DESCRIPTION
In 2015, staff and volunteers from the Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group, Skagit Land Trust, and Wildcat Steelhead club removed a culvert from a side channel of the Cascade River. The 36" culvert was undersized, and deteriorating, and served an access road that was no longer needed after the Land Trust purchased the property. Amorterra Inc donated time to work with students from the Bellingham Technical College to complete surveys and develop permit drawings. The Skagit Watershed Council and WDFW's ALEA Program provided funding support to complete the work. Removal of this culvert opens more than 1.1 miles of stream to coho and steelhead. Spawner surveys conducted at the site in 2016 documented 54 spawning coho salmon in the ½ mile survey reach upstream of the.
A fish passage barrier occurs on a left bank tributary to the Cascade River at Cascade River Mile 1.25. This drainage supports chinook salmon as indicated by the Limiting factors fish distribution layers and as confirmed by Brett Barkdul of WDFW. The crossing consists of an overgrown road crossing to the south side Cascade River Road at mile post 1. The land is privately owned (Daryl Trezise P45974) and has no improvements.
