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Journal Entry   Back Nestucca Bay NWR Awarded $559,100 TE Grant by the State of Oregon for the Cannery Hill Overlook Pacific Region, March 16, 2005 Print Friendly Version Thanks to funds provided through the Transportation Enhancement Act, it will be possible within a few years for travelers along Oregon's Pacific Coast Scenic Byway to stand atop Cannery Hill at Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) and take in sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge (Haystack Rock at Pacific City), Nestucca Bay NWR, the Coast Range, the Little Nestucca Unit tidal marsh restoration project, and the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway. The Oregon Coast NWR Complex received notice in late March that the Cannery Hill Overlook Project at Nestucca Bay NWR had been selected for a $559,100 Transportation Enhancement Grant through the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT)'s Scenic Byways program. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will match the grant with $250,000 in Refuge Roads funds. Engineering and project construction will be administered by the Western Federal Lands Highway division office in Vancouver, WA. Nestucca Bay NWR is located adjacent to U.S. Highway 101, the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway and Federally designated All American Road. The Refuge itself is classified as a Defining Feature in the Scenic Byway Management Plan for the Nestucca Region of the U.S. 101 corridor. Established in 1991, Nestucca Bay NWR provides habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife. Currently, the Refuge is closed to the public due to the lack of accessible public facilities and an inadequate access road. When completed, the Cannery Hill Overlook Project will provide access to a portion of Nestucca Bay NWR for a tourist base estimated at 30 million yearly along the entire Oregon coast, creating an ideal location for the public to learn about the Refuge's mission and resources. The Cannery Hill Overlook Project includes reconstructing and paving an access road; constructing and paving road turnouts and two parking lots; installing two electronic gates and an accessible restroom; constructing an accessible viewing deck on Cannery Hill and an accessible pedestrian trail from the upper parking lot to the deck; and designing, fabricating and installing interpretive panels. The interpretive panels will focus on estuarine ecology, tidal marsh restoration, fish and wildlife of the estuary, wayfinding and orientation to the Nestucca Region, and how the refuge and the dairy community work together to provide habitat for wildlife. The local communities around Nestucca Bay NWR are quite enthusiastic about this project. The Nestucca Valley School District wholeheartedly supports this project because it would open Nestucca Bay NWR for students to visit on field trips or to conduct service learning projects. Additional support comes from the Pacific City Birding and Wildlife Taskforce, a recently formed group of local citizens actively working with their Chamber of Commerce to promote eco-tourism in south Tillamook County. The group is very supportive of efforts to bring visitor facilities to Nestucca Bay NWR so that coastal visitors and the local communities can participate in activities like nature photography, hiking, birdwatching and sightseeing. The Oregon Coast Visitors Association, which promotes tourism along the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway, has pledged support of this project and states that it is a natural blend for the Oregon coast region and will fit into its natural wonders.  The Nestucca-Neskowin Watershed Council also enthusiastically supports the Cannery Hill Visitor Overlook as it will have a tremendous impact on South Tillamook County school groups as well as the public in studying wetland ecology in their own backyard. The Tillamook Chamber of Commerce also supports the project as part of their mission is dedicated to promoting and expanding tourism in the Greater Tillamook Area. No contact information available. Please contact Charles Traxler, 612-713-5313, charles_traxler@fws.gov Send to: From: Notes: ..........................................................................................

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