. The People called that mountain Tiger Lily Mountain. It is known today as Black Mountain.

After the water receded and the earth dried up, the earth was found to be covered with dried whales (fossils). At Gate, not far from Mima Prairie, the earth still remains in the shape of the waves. It extends like this for 4 or 5 miles.

After the water subsided, the earth was just like new and the People could begin all over again. It was said “There shall never again be a person who will cause a flood when he washes his face.” Thrush turned into a bird and flew away.

*re-printed from the August 2010 Chehalis Tribe newsletter.

[musingsofplace]

“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over rocks from the basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs. I am haunted by waters.” ― Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

Read some Chehalis River folklore at Gathering the Stories

‘Chehalis Photoset’ | © H a v e n