People for Puget Sound undertook this project to provide the required engineering specifications for a new bridge at Deer Harbor that would eliminate the adverse impacts of the existing bridge on salmonid habitat, to compile the technical data necessary to meet local permit requirements, and to establish baselines for post-construction restoration of salmonid stocks and native vegetation in the estuary and bay. Archaeological and historical evidence indicate that sea-run cutthroat, coho salmon, and chum salmon used this area. However, early 20th Century farming reduced freshwater flows to Deer Harbor and a bridge constructed over the estuary in 1970 constricted tidal flux. This altered sediment deposition patterns, affected eelgrass meadows, and reduced the amount of fish-accessible habitat The completed document, The Deer Harbor Estuary Habitat Restoration Project Orcas Island, Washington Environmental Assessment and Feasibility Study Report, represents the accumulated work of ten regional scientists and local experts. The study produced community interest in the ecology of the lagoon and brought people together to discuss the functions and values of the nearshore environment. The outreach resulted in a community dialogue through the creation of a website (www.helpingtheearth.org), a reader board, and meetings at the Deer Harbor Community Center. The report also provides information which the San Juan County Department of Transportation can use in their examination of alternatives for replacement of the Cayou Lagoon bridge, and completion of an environmental impact statement. In addition, this report can be used as an examination of a typical estuary in the San Juan Islands, and may be used when comparing problems in similar situations within the islands. In particular, portions of the study that examine eelgrass beds can be incorporated into data being collected about that resource in the county.