The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group partnered with the Jefferson Conservation District, Jefferson County, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to design, construct and manage this estuarine restoration project. It is adjacent to another Quilcene Bay restoration project, the Indian George Creek Estuary restoration, which was completed in 2003. This Big Quilcene project is a continuum of priority projects within the HCCC Habitat Restoration Strategy and is another effort to restore the entire Quilcene Bay Estuary. The project restored estuarine functions by removing approximately 1100 feet of dike on the north side of the river. This will allow the river to reestablish a natural floodplain and a broader area of tidal exchange as the river reacts to the change over time. The project was straightforward and easy to complete, and we were able to add a few more log jams than anticipated as the timber used was larger than expected. The Big Quilcene River flows into Quilcene Bay just south of the town of Quilcene. It is 18.9 miles in length has a combined estuary complex of approx. 350 acres. Nearly 100 years ago the lower portion of the river was diked and channelized directly into Quilcene Bay. Access roads were constructed across the upper section of the estuary and a substantial amount of fill was placed behind the dikes. Properly functioning estuaries have long been recognized as extremely productive aquatic environments. Summer chum and Chinook, both federally listed, spawn in the Big Quilcene River and utilize the entire Quilcene estuary during their juvenile rearing stage. Coho, steelhead, fall chum and cutthroat trout also inhabit the Big Quilcene system.