EdgewaterPark, an area of 68 acres, with 4500 feet of shoreline, is located on an inside bend of the Skagit River, between the river and the dike across from old town Mount Vernon at river mile 11. This park is a highly visible and heavily used area of the Skagit Watershed. Mount Vernon is the largest community in the Skagit Watershed and the County Seat for Skagit County. Roughly 30,000 people (or 25%) of the Skagit County's population resides in Mount Vernon.

This project addresses a critical need for the restoration of riparian function in the lower Skagit floodplain or 'delta', which has been extensively diked along the mainstem channel edge and has been rated highly degraded or poor for riparian condition based on field and remote sensing surveys. Riparian vegetation provides shade, nutrients, bank stability and large woody debris recruitment, all of which are particularly critical in the lower Skagit floodplain where there are so few opportunities for riparian restoration directly adjacent to the river due to the extensive dike and levee network in this area. Recent research is suggesting that low recruitment of large wood to the estuary may have long-term consequences for the sustainability of estuarine shrubs and trees (Hood 2002). Therefore, this project is expected to have long-term direct benefits to salmon and other species that will use this project site for refuge, rearing, and foraging but will also have long-term benefits for salmon downriver in the tidal marshes and scrub shrub habitats because of the importance of large wood to the functioning of these systems. Riparian habitat restoration is a top priority goal for the recovery of Chinook because of the importance of the functioning edge habitat for rearing juvenile chinook salmon as well as other salmonid species. In addition to the benefit of the native vegetation that will be planted at the project site, this effort will also benefit the watershed by the removal of invasive species present at the site including blackberry, scotch broom, knotweed and ivy. Removing these invasive species from the floodplain will improve riparian function at Edgewater Park along the Skagit River and the newly created off channel slough, and also slow the spread of these invasive species downstream.

Skagit Fisheries worked with the Mount Vernon City Parks to host an Earth Day volunteer event in 2013 and again in 2014. Over 2400 trees and shrubs were planted over the course of two years, 5.5 acres of blackberries, ivy, knotweed and other invasive species were mechanically and chemically managed and 20+ yards of mulch was distributed around the restoration area. SFEG looks forward to working with EarthCorps to continue maintaining this restoration site.

The project was completed in December of 2014. In order to ensure project success SFEG was awarded a supplemental $10,230 for plant maintenance activities. This grant runs through December of 2017.