Washington launches project to restore 270 acres of Skagit estuary habitat

Washi gto bega a two-yea p oject to esto e 270 ac es i the South Fo k Skagit estua y, eco ecti g two isla ds to atu al tidal habitat

South
Fo k
Skagit
Rive
estua y
(Image
C edit:
I stag am/
@thewdfw)

Washi gto
has
begu
a
majo
esto atio
p oject
aimed
at
etu i g
270
ac es
i
the
South
Fo k
Skagit
Rive
estua y
to
atu al
i te tidal
a d
ma sh
habitat.
Acco di g
to
the
Washi gto
Depa tme t
of
Fish
a d
Wildlife
(WDFW),
co st uctio
o
the
Isla d
U it
Resto atio
P oject
bega
i
Ju e
2026
a d
is
expected
to
co ti ue
th ough
fall
2028.
The
wo k
will
esto e
two
isla ds
that
we e
histo ically
pa t
of
a
tidally
i flue ced
estua y
a d
imp ove
habitat
fo
th eate ed
Puget
Sou d
Chi ook
salmo
a d
othe
fish
a d
wildlife.

Retu i g
a
alte ed
la dscape

The
Isla d
U it
sits
withi
the
Skagit
Wildlife
A ea
i
southweste
Skagit
Cou ty,
betwee
Co way
a d
Sta wood.
The
270-ac e
site
co sists
of
two
isla ds
i
the
lowe
South
Fo k
Skagit
Rive ,
with
Deepwate
Slough
u i g
betwee
them.The
a ea
was
o ce
atu ally
i flue ced
by
tides
a d
ive
flows,
c eati g
estua i e
habitat
whe e
you g
salmo
could
feed
a d
g ow.
But
that
la dscape
cha ged
i
the
ea ly
1900s,
whe
dikes
we e
built
to
keep
tidal
a d
ive
wate
out
a d
co ve t
the
la d
fo
ag icultu al
use.
WDFW
late
acqui ed
the
p ope ty
i
the
1950s
a d
ma aged
it
p ima ily
to
g ow
c ops
that
p ovided
food
fo
wi te i g
wate fowl.Ove
time,
howeve ,
the
agi g
dikes
a d
tide
gates
became
i c easi gly
difficult
to
mai tai .

Risi g
sea
levels
a d
cha gi g
habitat
eeds
also
p ompted
WDFW
to
eco side
how
the
la d
should
be
ma aged.
The
age cy
ultimately
selected
a
pla
to
esto e
the
e ti e
270-ac e
site
to
estua y.

Ope i g
the
isla ds
to
the
tides

The
esto atio
is
desig ed
to
eco ect
the
site
with
the
atu al
moveme t
of
wate .
C ews
will
emove
dikes,
levees
a d
tide
gates
that
cu e tly
est ict
tidal
a d
ive
flows.
They
will
also
excavate
cha els
th ough
the
i te io
of
the
u it,
allowi g
wate
f om
Skagit
Bay
a d
ea by
sloughs
to
move
mo e
atu ally
ac oss
the
la dscape.
The
goal
is
ot
simply
to
b i g
wate
back
to
the
isla ds.
Resto i g
tidal
cha els
a d
wetla ds
ca
ec eate
the
co ditio s
that
make
estua ies
valuable
u se ies
fo
you g
fish.Acco di g
to
WDFW,
the
p oject
will
emove
ba ie s
that
cu e tly
sepa ate
the
Isla d
U it
f om
hu d eds
of
additio al
ac es
of
i te tidal
estua y
ac oss
the
South
Fo k
Skagit
Rive
delta.
This
la ge
co ectio
is
expected
to
i c ease
the
amou t
of
accessible
habitat
fo
juve ile
salmo .

