Grants of $1.7 million received to protect Crockett Lake and Port Susan Bay
For Release – January 9, 2006
Whidbey Camano Land Trust
Contact: Patricia Powell, Executive Director, (360) 222-3310
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Contact: Doug Zimmer, (360) 753-4370, http://www.fws.gov/coastal/CoastalGrants/
Island County, WA
Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced Friday that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will award $1.7 million in National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants for two projects in Island County, Washington – Crockett Lake and Port Susan Bay. This, thanks to the Whidbey Camano Land Trust, a local conservation non-profit that wrote and secured the federal grants, put the multiple partnerships together, and will carry out the real estate and land protection work.
Whidbey Camano Land Trust Executive Director, Patricia Powell, said “The Crockett Lake and Port Susan Bay projects will help conserve two wetland systems that are among the most important in our region and enjoyed by so many who live and visit Whidbey and Camano Islands.” Both of these areas are identified as top priorities in the Land Trust’s long-term land protection plan. “We’re elated that more than 10% of the total federal funds granted under this nationally competitive wetland program have been awarded to benefit our islands,” Powell added.
The Whidbey and Camano Island grants are part of $15 million in USFWS grants awarded for 19 projects in 12 states. Grants are awarded to help acquire, restore or enhance coastal wetlands for long-term conservation benefits. Four of the 19 projects are in Washington State. Federal grants to these four projects will be supplemented with more than $1.57 million from state, tribal and private partners. “When people at so many different levels come together in these kinds of projects, everybody wins,” Norton said. “This is the kind of effort that makes it possible for us to leave a real legacy for our children and grandchildren.”
The Camano Island project will receive a $928,000 grant, resulting in the protection of approximately 3,300 acres in Port Susan Bay which is adjacent to a 4,000-acre preserve owned by The Nature Conservancy and the 13,000-acre Skagit Wildlife Area. The Port Susan Bay project is part of the Greater Skagit-Stillaguamish Delta which is one of the most crucial places on the northwest coast for estuarine and nearshore conservation because of its wealth of biodiversity and key role in the life histories of dozens of internationally important estuarine-dependent species. The Delta is a critical stop along the Pacific Flyway for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterbirds, and over 90% of western Washington’s wintering waterfowl rely on it. All this prey attracts some of the highest density and diversity of wintering raptors found anywhere in the U.S. In addition, the Port Susan Bay area supports 30,000 - 65,000 Wrangell Island Snow Geese, which is approximately half of the total population for this species. Port Susan Bay also provides important habitats for many species of fish, including Chinook salmon and bull trout which are federally-listed as threatened.
The Whidbey Island project will receive an $850,000 grant, resulting in Washington State Parks acquiring and permanently protecting up to 355 acres of critical habitat at Crockett Lake, located within the Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. With the addition of this acreage, almost the entire Crockett Lake wetland system (approximately 700 acres) will be protected. Crockett Lake, a shallow brackish lake and complex of salt and freshwater marshes, provides vital habitat for a variety of resident and migratory birds. Thousands of shorebirds – over 17 different species -- rely on the lake as an important migration staging area. The area provides critical wintering and nesting habitat for more than 13 species of ducks. At least nine species of raptors are regular visitors, including Peregrine Falcons and Merlins. And, more than 238 species of birds have been recorded in the Crockett Lake area.
National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grants are awarded to states through a competitive process. The program is funded under provisions of the 1990 Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, with money generated from excise taxes on fishing equipment and motorboat and small engine fuels. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program provides technical support and guidance for partners involved in coastal wetland restoration projects such as those announced today. (Editors: A Complete List of Washington State Projects Follows)
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Fiscal Year 2006 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Project Proposals
Crockett Lake Coastal Wetlands Acquisition and Protection. Washington State Parks and Recreation will acquire and permanently protect 355 acres at Crockett Lake in Island County. With the addition of this acreage, almost the entire Crockett Lake wetland system (approximately 700 acres) will be protected. Crockett Lake is a shallow, brackish lake and complex of salt and freshwater marshes, is an important habitat for resident and migratory birds, and provides estuarine rearing and foraging habitat for salmonids and other fish species.
Partners: Whidbey Camano Land Trust, Washington Trout, Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve Trust Board, National Park Service, Whidbey Chapter of the Audubon Society, and an individual landowner.
- Coastal grant: $850,700
- Partners share: $345,000
- Total cost: $1,195,700
Eld Inlet Tidelands and Freshwater Wetlands. The Washington Department of Ecology, in conjunction with the Washington State Coastal Protection Fund, will purchase a conservation easement to permanently protect 2.5 miles of marine shoreline and restrict development on 203 acres in Eld Inlet, which is in the southern portion of Puget Sound. The project would benefit a variety of species including anadromous fish and migratory and resident waterfowl.
Partners: The Trust for Public Lands, Capitol Land Trust, and Entrix.
- Coastal grant: $799,000
- State share: $50,000
- Partners share: $339,000
- Total cost: $1,188,000
Port Susan Phase 2: Acquisition and Protection. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in conjunction with Washington State Salmon Recovery Board, will purchase 3,318 acres and conservation easements on another 63 acres in Port Susan Bay in Puget Sound. When combined with existing reserves in Port Susan Bay, this proposal will contribute to a contiguous tidelands system totaling more than 7,000 acres. Over 30 shorebird species regularly use Port Susan Bay and it provides important habitats for several species of fish, including federally threatened Chinook salmon and bull trout.
Partners: Whidbey Camano Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Washington Trout, Pacific Coast Joint Venture, Stillaguamish Tribe, Ducks Unlimited, and individual community volunteers.
- Coastal grant: $928,000
- State share: $385,000
- Partners share: $15,000
- Total cost: $1,328,000
Qwuloolt Project, Phase IV—Estuarine Restoration. The Washington Department of Ecology plans to remove segments of a dike along Ebey Slough in the lower Snohomish River watershed to restore about 390 acres of intertidal estuarine wetlands. This project will restore important intertidal transitional salmon habitat benefiting the threatened Puget Sound Chinook salmon and many other species, including resident and migratory birds.
Partners: Tulalip Tribes, the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Trustees for the Tulalip Landfill Superfund Site, and the City of Maryville.
- Coastal grant: $902,400
- Partners share: $440,000
- Total cost: $1,342,000
