The Skagit Land Trust used this funding to acquire seven separate properties, totaling 397 acres, following up on the Middle Skagit Inventory and Assessment that was funded by SRFB in 2001. The assessment produced a ranked list of properties, from which willing sellers were identified. The acquisitions resulted in the systematic and permanent protection of some of the highest-quality Chinook rearing and spawning habitat remaining in this portion of the Skagit River. The side-channels, sloughs, and low-gradient tributaries in this section of the Skagit River are situated immediately upstream of the most populated reaches of the watershed. They provide the last opportunities for coho and Chinook rearing before fish enter the urban and agricultural zones of the lower Skagit River. Properties considered for acquisition were chosen for their quality and quantity of functioning fish habitat. Adjacency to existing protected areas and threat of increased development were also considered. .