Diane Urbani de la Paz’s wonderful column (PDN, March 6) asks for our favorite experiences with water.
When my husband and I established our home above it, we fell in love with the beauty of Ennis Creek.
That relationship has deepened through helping restore and protect its fish and wildlife habitat.
Donating a permanent legal agreement through North Olympic Land Trust and Clallam County provides a legacy continuing beyond our own lives.
More people could be part of such a legacy.
Ennis Creek could be an internationally acclaimed model of a restored urban stream, perfectly positioned for education and inspiration.
It enters Port Angeles Harbor near the central Port Angeles waterfront, rich with the history of an ancient tribal village, Puget Sound Cooperative Colony and 19th- and 20th-century mills.
Many people have contributed to Ennis Creek’s well being.
I’ve especially appreciated learning from tribal members and people like the late Dick Goin.
A dedicated fisheries volunteer and subject of the film “The Memory of Fish,” Dick watched in awe with other Rayonier mill workers as salmon splashed their way from the harbor into the stream where they began their lives and were returning to spawn and produce a new generation of magnificent fish before leaving their carcasses to fertilize trees that in turn nurture the stream over millennia.
The beautiful salmon cycle.
Ennis Creek’s waters can provide healing not only through their beauty but also the opportunity to protect and restore this exceptional natural resource.
Robbie Mantooth,
Port Angeles