Tag: Mason County

  • Mason County Government Update: Belfair Bypass Funding Secured & Local Meeting Schedule — April 6, 2026

    Mason County Government Update: Belfair Bypass Funding Secured & Local Meeting Schedule — April 6, 2026

    Your Mason County commissioners are meeting this morning — Monday, April 6 — with the Clean Water District on the agenda. Briefings begin at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse in Shelton (411 N. 5th St.) and are also available via Zoom. Then tomorrow, Tuesday April 7, Shelton City Council holds its regular business meeting at 6 p.m. at the Civic Center (525 W. Cota St.). 🏛️

    Big news for North Mason: State legislators Drew MacEwen, Dan Griffey, and Travis Couture have secured $48.3 million in the 2026 supplemental transportation budget for the SR-3 Freight Corridor project — the long-awaited Belfair Bypass. The 6-mile new highway will route through-traffic around downtown Belfair, with construction currently scheduled for 2027–2029. Environmental review is complete and land acquisition is well underway.

    Also coming up: Mason Transit Authority holds its April board meeting on Tuesday, April 21 at 1 p.m. — this month at the Hoodsport Regional Library (40 N. Schoolhouse Rd., Hoodsport). The public is welcome to attend.

    Sources: MasonWebTV.com | Mason County Commissioners Agendas | WSDOT SR-3 Project Page | Mason Transit Board Meetings

  • Community Spotlight: Shelton History & the Mason County Historical Society Museum — April 5, 2026

    Community Spotlight: Shelton History & the Mason County Historical Society Museum — April 5, 2026

    Did you know Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound? 🌊 Long before it was a logging town, this land at the head of Oakland Bay was home to the Squaxin Island Tribe — the “People of the Water” — who lived and thrived along these inlets for centuries. When settlers arrived in the 1850s, Shelton grew into a hub of timber, shellfish, and small-boat commerce, eventually served by the famous Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet steamboats that connected remote communities across the water.

    You can explore that history right here in town. The Mason County Historical Society Museum on West Railroad Ave in Shelton has a free collection of photos, artifacts, and documents spanning the county’s logging, farming, and shellfish heritage — plus free walking tour maps of historic downtown. It’s a great Sunday stop for locals and visitors alike.

    Open Tue–Fri 10am–4pm and Sat 11am–4pm. Free admission. 📍 427 W Railroad Ave, Shelton.

    Sources: HistoryLink.org — Shelton History | Wikipedia — Shelton, WA | Mason County Historical Society | Squaxin Island Tribe Official Site

  • Community Spotlight: Shelton’s Deep Roots — Squaxin Island Tribe, the Mosquito Fleet & Mason County History — Mason County Minute

    Community Spotlight: Shelton’s Deep Roots — Squaxin Island Tribe, the Mosquito Fleet & Mason County History — Mason County Minute

    Did you know Shelton is the westernmost city on Puget Sound? Long before it was a logging town, this land at the head of Oakland Bay was home to the Squaxin Island Tribe — the “People of the Water” — who lived and thrived along these inlets for centuries.

    When settlers arrived in the 1850s, Shelton grew into a hub of timber, shellfish, and small-boat commerce, eventually served by the famous Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet steamboats that connected remote communities across the water. The Simpson Lumber Company would go on to shape the city’s identity for generations, building company towns, railroads, and a mill that defined Mason County’s economy for over a century.

    That history didn’t disappear — it’s preserved right here in town. The Mason County Historical Society Museum on West Railroad Ave in Shelton holds a free collection of photos, artifacts, and documents spanning the county’s logging, farming, and shellfish heritage. Free walking tour maps of historic downtown are also available at the museum, making it an easy and rewarding Sunday stop for locals and visitors alike.

    Explore Mason County History

    • Mason County Historical Society Museum: 427 W Railroad Ave, Shelton. Free admission. Open Tue–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat 11am–4pm. Logging, shellfish, and maritime exhibits. Free downtown walking tour maps available.
    • Squaxin Island Tribe: The original “People of the Water,” with deep ancestral ties to Puget Sound inlets throughout Mason County. Learn more at squaxinisland.org.
    • Mosquito Fleet Legacy: Small steamboats once connected Shelton, Hoodsport, Union, and other Hood Canal communities before roads — a fascinating chapter in PNW maritime history. HistoryLink.org has a comprehensive Mason County thumbnail history.

    Mason County’s story is one of water, timber, and community — and it’s still being written every day.

    Sources: HistoryLink.org (Shelton Thumbnail History), Wikipedia (Shelton, WA), Squaxin Island Tribe official website, Mason County Historical Society

  • Community Spotlight: Sweetwater Creek Waterwheel Park Opens — Ribbon Cutting April 10 — Belfair Bugle

    Community Spotlight: Sweetwater Creek Waterwheel Park Opens — Ribbon Cutting April 10 — Belfair Bugle

    Something special is happening right in the heart of Belfair this week — and if you’ve driven past Belfair Elementary on Highway 3, you may have already spotted it. Sweetwater Creek Waterwheel Park is opening its gates, and the North Mason Chamber of Commerce is hosting a ribbon-cutting celebration on Thursday, April 10 at 1 p.m. to mark the moment.

