From its coastal beaches to snowy peaks and dense rainforest, the Olympic Peninsula is home to one of Washington鈥檚 most environmentally diverse national parks.聽
The Quinault, Hoh and Makah tribes are among the many that reside in this area; many of which rely on the ocean for fishing, cultural practices and economic resources.聽
The coastal communities on the Peninsula drive economic growth in the state with forest products, shellfish, agriculture and tourism. Grays Harbor County, an emerging leader in green manufacturing, is also home to the state鈥檚 only deep water port on the Pacific Ocean.聽
91探花 researchers use the Olympic Experimental State Forest to test forest management methods, with the goal of finding an approach that allows the ecosystem to thrive even more. The UW’s Olympic Natural Resources Center near Forks is a home base for university and regional researchers, offering a prime location to study forest management and marine science.
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Sea lessons
Oceanography major Deana Crouser did more than just get her feet wet on the R/V Rachel Carson. She helped peer into the future of our oceans.
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Beach trash accumulates in predictable patterns on Washington shores
A study by the 91探花 analyzed 843 beach surveys and found that certain beaches, and certain areas of a single beach, are 鈥渟ticky zones鈥� that accumulate litter.
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2021 heat wave created 鈥榩erfect storm鈥� for shellfish die-off
Researchers found that many shellfish were victims of a 鈥減erfect storm鈥� of factors in summer 2021 that contributed to widespread death.
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Fighting ocean acidification
The 91探花is partnering with shellfish growers and others to help fight ocean acidification, which threatens both shellfish and the industry built around them.
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Large-scale experiment on the rural Olympic Peninsula to test innovations in forest management
Forest ecosystems are accustomed to change. Long before humans started intervening, disturbances such as fire, wind storms and diseases wracked segments of the landscape, killing off swathes of trees and providing spaces for regrowth of the forest.
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