SFEG Initiates Restoration with Seattle City Light
By Perry Welch
Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group has partnered with Seattle City Light on the Anderson Creek and the Iron Mountain Ranch restoration projects. The Anderson Creek restoration project takes place on the former VanderSar Dairy on the South Skagit Highway, east of Sedro-Woolley. Seattle City Light purchased the 125-acre floodplain property in April 2005 and intends to restore hydrologic function and riparian vegetation on this lowland property located along Ross Island Slough.
The Ross Island Slough complex includes a seven-mile long side channel, a number of smaller sloughs, and several major tributaries and possesses one of the largest and highest quality off-channel salmonid habitat areas on the middle Skagit River. This area provides important spawning and juvenile rearing habitat to Chinook salmon, coho salmon, and steelhead trout as well as foraging habitat for migratory bull trout. Anderson Creek supports coho, chum, cutthroat, and possibly bull trout. Most of the Ross Island Slough habitat is undisturbed and protected from future development through conservation ownership by the U.S. Forest Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Seattle City Light.
Anderson Creek appears to have been channelized around the lowland fields and is forced to turn about 90 degrees as the channel approaches the floodplain. The result is that the creek frequently flows out of its channel during storm events and meanders through fields and horse pastures before finding its way back into Ross Island Slough through ill-defined channels. This can result in stranded salmon, unnecessary flooding, and hardship to adjacent landowners and livestock.
Project objectives are to restore natural stream process to Anderson Creek by re-routing the creek away from its channelized location; restore the riparian area along the creek and the slough (in part through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program); and restore fish passage to the adjacent Anderson Slough. To get started with on the ground activities, SFEG held a volunteer work party on November 12th. Volunteers installed 300 plants along a 550 foot riparian zone on Ross Island Slough near the mouth of Anderson Creek.
SFEG Board President Dick Knight talks with Seattle City Light’s Tom Meyer at the October 29 planting event at Iron Mountain Ranch.
The Iron Mountain Project is located on the South Skagit Highway east of Hamilton. Seattle City Light purchased the 235-acre property from the Hoy family in 2004. The property borders two miles of the Skagit River along one of the most important spawning areas in the lower and middle Skagit River for Chinook, chum, pink salmon, and steelhead. The riparian vegetation along the Hoy property was cleared long ago for cattle grazing and farming. While the farmers on this property have done an excellent job stewarding the land for agriculture by not overgrazing the property, there are areas where stream side erosion is occurring. The worst erosion occurs where woody vegetation is lacking along the riparian corridor. In other areas there is a vegetated riparian zone that ranges from 50 to over 400 feet wide.
The overall objective of this project is to restore the native riparian vegetation along the Skagit River. Agricultural activities will continue beyond the planned 150-200 foot wide riparian planting zone. The project offers an excellent opportunity to integrate habitat restoration and on-going agriculture. Other partners include the Skagit Land Trust, who will maintain a conservation easement on the land. SFEG initiated on the ground activities this fall with back-to-back weekend planting work parties. Volunteers installed 500 trees and shrubs along 1,275 feet of stream bank. SFEG’s field staff will get started with fencing this winter.
