Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, on the Nisqually River Delta in southern Puget Sound, was established in 1974 for the protection of migratory birds. Three thousand acres of salt and freshwater marshes, grasslands, riparian, and mixed forest habitats provide resting and nesting areas for migratory waterfowl, songbirds, raptors, and wading birds. See the following for further information:
http://www.fws.gov/nisqually/

A half-mile of the new Nisqually Estuary Trail opened on November 12, 2009. This trail starts near the Nisqually River Overlook and is on top of the new exterior dike.
There are great views of the newly restored estuary from this trail. We attended the reopening ceremony and when the Nisqually Indians began to bless the ceremony with their drums and singing, a bald eagle showed up and circled over the ceremony. We were all blessed!!