Vital wetland habitat makes a comeback

The 29-acre Dugualla Heights conservation easement is located near Dugualla Bay and includes a four acre open water lagoon. Grant funded habitat enhancement projects completed by the Land Trust in 2016 have restored stream channels, removed invasive species and added new native plants to improve wildlife habitat.

Five miles west of where the north fork of the Skagit River empties into Puget Sound lies Dugualla Bay, one of the region’s most important areas for salmon recovery. From the mouth of the river, the Skagit’s legendary Chinook and other juvenile salmon have just a quick day trip to the shallow waters of the Land Trust’s protected shoreline properties. Here, along with migratory shorebirds, waterfowl and Western Toads, they find over 100 acres of restored wetland habitat — the result of years of complex land negotiations, joint projects with state and county partners, and the hands-on efforts of community volunteers.