Restoration

Habitat Restoration

Healthy salmon begin with healthy watersheds. At Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, habitat restoration is at the heart of everything we do — because when we protect and restore the cold, clean water salmon depend on, the entire ecosystem thrives.

What We Do

Decades of habitat loss and environmental degradation have taken a toll on the Skagit watershed. Our restoration projects directly address these challenges by:

Restoring native riparian forests and marine shorelines to stabilize banks, filter runoff, and provide vital shade
Improving fish passage so salmon can reach the spawning grounds their survival depends on
Reconnecting and enhancing off-channel habitats that serve as critical rearing areas for juvenile fish

It Takes a Community

None of this work happens alone. SFEG partners with dedicated volunteers to operate our native plant nursery, support project implementation, and carry out ongoing habitat monitoring.

We also work directly with local landowners, offering practical solutions that work for both people and the land.

More Than Just Salmon

A restored watershed doesn’t just bring back salmon — it brings back the full richness of the Pacific Northwest. Eagles, otters, bears, amphibians, and songbirds all depend on the same healthy rivers and forests we’re working to protect. When the watershed wins, we all win.

Request for Bid – Carpenter and English Creeks Fish Passage Project

Request for Services

May 15, 2026/0 Comments/by Rose Sandell

PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS

When the roads are rivers, where do the salmon go? by SFEG Intern Elizabeth Kimberly

On November 15th, 2021, the Skagit River in Mount Vernon crested at a height of 36.98 feet, just five inches short of the previous 1990 record. Across the county, rivers replaced roads, riparian zones became stream beds, culverts filled to the brim, and homeowners’ backyards and living rooms were inundated with water.

Salmon Sightings at Oyster Creek – Join Us!

From the Field

Join us Saturday, November 6th at Oyster Creek on the road to Taylor Shellfish Farm to look for spawning chum salmon. We’ll be there to answer your questions about salmon and their habitat at these family-friendly, outdoor events. Experts will be on hand to discuss the restoration efforts of SFEG and partner NSEA, and the water quality awareness work of Taylor Shellfish Farms.

The REDD Fall 2021 Newsletter is Published!

From the Field

This year the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group has been celebrating 30 years of successful collaboration with our community to restore habitat for salmon. However, Skagit Fisheries is not alone in celebrating this milestone. As one of 14 Regional Fisheries Enhancement Groups across Washington State, we are part of a statewide celebration of important salmon work occurring at the community level over the past 30 years.

Membership Special Features Gretchen Leggitt Sticker

From the Field

Skagit Fisheries and Gretchen Leggitt have teamed up to offer you this membership special! Become a member and receive a one-of-a-kind Skagit Hydrascape Infinity Sticker featuring salmon and the Skagit Valley. The idea of Infinity Stickers was born while Gretchen created a 200+ foot long mural of the North Cascades Mountain Range.

Silver Creek: A Fish Passage Story | Project 15 of 30

30/30 Projects, Blog, From the Field

By Former SFEG Restoration Ecologist Susan Madsen In the Silver Creek neighborhood fall is a season that brings both an end and a new beginning. Like most Pacific Nor’westers, we tire quickly of hot temperatures and cloudless…

Field Survey Internship Fall 2021

From the Field

Help identify fish passage barriers! The field survey intern will assist SFEG staff with: 1) completing fish passage surveys on potential fish passage barriers in Skagit and Snohomish counties, and 2) conducting habitat assessments on Island…

Bowman Bay volunteers building resilience for people and ecosystems

Blog, From the Field

By Adam Airoldi, SFEG Riparian Restoration Manager Deception Pass holds a unique position in our local ecosystem as the first access to the open ocean for out-migrating salmon from the Skagit and Stillaguamish watersheds, as well as the numerous…

Eradicating Knotweed in the Upper Skagit Watershed | Project 14 of 30

30/30 Projects, Blog, From the Field

By Bengt Miller, Stewardship Coordinator If you have ever seen knotweed in the Upper Skagit Watershed (upstream from Rockport) you are one of a small, select group. This invasive species has been wreaking havoc on watersheds throughout the…

Britt Slough | Project 13 of 30

30/30 Projects, Blog, From the Field

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 “provides a framework for conserving and protecting endangered and threatened species and their habitats” (Source: US Fish and Wildlife Service). This key piece of environmental legislation…

AmeriCorps Position Open – Education Associate

From the Field

Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group seeks an individual to fill a Washington Service Corps Individual Placement position. Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is a private non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration and protection of salmon resources. Our goals are primarily met by educating and involving the community in hands-on stream restoration activities. This position assists with environmental education activities related to salmon habitat enhancement. Much of the position entails the delivery of education and outreach programs to kids and adults in and out of the classroom.

Cedar Grove | Project 12 of 30

30/30 Projects, Blog, From the Field

Located 1.8 miles upriver of Dalles bridge in Concrete Washington exists Cedar Grove; a quiet wetland located in the Skagit floodplain in a channel long abandoned by the mainstem river. It may surprise some readers to learn that Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group is currently working with Skagit County Public Works, and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to complete a restoration project designed to benefit Skagit Chinook and (by extension) resident orcas.

Deception Pass | Project 11 of 30

30/30 Projects, From the Field

As you look out from the Deception Pass bridge linking Fidalgo to Whidbey Island, plunging rock faces and forests jut into the vibrantly blue coastline waters of the Salish Sea. The variety of recreation and visual appeal makes Deception Pass one of Washington’s top parks to visit. Over the past 5 years, Skagit Fisheries has been working side by side with Northwest Straits Foundation and Skagit County Marine Resource Committee (MRC) to make this place more than just bountiful to the human eye and body, but to enhance the landscapes for the many plant and animal species that rely on this habitat.

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Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group

P.O. Box 2497
Mount Vernon, WA 98273

EIN: 94-3165939