Swinomish Channel Fill Removal and Marsh Restoration
The Swinomish Channel Fill Removal project aims to restore historic tidal marsh habitats at 6 sites along Swinomish Channel on Swinomish Indian Tribal Community property. In total, the project will restore approximately 10 acres of marsh habitat. While the restoration sites are relatively small, they are strategically located along a salmonid migratory corridor (the Swinomish Channel) connecting the natal Skagit River with extensive juvenile salmon rearing habitat of Padilla Bay eelgrass. Rearing and refuge habitat along this corridor is severely reduced compared to historic conditions. The type of habitat proposed for restoration has been identified as a critical limiting factor in the Skagit Chinook Recovery Plan (SRSC and WDFW 2005).
A baseline study (n=250 data points) of the elevation distributions of native marsh vegetation along the Swinomish Channel was used to determine the design elevation of the restoration sites. Restored marsh vegetation will likely consist of seashore saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), American glasswort (Salicornia virginica), and sea arrow-grass (Triglochin maritimum). These native species dominate small marsh remnants fringing the Swinomish Channel.
Additionally, one tidal channel will be excavated at each restoration site to create a total of 0.5 miles of channel. Channel design was based on a channel geometry model that uses marsh size as the predicting variable, developed with data from Skagit Delta tidal marshes (Hood 2007).
Project Status/Timeline
Funding for project design and construction have been acquired. We are seeking additional funding to monitor success of the restoration sites. Restoration of the 6 sites will be staggered from 2008 to 2010. Rainbow Marsh, in the vicinity of the Rainbow Bridge in La Conner, is slated for restoration in Summer 2008.
Primary Project Contact
Nora Kammer, Restoration Ecologist
Funding Sources
Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB)
Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP)
Washington State Department of Ecology, Spills Program
Coastal Protection Fund (CPF), John Bernhardt Account