Clallam County lies on the northwest edge of the Olympic Peninsula and contains the westernmost point in the continental United States. Like most of the Olympic Peninsula, Clallam County features a dramatic landscape, complete with rocky coastlines, hot springs, and rugged mountains. Port Angeles is the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula and serves as the primary gateway to Victoria, Canada, located across the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
 Looking south toward the Port Angeles waterfront and Olympic Mountains.
Throughout his lifetime, Norm Dicks has enjoyed visiting Olympic National Park as well as fishing off Port Angeles and Neah Bay. Now as the Olympic Peninsula’s Representative in Congress, Norm Dicks plays a constructive role in preserving the region’s unique environmental quality in ways that can also contribute to the growth of the area’s economy.
Elwha River Restoration Effort
For more than a decade, Norm has worked with National Park Service and local officials to provide the federal funds required for the Elwha River restoration project. Restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem is an investment in the future that will result in ecological, cultural and economic benefits to the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. The Elwha is the largest watershed on the Olympic Peninsula and was once one of the most productive salmon streams in the Pacific Northwest, home to all five species of Pacific salmon, as well as other fish species. Two dams, constructed in the early 1900s, now block fish from all but the lower five miles of the river. Removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dam will restore the Elwha to its natural, free-flowing condition and will once again allow fish access to over 70 river miles of habitat now protected within Olympic National Park. The construction phase of the project has now begun, with the recent groundbreaking for two new facilities that will allow the City of Port Angeles and area residents to continue receiving fresh water from the river during and after the removal of the dams. The Bush Administration has requested another $20 million for the project in the next fiscal year, keeping it on track for completion in 2014.
New Gateway Transportation Center
With Senators Murray and Cantwell, Norm has been helping to secure federal funds to complete the International Gateway Transportation Center in Port Angeles. It is a pivotal piece of the City’s downtown redevelopment, and it will include a transit building with a public plaza, a clock tower, a bus lane and a two-tier parking garage. Construction on the project is now taking place and scheduled for completion in Summer of 2008
 Artist's rendition of the International Gateway Transportation Center.
Olympic National Park
Since becoming Chairman of the House Interior and Environment Appropriations Subcommittee in 2006, Norm has been determined to restore the operations budgets of our National Parks, including Olympic N.P. that have fallen behind during recent tough budget years. In order to improve the visitor experience at the Parks, he is working with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to shift funds to allow permanent and seasonal personnel levels to meet the real demands of these popular park facilities. At Olympic N.P., for example, the number of rangers, interpretative and maintenance personnel has declined dramatically in the last several years, often resulting in only one new hire for every two or three employees who leave or retire. In the Budget for the current fiscal year, Norm was able to gain congressional approval for a modest boost in the park accounts, and he is working to continue the effort for next year.
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