If you are lucky enough to live in or have visited Pacific County,
you already know about its wild natural beauty.
The county's rich and unique ecosystems include coastal dunes and beaches, saltwater and freshwater marshes, tidal mud flats, grasslands, and old growth and secondary growth temperate rainforests.
Pacific County is dominated by Willapa Bay, the most pristine estuary in the lower 48 states, and the second largest estuary on the Pacific coast. The bay, as well as the streams and rivers that feed it, are home to many salmon species, including Chinook, coho, and chum.
The bay's shallow water and mud flats, along with vast beds of eelgrass and shellfish, provide spawning habitat for many species of fish.
Thousand of birds overwinter in the county, and during spring migration, more than 100,000 shorebirds visit the area to feed and rest. The shores of Willapa Bay also provide nesting spots for the endangered Snowy Plover.
Area grasslands and forests are home to bear, elk, bobcat, flying squirrels, spotted owls, silver-haired bats, and Pacific tree frogs, and the forests provide nesting habitat for the endangered Marbled Murrelet.
