Guemes Mountain & Valley

Following European settlement, land use and resource patterns changed, affecting both Indigenous communities and local ecosystems. With this transition, industry proposed various plans to develop the land. For example, the valley of what is now SLT’s Guemes Mountain and Valley Conservation Area, was considered as a site for an aluminum smelter in 1966. Conservation-minded Guemes islanders, building on the foundation and long history of stewardship by the Coast Salish, foiled the aluminum plot with a rezoning challenge that went all the way to the Washington State Supreme Court. At a time when a wave of extreme industrialism threatened many beautiful places in Skagit County, this was a crucial victory.

The aluminum plant gave islanders a large enough scare, and it probably did more to galvanize conservation than anything else in the end. Much of the land that is now part of the Guemes Mountain and Valley Conservation Area was purchased by private landowners soon after the aluminum plant proposal fell apart – specifically with an intent that long-term the land would be conserved, not developed. Islanders also donated private conservation easements to SJPT in areas next to what is now the Guemes Mountain and Valley Conservation Area and on other parts of the Island.

In the 1990’s, landowners such as Joost Businger and others helped the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife secure a 39-acre wildlife sanctuary at Square Harbor. This sanctuary forms the eastern edge of the Guemes Conservation Corridor.

In 2006, Guemes Islanders were meeting to discuss what they hoped their Island would look like far into the future. A large heart was drawn on top of Guemes Mountain, which at the time was privately owned. Soon after, this property went was listed for sale. Islanders asked SLT to help protect the top of Guemes Mountain. The price tag was in the millions of dollars. By early 2008, Guemes islanders, SLT, SJPT, and members of both organizations were all working together to save the mountain’s 70-acre summit. The property was purchased in the shadow of the Great Recession in 2009 due to the dedication and generosity of over 500 donors. Joost Businger, who had earlier purchased an undeveloped cell tower site on the very top, donated that site to SLT to culminate the campaign. SLT later purchased 15 more acres from adjacent mountain top owners.

Although the forest lands of Guemes Mountain’s summit were blown down or logged most recently in the 1990s, western red alder, willow, and other early successional species have begun to grow on the upper slopes of Guemes Mountain. Hikers today can find a mix of hardwood, softwood and shrub species including madrone, osoberry, grand fir, western hemlock, bitter cherry, pacific yew, red flowering current, and native rose. The section of the mountain that transitions from second growth softwoods, including douglas-fir and western hemlock, to hardwood species is an excellent place for viewing woodpeckers. 

Guemes Valley and Forest

Guemes Island relies on a sole source aquifer, and this wetland is the major contributor to recharge that aquifer. Although hard to believe now in its peacefulness, this was the site of the proposed aluminum smelter. These parcels are owned and managed by SLT and our partner the SJPT holds a conservation easement on them. They will be protected forever in their natural state.