The Coastal Watershed Institute will open up the Beach Lake Conservation Area along the East Elwha shoreline to the public for those interested in viewing the massive restoration project that has taken place since the removal of the Elwha River dams.

The Coastal Watershed Institute will host a “soft opening” and public workshop on the restoration efforts at 1 p.m., Dec. 1, at 2646 Lower Elwha Road in Port Angeles.

“It’s very simple and very specific public access, day-use only, as light of a touch as people can have,” said Anne Shaffer, lead scientist at the Coastal Watershed Institute. “It’s not a recreational place. But if people want to come see an example of nearshore restoration, it’s beautiful.”

The work of the Coastal Watershed Institute to restore the critical nearshore ecosystem along the Elwha shoreline is still underway.

The nearshore is where the Elwha River meets the ocean. That area is critical to salmon spawning, as many young salmon spend time in the estuary before they head out to the ocean, acclimating to saltwater.

After the dam removal, the nearshore changed dramatically, the National Parks Service has stated. With renewed sediment flow, sandy beaches are reappearing, and nearshore habitat that once provided rich shellfish beds is re-emerging.

One of the Coastal Watershed Institute’s more recent restoration efforts was removing riprap armoring and concrete slabs that were added to the shoreline in the 1950s to prevent erosion. The institute found the armoring was not preventing erosion. Instead, it was interfering with the beach’s ability to mend itself once the removal of the dams delivered a 100-year pulse of sediment to the shoreline.

In August 2016, the institute removed 3,000 cubic yards of abandoned armor and 100 cubic yards of concrete along the shoreline.

On Nov. 15, researchers with the Coastal Watershed Institute found Coho, Chinook, steelhead and bull trout in the Elwha nearshore.

Shaffer said finding all of those species was a reflection of a particularly mild fall. But it also points to the years of work that have gone into restoring the nearshore habitat.

“The river was clear again this month,” Shaffer said. “We’ve never seen conditions this warm and calm in November. And any who have spent years on the delta note the lack of salmon carcasses.”

Taking note of changes in temperature and how it might affect the habitat is an important part of the research, said Shaffer, who added that, at this time of year, it is normal to see salmon carcasses.

“It’s an interesting question, particularly if you overlay it with the change in climate we are seeing,” Shaffer said. “But the other thing to keep in mind is the dams were in for 100 years, but they’ve only been out for four years. We’re still really early in this story.”

Shaffer also noted beavers were busily building their homes in preparation for the winter.

“The beaver are back and now ambitiously dragging cuttings from the river to the lodge in the impounded west pond,” Shaffer said.

According to the Coastal Watershed Institute nearshore restoration blog, beavers are a keystone species in the nearshore estuarine environment because they have effects on both the community structure and the environmental function of local habitat. Without their presence, a broad array of other animal and plant populations, depending on their services, would suffer direly.

Protecting the beavers, salmon and the habitat currently still under restoration is why the Coastal Watershed Institute is establishing hard rules for visiting the nearshore restoration site.

“We still have active restoration occurring at the site, so the site is closed to the public before the Dec. 1 opening,” nearshore restoration biologist Jamie Michel stated in a news release. “Remember this is an ecosystem restoration site, not a public park. Dogs and other pets are therefore absolutely not allowed.”

After the opening event, the site will be open for day use and non-motorized foot traffic only. Public access will be limited to the established trail and along the beach at least 10 feet waterward of the driftwood.

“We’re being very specific with our rules,” Shaffer said. “If there are issues, we’ll just shut the site down again.”

To learn more about the ongoing restoration, visit coastalwatershedinstitute.org.