Category Overview
Trails grants help communities and recreation areas fund the creation and improvement of trails for walking, hiking, cycling, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing. These grants help make communities more livable, create regional trails systems, and open up beautiful outdoor spaces for people to enjoy. WWRP is the largest source of trail support in the state of Washington.
Project Highlights
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife will use this grant to restore and enhance the Theler Wetlands Trail Complex (recently transferred to state ownership by the North Mason School District). The grant request will be split between two tasks:1) Boardwalk construction to reconnect the trail system. The 3.2-mile trail is located on the Hood Canal and Union River Estuary, outside of the town of Belfair, and for decades has provided trail goers with estuarine plants, fish, and wildlife viewing experiences. Since 2012, the trail has been disconnected by a washout due to high tide events. The closed trail sits on top of two dikes being breached, in partnership with Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group, in an ongoing effort to restore natural geomorphic and hydrologic processes in the estuary. This WWRP grant will be used to reconnect the Theler Trail system by building 1200 feet of boardwalk through newly rehabilitated salt marsh habitat (in the footprint of the removed dikes). 2) Trailhead redevelopment. The WDFW trailhead and parking lot to access the Theler Wetlands in Belfair need various site improvements to allow better public access. These include a new 30 ft. wide entry from SR 3 to establish an access point separate from the school district’s parking lot, as well as accessible parking and vault toilet, native landscaping, and new signage. The primary recreation opportunity provided by this grant is hiking.