The Skagit Land Trust began to acquire this floodplain forest in 2005 with financial assistance from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, gradually increasing the acreage to its current size of 211 acres. This property is an excellent example of how rich in diversity the deciduous forests of the Skagit River floodplain can be. Cottonwoods, alders and big-leaf maples line the Skagit River and provide nutrients to the water, as well as homes for many species of birds and amphibians. Cumberland Creek provides very important salmon habitat.
This short video about Cumberland Creek from Elisabetta Bastai on Vimeo provides a short overview of this wonderful conservation project.
In October 2014, a project was completed to restore more than 4,000 feet of salmon habitat by diverting Cumberland Creek into its historic channel in a joint effort by the Skagit Land Trust, the Army Corps of Engineers, Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC), Skagit County, and Seattle City Light. The creek had been in its current channel for about 80 years because of the South Skagit Highway.
The public is encouraged to visit this property! You can tour this conservation area’s interpretive trail, created by the 2009-2010 Emerson High School environmental science class. As part of their curriculum, these students studied the natural history of Cumberland Creek, wrote and designed an educational brochure. As you walk the trails, you’ll find numbered posts corresponding to the brochure’s information.
Visit the website of the Skagit Land Trust to find out more about the great work this organization has done and continues to do to conserve wildlife habitat, agricultural and forest lands, scenic open space, wetlands, and shorelines for the benefit of our community and as a legacy for future generations.