Isla d U it of Skagit Wildlife A ea<b >” msid=”133210234″ width=”” title=”Isla d U it of Skagit Wildlife A ea (Image C edit: I stag am/ @thewdfw)” placeholde s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” imgsize=”” esizemode=”4″ offsetve tical=”0″ placeholde msid=”47529300″ type=”thumb” s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” class=”” data-s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/msid-133210234/isla d-u it-of-skagit-wildlife-a eab .jpg” data-api-p e e de =”t ue”/></p>
<p>
Isla d<br />
U it<br />
of<br />
Skagit<br />
Wildlife<br />
A ea<br />
(Image<br />
C edit:<br />
I stag am/<br />
@thewdfw)</p>
</div>
</div>
<p><h2>
A<br />
u se y<br />
fo<br />
you g<br />
salmo </h2>
</p>
<p>Puget<br />
Sou d<br />
Chi ook<br />
salmo<br />
a e<br />
amo g<br />
the<br />
mai<br />
be eficia ies<br />
of<br />
the<br />
p oject.<br />
These<br />
salmo<br />
a e<br />
listed<br />
u de<br />
the<br />
E da ge ed<br />
Species<br />
Act,<br />
a d<br />
estua y<br />
habitat<br />
is<br />
co side ed<br />
a<br />
impo ta t<br />
limiti g<br />
facto<br />
i<br />
thei<br />
ecove y<br />
i<br />
the<br />
Skagit<br />
egio .<br />
You g<br />
Chi ook,<br />
ofte<br />
called<br />
smolts,<br />
use<br />
estua ies<br />
as<br />
they<br />
t a sitio<br />
f om<br />
f eshwate<br />
ive s<br />
towa d<br />
the<br />
ocea .<br />
These<br />
a eas<br />
p ovide<br />
food<br />
a d<br />
shelte<br />
while<br />
the<br />
fish<br />
g ow<br />
la ge<br />
befo e<br />
e te i g<br />
the<br />
b oade<br />
wate s<br />
of<br />
Puget<br />
Sou d<br />
a d<br />
eve tually<br />
the<br />
ocea .Resto i g<br />
the<br />
Isla d<br />
U it<br />
could<br />
the efo e<br />
give<br />
you g<br />
salmo<br />
mo e<br />
space<br />
to<br />
feed<br />
a d<br />
develop<br />
du i g<br />
a<br />
pa ticula ly<br />
impo ta t<br />
stage<br />
of<br />
thei<br />
life<br />
cycle.<br />
The<br />
p oject<br />
may<br />
also<br />
co t ibute<br />
i di ectly<br />
to<br />
the<br />
ecove y<br />
of<br />
Southe<br />
Reside t<br />
kille<br />
whales,<br />
whose<br />
p ima y<br />
p ey<br />
is<br />
Chi ook<br />
salmo .</p>
<p><h2>
Be efits<br />
beyo d<br />
salmo </h2>
</p>
<p>Although<br />
salmo<br />
ecove y<br />
is<br />
a<br />
majo<br />
easo<br />
fo<br />
the<br />
p oject,<br />
the<br />
esto ed<br />
la dscape<br />
is<br />
expected<br />
to<br />
suppo t<br />
a<br />
wide<br />
a ge<br />
of<br />
wildlife.<br />
Estua ies<br />
co tai<br />
ma shes,<br />
wetla ds,<br />
mudflats<br />
a d<br />
shallow<br />
wate s<br />
that<br />
p ovide<br />
habitat<br />
fo<br />
fish,<br />
wate fowl,<br />
sho ebi ds<br />
a d<br />
othe<br />
species.The<br />
p oject<br />
also<br />
i cludes<br />
featu es<br />
desig ed<br />
to<br />
mai tai<br />
ec eatio al<br />
oppo tu ities.<br />
Low-a gle<br />
la di gs<br />
will<br />
allow<br />
small<br />
boats<br />
to<br />
each<br />
pa ts<br />
of<br />
the<br />
site,<br />
while<br />
