SEQUIM — High water is eroding the Olympic Discovery Trail on the west side of the Dungeness River at Railroad Bridge Park, two miles west of downtown Sequim.
This section of the trail is owned by the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe and is managed jointly by the tribe and the Dungeness River Audubon Center.
Erosion of a slope next to the trail began during high water in mid-November 2009. That slope has been cordoned off to protect the public and limit the erosion, the tribe said in a statement, adding that hikers should use care on the trail.
The tribe and river center are monitoring conditions to determine what repairs are needed.
A side channel on the west side of Dungeness River has had increasing flows because of wet, warm weather and natural channel changes of the Dungeness, the tribe said.
The increased flows have accelerated erosion of the old railroad grade where the Olympic Discovery Trail joins the trestle, causing the stream bed to become dangerously close to the trail.
The tribe is working to identify an immediate solution that will keep the trail open.
Because the tribe also focuses on protecting the Dungeness River and its wildlife habitat, any viable solution also will minimize impacts to side channels, which is particularly important for salmon.
In the long term, the river center board and tribal environmental planners are in agreement that trestle improvements and an elevated extension to bridge the side channel are needed.
This will require additional funding to accomplish the desired project.
For more information, phone the Dungeness River Audubon Center at 360-681-4076.
