Construction is Finally Underway at the new Japanese Exclusion Memorial Visitor Center, But Additional Funds are Needed; Salmon run on Chico Creek is a Delight!

After nearly two decades, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community has finally broken ground on its much anticipated Exclusion Memorial Visitor Center to be located on the grounds of the Memorial located just off Taylor Road on Eagle Harbor Drive. “Thanks to the generosity of our community, we exceeded our original $4.5 million campaign goal and reached this historic milestone,” said a spokesperson for the Memorial.

Six survivors, who were removed from the island on March 30, 1942, joined VIPs—architect Johnpaul Jones, the Frank Kitamoto family, representatives from partnering organizations such as the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks District and the National Park Service —to break ground together with golden shovels in hand.

“It was a joyful and deeply meaningful day—made possible by the countless hearts and hands that have carried this project forward,” the spokesperson added.

In just under a month, Carley Construction has completed initial clearing, erosion and tree protection, and excavation for the buildings and amphitheater. With safe-guards in place for the rainy season, the concrete contractor has mobilized, and foundation footing forms are now set in the ground. Concrete was scheduled to pour last week.

Construction is estimated to be completed by Fall of 2026.

Meantime, after a two-year delay in permitting, the cost of construction has risen sharply due to inflation, tariffs, new regulations, and infrastructure requirements added during the long wait. As a result, BIJAM now faces a $2 million gap to complete the Visitor Center.

Through a diversified approach that engaged major funders from federal, state, and private sources, the non-profit exceeded its initial goal. Now, “we’re asking our community to help us raise the remaining funds needed to finish what we started.”

“This project has always been about community —and community is what will carry it across the finish line.”

“At a time when our nation is again confronting fear, division, and threats to democracy, the Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial stands as a reminder of the strength of community and the cost of silence,” the BIJAM spokesperson noted. “The Visitor Center will serve as a timeless place of reflection and learning—ensuring that this history continues to inform what we do today, and tomorrow.”

“Every gift, large or small, moves us closer to opening the Visitor Center—a national treasure built by our community, for all.” Interested in donating. Visit here:  https://bijaema.org/donate/

Watching Salmon Make Their Way up Chico Creek is a Remarkable Experience 

Nature is truly amazing. Whether it’s watching Cormorants lining up on an old Mosquito Fleet dock on South Beach, leaves continuing to show off their mid-fall brilliance, or salmon struggling to make their way back to the place where they were spawned, you have to sometimes stop, look and wonder.

That’s what we did yesterday afternoon (Sunday Nov. 9th) along Chico Creek in the Chico Creek Estuary in Bremerton. Salmon were fighting their way up the creek from Dyes Inlet against a mighty strong current that was made doubly strong by last week’s torrential rainstorms. Both the bank’s of the creek and areas of sand closer to the creek that had receded after the storms were littered with dead fish – dozens of them!

We don’t know the variety of salmon off the tops of our heads, but it appeared there were likely chum, a few sockeyes and maybe a silver or two among the dead carcasses who gave their last breathes to reach the Promised Land. Those still alive and swimming looked like they were floating on their last fins – so to speak.

So what drives these native Pacific North-westerns to leave their relatively safe lives in the Puget Sound and return to where they were born? We posed this question to the Internet and arrived at this answer:

Salmon are remarkable creatures that embark on one of nature’s most challenging journeys—swimming upstream against powerful currents to reach their spawning grounds. This extraordinary migration, known as the salmon run, represents one of the most impressive feats in the animal kingdom. These determined fish navigate hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles from the open ocean back to the very streams where they were born.

The journey demands incredible physical endurance, precise navigation skills, and the ability to overcome numerous obstacles. But why do salmon undertake this arduous journey, risking everything to return to their birthplace? And how do these seemingly ordinary fish accomplish such an extraordinary task? This web site article explores the fascinating biological imperatives driving this behavior and the remarkable adaptations that make it possible, revealing the complex and inspiring story behind one of nature’s most captivating migrations. For more information visit: https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/why-salmon-swim-upstream-and-how-they-do-it-2-350596/

Source Material: Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community; TIW’s own reporting. Chico Creek photos by Kevin Dwyer.

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