2025 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Awards

Dewatto Estuary Protection ($1 million)

We’re working in collaboration with Great Peninsula Conservancy to acquire and permanently protect 240 acres and 1.23 miles of shoreline along Hood Canal in Mason County.

The Dewatto estuary is one of three large coastal embayments on the eastern shore of Hood Canal, and is exceptional because it is relatively intact and provides important environmental functions. The property contains estuarine salt marsh, critical habitat for many species of juvenile salmon, including Endangered Species Act-listed Hood Canal summer chum salmon and Puget Sound Chinook salmon.

The site represents a rare opportunity to protect almost the entirety of an intact, large estuary. Many state- and federally-listed animal species rely on the property’s nearshore habitat, including marbled murrelets, as well as bocaccio and canary rockfish.

Double Bluff acquisition ($1 million)

This project is in partnership with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust to acquire and conserve 257 acres of Puget Sound shoreline property on southwestern Whidbey Island in Island County.

This project will permanently protect the iconic Double Bluff property, encompassing 3,500 feet of shoreline and 42 acres of nearshore marine habitat, of which there are over seven acres of coastal tidelands and 35 acres of bluffs and beach. The property also includes 137 acres of coastal upland forest and an approximately 78-acre wetland complex that contains a 15-acre undeveloped lake and associated stream that is a tributary to Deer Lagoon. This historic estuary is known to host non-natal populations of juvenile salmon, including Chinook, coho, pink, and chum.

The project benefits a wide range of marine nearshore, freshwater, and forest dependent species, both on and off site. The feeder bluffs on this property range between 200-350 feet high along the entirety of the 2/3-mile shoreline. Federal and state listed endangered salmon and other marine benthic organisms use the eelgrass beds in the intertidal zones. The upland forests and freshwater areas provide habitat for pileated woodpeckers, western toads and peregrine falcon.

East Tarboo wildlife preserve acquisition ($995,000)

We’re working with Northwest Watershed Institute to acquire and permanently protect 81 acres along Tarboo Creek's tributaries and wetlands in Jefferson County.

The project represents the current phase of a long-term conservation effort to protect the Tarboo Creek and Dabob Bay ecosystem. It's essential for protecting a critical part of the Tarboo valley wetland and wildlife corridor that stretches from the headwaters of Tarboo Creek to Tarboo Bay. Streams and wetlands on the property drain to the mainstem of Tarboo Creek, the largest freshwater source to Tarboo-Dabob Bay, located less than two miles downstream of the project.

The conservation of this key property will protect a diversity of wetland and stream habitats for coastal fish and wildlife species. It will help maintain Dabob Bay’s water quality which is critical for estuarine species, as well as shellfish production for four Tribes with reserved treaty rights, the public, and the shellfish industry.

Enetai shoreline protection ($1 million)

In collaboration with the Great Peninsula Conservancy, this project will acquire and permanently protect 24.8 acres of wetland and riparian forest and 1,548 feet of shoreline in central Puget Sound in Kitsap County.

The project will conserve one of the best remaining potential sites for feeder bluff, shoreline, and armor-removal restoration in central Puget Sound. The project site contains high-functioning feeder bluff and bluff-backed beach, as well as a riparian forest more than a century old. The active feeder bluff provides important sediment input for shoreline and estuarine wetlands, including nearby Illahee State Park.

The project is a rare opportunity to protect a large, diverse, and functioning shoreline wetland system in close proximity to Puget Sound's large population centers.

Samish Bay slough protection ($457,000)

In partnership with the Skagit Land Trust, this grant will be used to acquire and conserve 1.6 acres and 430 feet of marine coastline along Samish Bay in northern Skagit County.

The project is located on the Samish Island isthmus, located between two larger Puget Sound bays, Padilla and Samish bays. The area was formerly estuarine marsh with a tidal slough which connected the two bays before dikes were built in the late 1800s and 1930s.

This project includes acquiring the historic channel entrance to Samish Bay, considered the critical "missing piece" that's necessary for future restoration and reconnection of the two bays. While the project will remove development rights, the property is a critical linchpin for the future restoration of surrounding coastal wetland properties already under protection by the Skagit Land Trust and Ecology's Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Samish River wetlands acquisition and restoration ($479,700)

In partnership with the Skagit Land Trust, this project will permanently protect 26 acres and 1,750 feet of riverine shoreline along the Samish River in Skagit County.

The project will permanently protect and restore nationally declining forested and shrub wetlands as well as lowland riparian forest. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has identified that the property contains critical habitat for the federally endangered Oregon spotted frog. It also supports a variety of salmon species including steelhead and resident coastal cutthroat trout and coho and chum salmon. This project will protect sensitive habitats for many endangered freshwater and coastal species, and will help improve water quality. 

Sound View Camp Coastal Habitat Restoration ($1 million)

We’re working with the Nisqually Land Trust to restore coastal habitat and nearshore processes at Sound View Camp, a 93-acre property on Drayton Passage in southern Puget Sound, in Pierce County. The project will restore natural processes by removing creosote treated pilings, decking, railing, ramps and other pier infrastructure. The project will also remove a concrete bulkhead and building foundation that inhibits feeder bluff and other nearshore processes, remove wooden float debris from embayment beach and saltmarsh habitats, and remove invasive weed species and restore native vegetation from targeted nearshore areas. Additionally, the project will provide education and outreach about Puget Sound coastal conservation and restoration.