Subject: Another birding area
Date: May 2 21:04:07 1994
From: Burton Guttman - guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu


As I read the reports of folks who have been going out to the coast,
especially to the Bowerman Basin area, I've just realized that no one
seems to know about another area worth checking out if you're passing
through on Hwy. 8 and 12, between Olympia and Aberdeen. A couple of
miles west of Elma, heading west, get into the left lane and watch for
Schouweiller Road (may not be exactly the right spelling). Turn left
onto this road and drive a few tenths of a mile to a stop sign by a
gravel pit, then turn left and drive another tenth of a mile or so. The
entrance is closed by a big yellow steel bar, and you can park there.
This is a wetland and some old farm fields, now being restored and
operated by Ducks Unlimited and the state Wildlife Dept. Put on your
knee-high boots--the ones you'll need to slog through the mud at
Bowerman--and walk down the road. You'll be walking through a nice
marsh. The road soon becomes flooded, but you can easily wade through.
The road then splits, and the branch to your left goes through the old
fields to another small pond. I haven't explored all of the area yet,
but it has some good habitat and is worth visiting if you have some extra
time on a trip through this region. I'm rather sorry I didn't think to
point it out before the great human migration to the coast to see the
great bird migration.

Burt Guttman guttmanb at elwha.evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College Voice: 206-866-6000, x. 6755
Olympia, WA 98505 FAX: 206-866-6794