The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife began construction in June 2026 on the Island Unit Restoration Project, a plan to restore 270 acres in the South Fork Skagit River estuary to natural intertidal and marsh habitat, with work expected to continue through fall 2028.
Washington begins 270-acre Skagit River estuary restoration to aid threatened Chinook salmon
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife began construction in June 2026 on the Island Unit Restoration Project, a plan to restore 270 acres in the South Fork Skagit River estuary to natural intertidal and marsh habitat, with work expected to continue through fall 2028.
The Island Unit sits within the Skagit Wildlife Area in southwestern Skagit County, between Conway and Stanwood. The 270-acre site comprises two islands in the lower South Fork Skagit River, with Deepwater Slough running between them. Dikes built in the early 1900s cut off tidal and river water to convert the land for agriculture. WDFW acquired the property in the 1950s and managed it primarily to grow crops providing food for wintering waterfowl.
Over time the aging dikes and tide gates became difficult to maintain. Rising sea levels and changing habitat needs led WDFW to select a plan to restore the entire 270-acre site to estuary. Construction crews will remove dikes, levees, and tide gates and excavate interior channels to allow water from Skagit Bay and nearby sloughs to move across the landscape.
Puget Sound Chinook salmon, listed under the Endangered Species Act, are identified as a primary beneficiary. WDFW states the project will remove barriers separating the Island Unit from hundreds of additional acres of intertidal estuary across the South Fork Skagit River delta, increasing accessible habitat for juvenile salmon as they transition from freshwater toward the ocean. The project may also indirectly benefit Southern Resident killer whales, whose primary prey is Chinook salmon.
The restored site is also expected to support waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wildlife. The project includes low-angle boat landings and recreational mounds that will remain above water during much of the tidal cycle; some mounds will be planted with shrubs and trees and eventually include waterfowl hunting blinds. The Island Unit has historically been used by hunters, paddlers, boaters, photographers, and wildlife watchers. The site is closed to public access during construction.
Planning began in the late 2010s, followed by tribal consultation, stakeholder discussions, advisory group meetings, and a public comment period starting in 2020 that drew more than 200 comments. The project follows WDFW's completion of construction on the neighboring Milltown Island Estuary Restoration Project in late 2024.
- The source does not state the total cost of the Island Unit Restoration Project or identify its funding sources.
- The source does not identify which tribes were consulted or describe the outcomes of that consultation.
- The source does not state the contractor or contractors performing the construction work.
- The source does not provide quantitative projections for salmon population recovery expected to result from the project.
- The source does not describe any opposition or concerns raised during the public comment process.
Read the original at The Times of India