Big Lake’s Wetlands Protected as a Conservation Area

Skagit Land Trust purchases 67 acres of critical wetland habitat at the south end of Big Lake

At the intersection where Lake Creek coming from Lake McMurray flows into Big Lake, the land looks like the swamps of story books. Skunk cabbage leaves reach thigh-high, ferns and mushrooms adorn half-sunken logs, and birds swoop over the shallow waters looking for lunch. These are some of the largest remaining intact wetlands in the Nookachamps watershed. For decades, both Skagit Land Trust (the Trust) and the local community have wanted to protect this special place for its natural, high quality wildlife habitat.

Over the years, many ideas were devised about what its alternative future could be including a site of 200 homes, a retirement residence complex, a crawdad farm and Skagit's own "Venice." Finally the opportunity arose in 2015 for the Trust to purchase the land - and keep it in its naturally rich and wild state. “We had a once in a lifetime opportunity to purchase two properties side by side from willing landowners but we had to act quickly. Generous members of the Big Lake community and beyond stepped up to support us financially. We were awarded two sizeable grants from Washington State's Salmon Recovery Funding Board and Department of Ecology as well as a federal North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant" says Molly Doran, the Trust’s Executive Director.

Kari Odden, Conservation Specialist at the Trust, says "the combination of extensive emergent scrub shrub and forested wetlands, as well as the numerous braided creeks running through the wetlands, provide breeding and feeding areas for numerous neo-tropical migrant birds and waterfowl, as well as resident bird species. The creeks themselves hold high quality steelhead and Coho habitat. Based on historic photos, the wetlands appear to have been undisturbed over quite some time. This is an exceptional opportunity for conservation."

Skagit Land Trust is a local non-profit organization that protects important natural lands for the benefit of the community and for future generations of people and wildlife. The Big Lake Wetlands acquisitions are the fourth large conservation project the Trust has in the Nookachamps. In the watershed, Skagit Land Trust also manages conservation areas at Barney Lake and at Mud Lake and holds a conservation easement on Big Rock.

photo by Chris Farrow