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Everett, WA: County buys land to 'restore' it to marshland for salmon, other creatures With Snohomish County's purchase of 270 acres on Smith Island,
plans are in the works to breach dikes and
By Brian Kelly 9/16/02 It's not the complete recipe for saving salmon, but it's a simple start: "Just add water." Snohomish County has just completed an approximately $1 million purchase of 270 acres on Smith Island, land located in the Snohomish River estuary just northeast of Everett. Those involved with the purchase say once the dikes that surround the property are breached in a few places, the land will start its transformation back to a tidal marshland environment, creating new habitat for salmon. "This is a really excellent site. It's a big step toward restoring healthy salmon runs," said Andy Haas, a senior habitat specialist in the Surface Water Management Division of Snohomish County Public Works. There were once thousands of acres of tidal marsh in the estuary. Most of the tidal marsh was reclaimed as farmland, starting in the late 1800s, as the lands along the river and the sloughs were diked to stop the twice-daily flood of tide waters. Haas estimates that just one-sixth of the original tidal marshlands remain and are still accessible to salmon. It's still an important place for fish. The tidal marsh is where saltwater from Puget Sound mixes with fresh water from the Snohomish River, and it's critical habitat for juvenile salmon. It's here, Haas said, where salmon grow and make the transition from living in their freshwater birthplace to a marine environment. Salmon move through the estuary twice during their lifetimes, and the purchase creates an even larger block of continuous habitat in the estuary. The county purchased the property from James Scott Rhodes, using a "conservation futures" grant and funds from the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation's salmon recovery board. "This is one of the most important, critical and cost-effective places to be restoring salmon runs," Haas said. Snohomish County started acquiring land in the estuary in the mid-1980s. For many, the Rhodes property is a jewel and a hidden treasure. Just east of I-5 between Everett and Marysville, the land looks somewhat unremarkable from the road. "A lot of people don't know about it because it's difficult to get to and difficult to see," said Debbie Terwilleger, a senior park planner with Snohomish County. "Most people have been driving by this property and they don't even know it," she said. "It's really an incredible natural area." Since the property was purchased in part with IAC funds some conditions are attached on how the property can be used; recreational activities will be limited to passive uses such as bird-watching or hiking. "We certainly can't do ball fields down there, or have it for motorized (vehicle) use," said Marc Krandel, planning supervisor for county parks. Not all of the 270 acres will be turned into soggy marshland. Some forest areas will be replanted. And the dikes won't be breached until after planning for the property is finished and permits are in hand. The overall goal, though, isn't to create just a salmon sanctuary. "It's not fish vs. birds," Haas said. The county hopes the entire tidal marsh ecosystem can be restored, which will create habitat not just for fish, but also birds, mammals and other creatures who prefer that environment over fallow farm fields. When the effort is finished, it will be one of the largest tidal marsh restoration projects in the state. But fish, fowl and other animals won't be the only ones to benefit. Building interpretive trails or constructing a launching place for canoes and kayaks may help people learn the importance of the marsh ecosystem and its role as a habitat for salmon. Someday, it could be a regional asset that ranks with Seattle's arboretum, Terwilleger said. "It's going to be quite an opportunity for people to see this natural area and to become aware of it," Terwilleger said. "It's a natural gem, and it's so close to so many areas," she said.
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return
some of the property to tidal marshland, habitat for salmon and other
creatures. This aerial view looks approximately west-southwest over
the island, with the Everett sewage treatment plant's lagoon in the
upper left corner.