Over the past century and a half, nearly 98% of the intertidal marshes and mudflats were drained and filled, the river was straightened and deepened, and as the region industrialized the river became significantly polluted and habitat was severely degraded. The Duwamish serves as a critical access point to a wide swath of inland Washington west of the Cascades, so impacts at its mouth were felt far upstream with depleted salmon runs on the Green River and its numerous tributaries, as well as severe impacts on other aquatic and terrestrial wildlife throughout the watershed. In the early 1990s, local, state and federal authorities, in conjunction with regional tribes, recognized that action needed to be taken to restore natural habitat in the intertidal region of the river.
Terminal 105 Park historically consisted of a vacated street end and a large pipe that drained a small, degraded wetland area. Mitigation and restoration included removal of debris and replacement of the pipe with an estuarine channel that restored tidal flow to the area and provided habitat for juvenile salmon, water birds and invertebrate species. Today, the 1.2 acre park provides over 200 feet of shoreline access, a picnic area, a hand-powered boat launch, and a variety of salmon and bird habitat in an area that is otherwise heavily industrialized and hostile to nature.
Please observe the posted hours (sunrise-sunset at time of listing) and any other signage, and do not attempt to find the cache when the gates are closed. No need to disrupt the plantings or climb anything. Stay away from the train tracks and road - the cache is nowhere near them!
Congratulations to noncentric for the FTF!