Project Description
Partners and Trustees gathered for an unveiling of the Blue Heron Slough restoration project. Dikes were breached and tidal waters returned. As part of the Port Gardner NRDA settlement, nearly 350 acres of estuary and upland habitat along Interstate 5 in the Snohomish River estuary, are now being restored reconnecting habitat critical to salmon, bull trout, and migratory birds to the Snohomish River watershed and Puget Sound. The restoration project is a result of a 2019 settlement with the Port of Everett and other parties in nearby Port Gardner Bay. Additional speakers at the restoration unveiling, included the Tulalip and Suquamish Tribes, noting the cultural and economic importance of salmon and other fish to the region, and hailing this restoration as a step forward. The USFWS served as the Lead Administrative Trustee in the case, responsible for managing and coordinating the NRDA and restoration activities for the Trustee Council.
Parties Implementing Restoration
DOI-FWS; Port of Everett; Suquamish Tribe of Washington; Tulalip Tribes of Washington (previously listed as the Tulalip Tribes of the Tulalip Reservation, Washington); Washington Department of Ecology; Wildlands
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service