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 City of Port Angeles and area residents are assured of continuing to receive fresh water from the river during and after the removal of the dams with the recent completion of the Port Angeles Water Treatment Plant. The Obama administration has demonstrated support for the project with $54 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to speed up the beginning of actual dam removal from 2012 to 2011 and possible early completion of the project now scheduled for 2014.
New Gateway Transportation Center
With Senators Murray and Cantwell, Norm helped secure federal funds to complete the International Gateway Transportation Center in Port Angeles. It is a pivotal piece of the City’s downtown redevelopment. It includes a transit building with a public plaza, a clock tower, a bus lane and a two-tier parking garage. Completed in late 2009, the Gateway Transportation Center is home to the weekly Farmer’s Market, annual festivals while serving as the staging area for bus transportation around the city and county.
 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 Kenneth Salazar to shift funds to allow permanent and seasonal personnel levels to meet the real demands of these popular park facilities. With additional funding Olympic N.P. has be able to fill most if not all vacant positions and has actually been able to hire five new employees.
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