    This isn’t just another park. Sweetwater Creek Waterwheel Park is a years-in-the-making community vision brought to life by the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (also known as the PNW Salmon Center, right off NE Roessel Road in Belfair). Tucked just across Highway 3 from the Theler Wetlands, the park features the only freshwater ADA fishing access in all of Mason County — a real game-changer for families and anglers of all abilities. Plans also include native plant gardens, a nature playground, solar panels, and interpretive trails connecting people to the salmon that make Hood Canal country so special.

    The Salmon Center has been a quiet pillar of North Mason life for years — running Salmon in the Classroom, hosting story-time events for families at their Belfair campus, and stewarding Hood Canal’s watershed one stream at a time. This park is their love letter to Belfair, and the whole community is invited to the celebration Thursday.

    Park Details

    • Location: Next to Belfair Elementary School, across Highway 3 from Theler Wetlands
    • Operated by: Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group / PNW Salmon Center (600 NE Roessel Rd, Belfair)
    • Features: Only freshwater ADA fishing access in Mason County, native plant gardens, nature playground, solar panels, interpretive trails
    • Admission: Free and open to the public
    • Ribbon Cutting: April 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM — hosted by North Mason Chamber of Commerce

    If you’re proud of what North Mason is building — come out April 10, shake some hands, and see what your neighbors have been working on. This is what community looks like.

    Sources: PNW Salmon Center (pnwsalmoncenter.org), Mason County Journal, North Mason Chamber of Commerce

  • Mason County Outdoors: New Shellfish Rules, Twanoh State Park Season & Lake Cushman Update — April 4, 2026

    Mason County Outdoors: New Shellfish Rules, Twanoh State Park Season & Lake Cushman Update — April 4, 2026

    Heads up, shellfish fans — if you’re heading to the beach this spring, there are some important new rules to know about. 🐚

    As of April 1, WDFW rolled out two big changes for recreational shellfish harvesting statewide. The minimum size for cockles jumped from 1½ inches to 2½ inches, giving more cockles a chance to reach reproductive age. And the geoduck daily limit dropped from 3 per person to just 1 per person per day — a move to protect those slow-recovering intertidal populations.

    For Hood Canal harvesters, mark your calendars: Twanoh State Park near Union opens for clam digging May 15 through June 15, with oyster season running through September 30. But heads up — beach access at Twanoh will close after clam season for a shoreline restoration project, and campsite reservations are shut down from June 1 through spring 2027. Meanwhile, Lake Cushman is still in its spring drawdown, so boat launches won’t be usable until closer to Memorial Day when the water comes back up.

    Know before you go — always check both the WDFW season status AND the Department of Health biotoxin map before harvesting. Stay safe out there and enjoy the spring weather. 🌊

    Sources: WDFW Shellfish News Release | WDFW Twanoh Beach Page | WA State Parks: Twanoh | WDFW: Lake Cushman

  • Outdoors & Environment: New WDFW Shellfish Rules, Twanoh Season & Lake Cushman Update — Mason County Minute

    Outdoors & Environment: New WDFW Shellfish Rules, Twanoh Season & Lake Cushman Update — Mason County Minute

    Heads up, shellfish fans — if you’re heading to the beach this spring, there are some important new rules to know about.

    As of April 1, WDFW rolled out two significant changes for recreational shellfish harvesting statewide. The minimum size for cockles jumped from 1½ inches to 2½ inches, giving more cockles a chance to reach reproductive age. And the geoduck daily limit dropped from 3 per person to just 1 per person per day — a move to protect those slow-recovering intertidal populations. If you haven’t updated your knowledge of the regs this season, now is the time.

    For Hood Canal harvesters, mark your calendars: Twanoh State Park near Union opens for clam digging May 15 through June 15, with oyster season running through September 30. But there’s an important heads-up — beach access at Twanoh will close after clam season wraps for a shoreline restoration project, and campsite reservations are shut down from June 1 through spring 2027. Plan your Twanoh trips accordingly.

    Meanwhile, Lake Cushman is still in its spring drawdown phase. Boat launches won’t be usable until closer to Memorial Day when the water comes back up — so hold off on trailering the boat out there for another few weeks.

    Key Outdoors Updates — Mason County

    • WDFW Shellfish Rule Changes (effective April 1, 2026): Cockle minimum size raised to 2½ inches. Geoduck daily limit reduced to 1 per person. Applies statewide including all Hood Canal beaches.
    • Twanoh State Park (Union): Clam season open May 15–June 15. Oyster season through September 30. Beach access closes after clam season for shoreline restoration. Campsite reservations closed June 1–spring 2027.
    • Lake Cushman: Spring drawdown ongoing. Boat launches unavailable until Memorial Day weekend.

    Always check both the WDFW season status AND the Department of Health biotoxin map before harvesting. Stay safe out there and enjoy the spring weather.

    Sources: WDFW Shellfish Regulations News Release, NW Sportsman Magazine, WDFW Twanoh Beach Page, WA State Parks