The Skagit River supports 6 of 22 stocks of Puget Sound Chinook & the largest bull trout and steelhead populations in the Sound. This project continued acquisition work to protect key floodplain habitats & associated functions such as large wood recruitment, sediment delivery, hydrology, water quality, and channel migration. The target floodplain reaches covered by this proposal include the vast majority of Chinook spawning and freshwater rearing habitats in the basin. Targeted parcels were identified utilizing a rigorous cost-effective formula developed by the Skagit Watershed Council. This project built on and enhanced the systematic and highly successful, SRFB-funded assessment and acquisition work undertaken by the Skagit Land Trust (00-1716N & 01-1364A) in the 'middle' Skagit River reach. The assessment phase includes refinement of past property prioritization work, landowner outreach and restoration planning (as needed). Landowners of priority parcels were contacted, and those with willing sellers were evaluated for feasibility of acquisition and then acquisition was pursued. Acquiring high quality properties provides long-term protection of the best remaining spawning and rearing salmon habitat in the basin from future timber harvest, development, and/or hydromodification and enables key restoration actions to occur to enhance floodplain processes. This project was funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board (SRFB) on December 13, 2007 as a $2,312,800 comprehensive acquisition and assessment grant for both the "middle" and "upper" Skagit River reaches (07-1783P). For administration purposes, the project was split into two separate grant contracts. This grant for $1,471,139 is administered by Skagit Land Trust. The companion grant (07-1783P) for $841,661 is administered by The Nature Conservancy. The following properties were aquired with this grant administered by Skagit Land Trust (07-2017): Bergquist - 41.5 acres Robinson (aka Weaver & Nichols Bar) - 33 acres Pressentin Ranch - 40.5 acres Wild Fish Conservancy - 36 acres (paid in part with SRFB funds) Sjoboen - 91 acres (paid in part with SRFB funds) Assessment work continued resulting in outreach to landowners/realtors and site visits conducted by Skagit Land Trust (SLT) on the following properties: Dashiell (subsequent acquisition by Sauk-Suiattle Tribe through SLT's 2009 SRFB grant) Granstrom (subsequent acquisition by Seattle City LIght "SCL") Wade (subsequent acquisition by SCL) Moberg (subsequent acquisition by SCL) Day Creek Corp (anticipated acquisition through SLT's 2009 and 2010 SRFB grant) Loney (appraisal conducted, PSA signed but was terminated due to issues including access) Mailliard ( appraisal conducted, landowner sold to another party for a little over appraised value) Whitmore (realtor stated landowner had higher expectations of value than appraisal would reach) JRT and Golden Eagle (acquired majority of Cockreham Island, multiple meetings with both landowners and ongoing communications) Lewis (discussion on conservation options) Piscatore (appraisal conducted, landonwers not happy with FMV and did not sell) Butters (site visit, unrealistic expectations of value) Perigoue (discussions regarding possible conservation easement) Poeschel (site visit &,appraisal, referred to SCL subsequent acquisition through 2010 SRFB grant) Barradale (site visit and research, majority of property washed by the Sauk) Sadler (site visit, appraisal, landowner did not accept appraised value) Alterra (site visit, subsequent acquisition through 2010 SRFB grant) Dick (assessment work determined not high priority at this time, may revisit) Lipsey (site visit and landonwer office visit, issues with the property and unrealistic expectation of value) SLT assisted The Nature Conservancy with outreach and site visits to landowners Sakshaug and Martin (costs billed to TNC's grant and both subsequently acquired through TNC's grant) Outreach letters were sent to an additional 10 landowners with no response. Staff also conducted ongoing assessment of possible SRFB-eligible properties as identified through MLS listings and other web-basd sites, through tax foreclosure listings and through other referrals throughout the upper and middle reach of the Skagit river and along the Sauk-Suiattle watersheds.