John Steiner leads this week with an invitation to present images “focusing on the landscapes, structures, and stories that unfold around water features.” Since much of my recreation and leisure time centers around bodies of water, the challenge for me has been to narrow my choices to no more than six.
In September 2024, I participated in a trail walk through the Willapa Coastal Forest to witness a recently restored section of Bear River that had been logged and left a mess. It is one of the small but highly important rivers that help form Willapa Bay, on the Long Beach Peninsula, WA
“The roughy 250 acres of wetland concentrated around the stream corridors support a diverse array of plant and animal species, including critical spawning and rearing habitat for salmonids.” https://www.westernrivers.org/projects/wa/bear-river-willapa-bay
Lucia Falls is located on the north shore of the East Fork of the Lewis River in Washington State. The river wends its way through channeled bedrock and both Salmon and Steelhead can be viewed leaping up the falls during their migration cycles.
With the Pacific Ocean slugging and tugging day and night at the shoreline of Orcas Island, WA the rocky beach is in continual flux. Solid rock is both smoothed and broken by wave action. This photo looking north and west from Orcas, includes Freeman Island, in the foreground and Point Doughty on the right, along with other islands in the distance. This is Orca Whale territory.
When the moon is nearest the earth (perigee), its gravitational force is stronger, resulting in higher high tides and lower low tides. In this photo of a super low tide, taken on Long Beach, WA the ocean formed tide pools and rivulets as the tide receded. This is the Razor Clam Capital of Washington State.
In fall and winter, heavy rains blow in from the Pacific Ocean forming ponds in front of the Breakers at Long Beach, WA. What bcomes a meadow in spring and dune-grass through summer, is shaped into welcome marsh habitat for frogs, and water birds in autumn.
Lindy Low LeCoq 