The ceaseless pounding of waves upon the rocky shores of the wild Olympic Peninsula both soothes the troubled mind and thrills the adventurous spirit. Here in Olympic National Park nature rules and the shoreline throngs with life in overwhelming abundance. One might sit for hours by the shore entranced by the ever changing motion of the surf, its roar mixed with the plaintive calls of sea birds and the scuttling of crabs hurrying upon their secret missions.
Past Washington’s only coal fired power plant, now in its final few years, lies a vast landscape of lush prairie, rolling hills, and glittering lakes - a former coal mine now healing and gradually transforming into a unique wild refuge. Under a WDFW proposal, the reclaimed Centralia coal mine would become one of Washington’s newest and largest wildlife areas. Such a protected area would offer great potential both for conservation of endangered species, and for building a strong outdoor recreation economy in the region.
The leaves may be long gone from the sleeping winter rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, yet their dormant boughs still shine with the emerald green moss that shines through the dim woods like a beacon. Only in a realm so often watered by the frequent storms that wash over over the quiet lowland hills to crash against the Cascade Mountains could such vibrant and diverse greenery thrive.