Estuary restoration projects on WDFW lands

Wrack line of driftwood along Stillaguamish river
Photo by WDFW

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) manages more than 1 million acres of land for conservation of fish and wildlife and recreation opportunities for Washington residents. Learn about current ongoing estuary restoration projects on WDFW wildlife areas and water access areas around Puget Sound.

More information is also available in this February 2023 blog post WDFW moving forward with estuary restoration projects in North Puget Sound.

  • Duckabush estuary restoration project

    This proposed project on the Duckabush Unit of the North Olympic Wildlife Area would reconnect the Duckabush River to a floodplain and wetlands by modifying local roads.

  • Fir Island Farms restoration project

    The 131 acre Fir Island Farm Estuary Restoration project is located on WDFW's Fir Island Farm Reserve unit of Skagit Wildlife Area.

  • Island Unit restoration project

    WDFW is moving forward with a project at the Skagit Wildlife Area to restore critical estuary habitat for struggling salmon populations.

  • Leque Island restoration project

    WDFW and partners removed 2.4 miles of levee on the Leque Island Unit of the Skagit Wildlife Area to restore 250 acres of tidal marsh habitat in the Stillaguamish River watershed.

  • Milltown Island restoration project

    The Milltown Island Estuary Restoration Project is located on a 220-acre site in the South Fork Skagit River. The site provides an opportunity to restore a rich mosaic of habitats for salmon, birds, beaver and other fish and wildlife.

  • Spencer Island restoration project

    WDFW, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Snohomish County, is proposing an estuary restoration project to recreate rare tidal freshwater marsh at Spencer Island. 

  • Wiley Slough restoration project

    The Wiley Slough Estuary Restoration Project at Skagit Headquarters Unit moved dikes and a tidegate to restore 156 acres of tidal marsh, providing rearing habitat for hundreds of thousands of juvenile Chinook each year.