The Place of Circling Waters at 1621 Marine View Drive in the Port of Tacoma is a splendid example of morphing something ugly (a gravel mine) into something wonderful (a habitat at the mouth of Hylebos Creek ). I remember when it was a gravel mine and for a while I thought it was turning into a vineyard, but this year it opened as a habitat.

We arrived during low tide, the muddiest time to see the habitat.  Dear daughter and I were the only two civilians there, though there was a friendly Port Police Officer who was taking a quick check. Apparently thieves have been going into the fenced off areas to steal the irrigation wiring to strip it for the copper! Jeez!

While the terrain consists of 26 acres, only a small portion is accessible to the law abiding public. The rest of the area, which can be viewed from the observation platform, is left to nature.  We did see geese and apparently there are all sort of other birds including a kingfisher (I’d like to see a kingfisher!). There was also a sign on the fenced off hillside that warned of bee nests. Not the kind of nature I want to experience up close.

It is difficult to capture the scale of the project from the observation deck, so check out the Port’s webpage.

http://www.portoftacoma.com/hylebos-creek