Skagit
OVERVIEW
Skagit County’s 189 miles of shoreline include rocky islands, the productive Skagit River Delta, countless sloughs, bays and pocket estuaries. The Sauk, Skagit and Samish rivers flow from the Cascade Mountains through fertile agricultural land, providing water needed to grow crops and support salmon and waterfowl populations. The county’s marine waters are plied by pleasure craft bound for the San Juan Islands, as well as large oil tankers calling at two refineries at March Point near Anacortes. Over 119,000 people live in Skagit County, with Mount Vernon and Anacortes being the two largest cities. The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe, Swinomish Tribe, and Upper Skagit Tribe hold reservation lands here, and the Samish Indian Nation has federal trust lands within Skagit County. It is also home to Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The MRC’s 18 members represent a broad spectrum of interests that include four tribes, Shannon Point Marine Center, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, People For Puget Sound, marine scientists, divers and fishermen, local government, the oil refineries at March Point, Skagit Land Trust and concerned citizens. MRC members actively engage in all stages of restoration and other projects, from design through completion.
Recent Projects
- Salish Sea Stewards and Beach Naturalists Program - 25 new volunteers trained, contributing to 800 hours of volunteer service
- Bowman Bay Restoration - 540ft of shoreline restored in partnership with Northwest Straits Foundation, improving eelgrass habitat and forage fish habitat
- Fidalgo Bay Day - over 250 participants attended
- Shoreline Landowners Workshop - 55 landowners are participated increasing awareness of the value of natural shorelines in preventing erosion
- Olympia Oyster Restoration - Documented natural recruitment/settlement; developed native oyster restoration plan
- Pinto Abalone Recovery - In collaboration with Puget Sound Restoration Fund, 2,300 juvenile abalone outplanted in 2015