Dungeness River Nature Center

The facilities are part of the Railroad Bridge Park which features the historic Howe truss Railroad Bridge that spans the Dungeness river. In 2023, there were almost 334,000 crossings of the Railroad Bridge at the Center. Due to technical difficulties that prevented a count in 2024, we estimate that the bridge activity was at least the same in 2024. The Centers main building houses an exhibit room with interactive dioramas, videos, visual instruments, and taxidermy wildlife exhibits. These provide a hands-on education experience on the history, ecology, and inhabitants of the Dungeness watershed. Center staff and volunteers use the facilities to provide school and adult education programs on conservation, ecological diversity, and stewardship of our natural resources. The Center building was host to over 38,600 walkthrough visitors. Almost half of these visitors were from out of town.

Festivals: In association with the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society, the River Center hosts an annual BirdFest event. The River Center coordinates all the classes, lectures, cruises, and tours for a three-day event that brings many visitors to the Olympic Peninsula. In 2024, over 500 participants engaged in educational lectures bird watching cruises, tribal facility tours, and instructor-led hikes, etc., to raise awareness of the River Centers leadership in resource and cultural stewardship activities. In addition to participating in other community festivals, the Center hosts an annual River Festival with over 1200 participants. The festival had 500 registered participants for the various classes and cruises and all events were sold out.