2026 ORCA RECOVERY EVENTS
Join us for our ninth annual Orca Recovery celebration! Clallam Conservation District and our partners are hosting a series of educational tours, volunteer opportunities, and presentations throughout October and November focused on salmon, habitat restoration, and the health of the ecosystems that support Southern Resident orcas.
Registration is required for all events due to space limitations. Please use the registration form at the bottom of this page to sign up. Additional events may be added in the coming weeks, so please check back for updates.
Dungeness River Tour
When: October 7 (Wed.) from 10:00AM - 11:30AM
Where: Lower Dungeness River, Sequim, WA
Meeting location will be emailed out to registered participants.
Join Clallam Conservation District for a 1 to 2 mile educational walk along a historic floodplain of the Dungeness River. Learn about past, present, and future restoration projects addressing challenges including winter flooding, low summer flows, and impacts to riparian habitat.
The Dungeness watershed provides important habitat for threatened Chinook salmon, a food source for Southern Resident orcas. The tour will also include identification of more than 20 species of native trees and shrubs planted in the floodplain over the past five years to help create long-term habitat for fish and wildlife.
Volunteer Event: Matt Albright Native Plant Center
When: October 8 (Thurs.) from 9:00AM – 12:00PM
Where: Sequim, WA
Driving directions will be provided to registered participants.
Join Clallam Conservation District and National Park Service staff for a volunteer workday at the Matt Albright Native Plant Center. Originally established to support revegetation efforts following removal of the Elwha River dams, the nursery now provides native plants for restoration projects in Olympic National Park and other national parks throughout Washington.
Volunteers will help with nursery tasks that support the production of native plants for habitat restoration.
Native Plant Walk: Peninsula College
When: October 16 (Fri.) from 12:30 – 2:00PM
Where: Peninsula College, Port Angeles, WA
Parking and meeting location will be provided to registered participants
Join Clallam Conservation District staff for a guided native plant walk on the Peninsula College campus. Participants will learn about native plant identification, plant preferences, and the benefits native plants provide for pollinators and birds.
This walk is a great introduction to native plants of the Olympic Peninsula and provides helpful information for selecting native species for your own backyard. Native plants are typically well adapted to local conditions and require less maintenance and water than many non-native landscape plants.
Volunteer Event: Beach Cleanup
When: October 17 (Sat) from 9:00AM – 11:30AM
Where: Location TBD near Port Angeles, WA
The location and driving directions will be provided to registered participants.
Join Clallam Conservation District and Washington CoastSavers for a beach cleanup near Port Angeles. Volunteers of all ages are welcome! Learn about the impacts of marine debris on Southern Resident orcas while helping remove litter from the shoreline.
Bags and cleanup information will be provided. Families are welcome to participate and enjoy a morning of tide pooling while helping protect our marine environment.
Volunteer Event: Elwha River Planting
When: November 7 (Sat) from 10:00AM - 1:00PM
Where: Lake Aldwell Road in Port Angeles, WA
Help the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe and Clallam Conservation District plant over 1,000 native trees and shrubs in the former Lake Aldwell reservoir. Volunteers of all ages are welcome!
Removal of the lower Elwha Dam in 2011 and the upper Glines Canyon Dam in 2014 reopened approximately 35 miles of spawning habitat for Chinook salmon and other fish. Dam removal also left roughly 700 acres of former lakebeds to return to native forests.
Establishing trees in these areas can be challenging due to a lack of topsoil and exposure to wind, rain, and sun. Restoration plantings over the past 14 years have helped establish native forest and riparian habitat throughout the former lakebed. We’re now seeing the benefits of all those years of planting, with riparian vegetation beginning to flourish. These trees will eventually provide shade to the river and contribute large woody debris that creates important instream fish habitat.
As the landscape continues to recover, there may not be many more Orca Recovery planting events at Lake Aldwell. Come out and be part of this restoration effort while you still can!
Register for an Event
Space is limited, and registration is required for all events. Please complete the registration form below to reserve your spot. Registered participants will receive any additional meeting location, parking, or driving information by email.