USACE, WA Fish & Wildlife, NRHP, WA

Harris Environmental completed an archaeological survey, archaeological site assessments, and three historic property nominations for the National Register of Historic Places in partnership with the US Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife as part of the Duckabush Estuary Restoration project. Harris Environmental performed a literature review, surface and subsurface investigation within the 95-acre Duckabush Estuary Restoration project area, on the west coast of Hood Canal in Jefferson County, Washington. The inventory consisted of a 100-percent pedestrian survey of the Duckabush project area, a revisit of the previously identified archaeological site and other resources to update their conditions and refine their boundaries and evaluate them for NRHP eligibility, historic property documentation and extensive subsurface testing. The subsurface testing consisted of 809 shovel test probes (STPs) placed at approximately 20-meter intervals across the entirety of the project area. Three historic properties, including the Duckabush Slough Bridge, the Duckabush River Bridge, and the Duckabush Causeway and Dike were evaluated for the NRHP. One archaeological site was evaluated during the pedestrian survey and two additional sites and one isolated find were identified. During the course of the investigation, Radiocarbon samples were taken from a Proto-Historic fishing weir located in an offshoot of the Duckabush River. A comprehensive report was prepared to document the archaeological investigations findings.