Tope Ryan

Good salmon habitat features a non-hardened shoreline allowing for the natural meander of the river channel; a mixed stand of coniferous and deciduous vegetation, which provides cooling shade in the summer, stabilizes the soil to reduce sedimentation, and eventually serves as a source of large-woody debris for the channel.  All of these features are present at this property.

Keeping the riparian area intact along the edge of the Samish  helps improve water quality in a watershed that currently has many issues. In 2009, large woody debris (LWD) appeared after a flood event, significantly improving channel complexity. Swede Creek and the surrounding flooded area provide important habitat for amphibian reproduction, as well as beavers and a variety of fish species.  Red legged frog and Northwestern salamander egg masses have been located in the streams during March/April amphibian surveys over the years. These areas and the riparian habitat along them have excellent complexity and diversity, increased by beaver activities. The riparian habitat is inhabited by a great variety of songbirds, small mammals, and amphibians. It captures sediment and provides a visual barrier between Gripp Road, surrounding fields and the open water, providing cover for deer, songbirds, and small mammals.

The woodland area on the northeast side of the property provides additional diverse and protected forest habitat for wildlife and will likely eventually become a riparian edge if the field continues flooding. It contains a greater diversity of plant species than habitats elsewhere on the property, including multiple ferns, mosses and lichens, native flowers, woody shrubs and a variety of tree species.  The peninsula on the north-west side of the property is less diverse than the woodland, but is still a healthy functioning riparian woodland with a varied ground layer, understory and canopy.