Above: Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area is easily accessed by boat. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area was purchased by Skagit Land Trust from two separate land owners in 2016 and preserves 67 acres of critical wetland habitat at the south end of Big Lake. This area comprises the only non-developed shoreline remaining on Big Lake. 

Funds to purchase and restore this land were provided by several sources, including a Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board grant, a North Americans Wetlands Conservation Act grant (appropriated through the WA Department of Fish and Wildlife), and an Environmental Protection Agency grant (through the WA Department of Ecology). Donations from members of the Big Lake community contributed over $45,000 for the project. 

Above: Waterlillies bloom in the spring at Big Lake Conservation Area. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

Ecology

The Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area preserves some of the largest remaining intact wetlands in the Nookachamps watershed. The wetlands are formed where Lake Creek (flowing from Lake McMurray) enters Big Lake. The property plays an important role in the local hydrology by providing area for standing surface water, water filtration and habitat, as well as serving as a critical recharge zone for groundwater.  The water levels of Big Lake fluctuate seasonally.

Above: Aerial photograph of Big Lake and Big Lake Conservation Area by local photographer Christine Farrow.

The combination of extensive wetlands with abundant native vegetation, as well as the numerous braided creeks running through the property, provide breeding and feeding areas for numerous migratory and resident birds and waterfowl species.

Primary conservation features of this property include steelhead and salmon habitat. The Skagit Watershed Council identified priority Steelhead habitat at Big Lake and a portion of the funding for this property was provided through the WA Salmon Recovery Funding Board.  

The creeks themselves hold high quality steelhead and Coho habitat with 90% of the Big Lake Wetlands Conservation considered Washington State Priority Aquatic Freshwater Wetlands Habitat. The wetlands area provides habitat for several species listed under the Endangered Species Act in Washington State including Bull Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Coho Salmon, Rainbow Trout and Steelhead. 

Amphibian Monitoring

Above: A volunteer measures water quality during amphibian monitoring project at Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area, March 2018. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

A large portion of the on-site wetland is classified as an at risk ecosystem in Washington State. In 2014, Skagit Land Trust began a citizens science program monitoring amphibian concentration and diversity at several properties with suitable wetland habitat. Amphibian monitoring in Big Lake Wetlands began in 2017. Photographs below document amphibian monitoring efforts in Big Lake Wetlands in March of 2018. 

Above: Volunteers measure water quality and biological diversity during an amphibian monitoring citizen science project at Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area, March 2018. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

A primary goal of amphibian surveys is to search for evidence of the Oregon Spotted Frog, listed on the Endangered Species List by Washington State in 1997. (It is a candidate species for federal listing.) Historically, Oregon spotted frogs were found within Washington from the Canadian border south to the Columbia River near Vancouver, and in a few marshes east of the Cascade Mountains. This distribution has been dramatically reduced and Oregon spotted frogs are now only known to reproduce in about 12 locations in three counties: Whatcom, Thurston, and Klickitat. There is no definitive evidence of Oregon Spotted Frogs in Skagit County. 

Above: Amphibian eggs found at Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area during an Amphibian Monitoring project, March 2018. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

Click here for a link to information about our land stewards for this site.

Access

Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area is located south of the community of Big Lake in the Nookachamps watershed. The property is immediately surrounded by agricultural and rural residential lands, with forest lands to the east and west. Access via land is very challenging. Access by boat is possible. The community of Big Lake lies to the north, and development surrounds the majority of Big Lake. Historical aerial photography suggests the property that comprises the Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area has never been developed, beyond a small boardwalk that has since been removed.

Click here for a Google map of Big Lake.

Skagit Land Trust allows only limited low-impact public access. Currently there are no developed access points; accessing the property by foot is challenging due to thick vegetation and deep channels and pools. It is possible to visit the shoreline along Big Lake via boat.

Please contact Skagit Land Trust at (360) 428-7878 for more information.

Above: Early morning fog covers meadows in the Big Lake Wetlands Conservation Area in December. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

Click on the map above for an enlarged image. Map created using 2017 NAIP aerial imagery.