The Barnaby Reach of the Skagit River extends from the mouth of Illabot Creek downstream to the Sauk River, a distance of over four miles. Historically the river migrated across a broad floodplain in this reach, creating an extensive network of sloughs, wetlands, ponds, side channels, and other off-channel habitats. These types of floodplain habitats provide important spawning and rearing for Chinook salmon and other species. Unfortunately the floodplain in the reach has been degraded with dikes, culverts, and other infrastructure associated with a hatchery facility that is no longer in operation. Much of the land in the Barnaby Reach is in conservation or public ownership, which creates a unique opportunity for significant floodplain restoration. A partnership including the Skagit River System Cooperative, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Seattle City Light, and The Nature Conservancy has been working for almost a decade with the nearby community to restore habitat conditions and reduce flooding and erosion risks in the Barnaby Reach. This project completed the first phase of what was planned as a large multi-phase restoration project. It included final design and construction to remove infrastructure on Barnaby Slough to improve floodplain connectivity and restore fish passage. Construction in 2021 included removal of extensive dikes and flow control structures in Barnaby Slough, removal of unused hatchery facilities and related infrastructure, removal of five wells, decommissioning a culvert that connected Barnaby and Harrison Sloughs, installing an 80-foot pedestrian bridge over the Lucas connector channel, and relocating a recreational parking area. The project came in under budget due to unexpected efficiencies during project construction. No construction was completed for any of the culvert or drainage activities originally planned along Martin Road due to insufficient landowner support for these project elements.