The Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area is located on the north shore of the Skagit River directly across Highway 20 from Cascadian Farm Stand. 

The Skagit River is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River and is the only large river system in Washington that supports healthy populations of all five native salmon species and two native species of trout.

Conservation Story

Skagit Land Trust assisted The Nature Conservancy in acquiring Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area with funds from the Washington State Salmon Recovery Funding Board.  Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area is one of nine properties transferred from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to Skagit Land Trust in 2017. This acquisition of 1,024 acres expanded the total area of lands managed by the Skagit Land Trust by over one third at the time. 

Click here to read more about the land acquisition between TNC and the Skagit Land Trust in our Summer 2017 Newsletter.

Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area is one of many Skagit Land Trust properties along the upper Skagit River watershed set aside for conservation. Along with other conservation organizations in the area, properties managed by Skagit Land Trust in the upper Skagit create a patchwork of protected shoreline along the Skagit River. 

The majority of land near the property is used for agriculture (such as Cascadian Farmstand), rural homes, or is managed by conservation agencies such as Skagit Land Trust or the US Forest Service. Small sections of surrounding land are private forestlands, some of which are in active timber production. Directly across the Skagit River lies two properties managed by Skagit Land Trust: Illabot Creek Conservation Area and Illabot Creek - Perrigoue Conservation Easement. 

Ecology

Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area provides important habitat for bald eagles that winter along the Skagit River and feed on winter salmon runs. The Skagit River supports some of the highest concentrations of wintering bald eagles in the continental United State. The property is within Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Skagit River Bald Eagle Natural Area: a mosaic of public and private lands protected and managed to support wintering populations of bald eagles along the Skagit River. 

Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area protects a shoreline forest of the Skagit River floodplain. The canopy is dominated by Big Leaf Maple and Red Alder along with a few mature Western Red Cedar and a dense native shrub understory. This forest provides habitat for a variety of native wildlife species including salmon, bald eagles, beaver and raccoon.

Above: The Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area protects habitat for beaver and other native species along the Skagit River. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

Above: The Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area lies within the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) management buffer for the Northern Spotted Owl. Photograph credit: National Park Service.

In October 2014 Washington Department of Transportation installed engineered logjams upstream of the Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area to protect Highway 20 from erosion. The logjams are held together by large concrete dolosse and deflect river flow away from the shoreline. They are designed to collect large woody debris and thus to create a stronger natural barrier to erosion over time. When installed, the logjams changed the flow of the Skagit River and seasonal flood channels within Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area. 

Above: Volunteers plant native trees at Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area during a work party in 2018. Below: Restoration work parties can involve lots of play. Photograph credit: Skagit Land Trust staff.

Click here to read more about the land stewards for this and other Skagit Land Trust properties. 

Access

Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area lies east of Rockport along the Skagit River on the south side of Hwy 20 directly across the street from Cascadian Farm Stand. There is a path into the property from the south side of Hwy 20 slightly west of Cascadian Farm Stand. It is also possible to access the property from the Skagit River by boat.

Click here for a link to Google maps to the Skagit River Kahn Conservation Area. 

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