Restoring the natural order of the estuary

STANWOOD — On the west side of an old dike near Port Susan, seagrass sways along tidal channels as birds dart through cattails. On the east side of the dike, separated by only a few feet of dirt, dust swirls across a flat plain as excavators move mounds of earth.

The two adjacent landscapes seem worlds away from each other. One is a flourishing natural environment governed by the ebbs and flows of daily tides — a perfect nursery for threatened Chinook salmon. The other is the remnant of decades of agricultural use, the earth’s use dictated over the years by owners’ desire for certain crops or livestock.

But in 2026, the two sides will merge as the Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians resurrects 230 acres of floodplain named for a historical tribal leader in an effort to save salmon.

For thousands of years, rivers making their way down from the North Cascades have carved winding paths through western Washington. When fresh water flows hit the salty tides of Puget Sound, two opposing bodies of water mix, stirring and moving the land beneath their currents.

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