NISQUALLY, Wash. – Nisqually Indian Tribe, Ducks Unlimited and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have restored more than 900 acres of estuary, improving habitat for migratory birds, salmon and waterfowl.

The area had been diked and dammed for farming for more than 100 years. Reconnecting the acreage with the tides of Puget Sound took 12 years and cost almost $10 million. Construction workers managed by Ducks Unlimited spent 18,000 man-hours on the project, moving more than 500,000 cubic yards of dirt and 6,000 cubic yards of riprap.

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge manager Jean Takekawa said the restoration is expected to increase salt marsh habitat in South Puget Sound by 50 percent. The restoration is also expected to double the number of chinook salmon in the Nisqually basin.

Puget Sound is the most important wintering and migration area for dabbling and diving ducks in the Pacific Northwest. Estuary restoration was also identified as the top priority to recover federally threatened chinook salmon in the Nisqually watershed.

Other major funding partners included the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Salmon Funding Recovery Board and private donors.