The Story of Fort Townsend State Park
Originally developed in 1856, this park near Port Townsend was once home to an army base complete with barracks, watchtowers, bunkers, and cannons. After being damaged by a fire in 1894, the fort was abandoned and mostly used for munitions storage. In 1953, Washington State Parks took control of the land to begin restoring it to a place for nature to thrive and for people to recreate. The shoreline of the park was partially covered in a large wall of riprap impeding coastal processes and burying vital spawning habitat for forage fish.
This project was designed to restore natural erosion and sediment transport along and across the shoreline creating a viable habitat for juvenile salmon, forage fish spawning, and marine and shore birds while also improving public access to the beach. The project significantly reduced the size, scale, and impact of the existing fill pad area. Most of the rock armoring and fill was removed. The remaining smaller landing was regraded to allow for easier access on the north side of the site including a kayak ramp. Large woody debris was placed on the face of the landing interspersed with remaining riprap to provide protection from erosion in this high energy marine environment.
COLLABORATORS: Jefferson County MRC, Point No Point Treaty Council, and Jefferson County WSU Beach Watchers & Watershed Stewards. Engineering design was developed by Herrera Environmental Consultants. Construction services were provided by Pacific Pile & Marine.
BEFORE AFTER
FUNDERS: Funding for this project was provided by: the Puget Sound Marine & Nearshore Grant Program, WDFW’s Estuary Salmon Restoration Program, US EPA, Northwest Straits Commission/Jefferson MRC, the Puget Sound Partnership, and the Alcoa Foundation.