Investing in Future Resilience on Padilla Bay
For the past 25 years Skagit Land Trust (the Trust) has been working to conserve the land and waters at the entrance to Samish Island. We began with private landowners donating conservation easements on forested uplands. We purchased the Samish Flower Farm in 2019 and the Samish Island Entrance Property in 2021, which together form the Samish Island Conservation Area. In December 2022, the Trust bought 28 adjacent acres. In Spring of 2023, the Trust purchased another 45 acres. This brings the total conserved lands at the entrance of Samish Island to 171 acres.
The recent purchases of 28 and 45 acres were possible thanks to a partnership with the Padilla Bay National Estuary Research Reserve (PBNERR). The Trust was able to act quickly when the two properties came on the market, thanks to member donations, Trust funds, and a loan from The Conservation Fund. While Skagit Land Trust ensured that the properties were protected today, PBNERRS worked with the Washington State Department of Ecology to apply for a federal grant to purchase the lands from the Trust for long-term ownership and conservation.
On Friday, April 21st, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that PBNERR’s grant would be fully funded as part of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with funds leveraged from the Inflation Reduction Act. The grant will allow Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve to protect and restore acres of former and current tidal marsh, as part of a larger overall effort with Skagit Land Trust to restore up to 105 acres of tidal marsh to Padilla Bay.
Visiting Samish Island Conservation Area
For those wanting to visit the Samish Island Conservation Area, Skagit Land Trust continues to own the property with beach access via the trail from Samish Island Rd, and access there will remain open to the public. PBNERR is still developing their access policy for the property that will ultimately own. Until they purchase the parcels from Skagit Land Trust, those parcels will remain open for low impact, passive public access. The public should feel free to walk around the property and look at wildlife, but as always, remember to follow the Trust’s visitor guidelines.