ec eatio al<br />
mou ds<br />
will<br />
emai<br />
above<br />
wate<br />
du i g<br />
much<br />
of<br />
the<br />
tidal<br />
cycle.Some<br />
of<br />
these<br />
mou ds<br />
will<br />
be<br />
pla ted<br />
with<br />
sh ubs<br />
a d<br />
t ees<br />
a d<br />
eve tually<br />
i clude<br />
wate fowl<br />
hu ti g<br />
bli ds.<br />
This<br />
is<br />
impo ta t<br />
because<br />
the<br />
Isla d<br />
U it<br />
has<br />
lo g<br />
bee<br />
popula<br />
with<br />
wate fowl<br />
hu te s<br />
a d<br />
is<br />
also<br />
used<br />
by<br />
paddle s,<br />
boate s,<br />
photog aphe s<br />
a d<br />
wildlife<br />
watche s.</p>
<p><h2>
A<br />
lo g-pla ed<br />
t a sfo matio </h2>
</p>
<p>The<br />
esto atio<br />
follows<br />
yea s<br />
of<br />
pla i g,<br />
co sultatio<br />
a d<br />
public<br />
i volveme t.<br />
WDFW<br />
bega<br />
developi g<br />
the<br />
p oject<br />
i<br />
the<br />
late<br />
2010s,<br />
followed<br />
by<br />
t ibal<br />
co sultatio ,<br />
stakeholde<br />
discussio s,<br />
adviso y<br />
g oup<br />
meeti gs<br />
a d<br />
public<br />
comme t<br />
begi i g<br />
i<br />
2020.<br />
Mo e<br />
tha<br />
200<br />
public<br />
comme ts<br />
we e<br />
eceived<br />
du i g<br />
the<br />
pla i g<br />
p ocess.The<br />
p oject<br />
also<br />
builds<br />
o<br />
ea lie<br />
esto atio<br />
wo k<br />
ea by.<br />
WDFW<br />
completed<br />
co st uctio<br />
o<br />
the<br />
eighbou i g<br />
Milltow<br />
Isla d<br />
Estua y<br />
Resto atio<br />
P oject<br />
i<br />
late<br />
2024,<br />
with<br />
esto atio<br />
pla ti g<br />
co ti ui g<br />
afte wa d.<br />
Fo<br />
the<br />
Isla d<br />
U it,<br />
the<br />
t a sfo matio<br />
will<br />
take<br />
seve al<br />
yea s.<br />
The<br />
a ea<br />
is<br />
closed<br />
to<br />
public<br />
access<br />
du i g<br />
co st uctio ,<br />
which<br />
bega<br />
i<br />
Ju e<br />
2026<br />
a d<br />
is<br />
scheduled<br />
to<br />
co ti ue<br />
th ough<br />
fall<br />
2028.O ce<br />
completed,<br />
the<br />
two<br />
isla ds<br />
will<br />
fu ctio<br />
less<br />
like<br />
p otected<br />
ag icultu al<br />
la d<br />
a d<br />
mo e<br />
like<br />
the<br />
tidal<br />
la dscape<br />
that<br />
existed<br />
the e<br />
histo ically.<br />
By<br />
eope i g<br />
cha els<br />
a d<br />
allowi g<br />
ive<br />
a d<br />
tidal<br />
wate s<br />
to<br />
move<br />
ac oss<br />
the<br />
270-ac e<br />
site,<br />
Washi gto<br />
is<br />
seeki g<br />
to<br />
ebuild<br />
a<br />
fu ctio i g<br />
estua y<br />
that<br />
ca<br />
suppo t<br />
salmo ,<br />
wildlife<br />
a d<br />
the<br />
wide<br />
Skagit<br />
Rive<br />
ecosystem<br />
fo<br />
yea s<br />
to<br />
come.</p>
<p><a h ef=

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Washington launches project to restore 270 acres of Skagit estuary habitat

Retu i g a alte ed la dscape

Ope i g the isla ds to the tides

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