NOAA GRANT SUCCESS - READ ANNOUNCEMENT HERE
Salmon, orcas, and other wildlife will thrive because of our community efforts to recreate a tidal saltwater estuary at the Edmonds Marsh, leaving a legacy for our children and grandchildren.
The marsh - an important resource
with so much potential!
More than 100 years ago… Water flowed freely from local creeks into the estuary and on to Puget Sound. Native salmon that spawned upstream went to sea and returned. But over time, human activities blocked the flow. The marsh no longer functioned as an estuary, and the marsh was shrunk in size. Salmon were then unable to navigate through the small pipe into Puget Sound. The nature of the marsh changed ….
Our hope is to restore the much-diminished marsh to an estuary with an open channel to the sound.
Compare the marsh in 1936
with the marsh today:
It was much larger then
and functioned as a true estuary.
In 2022… It is half the size and doesn’t have an adequate connection to the sound. To support salmon and to act as an effective floodplain to handle and help filter stormwater, It needs to be restored as a working estuary.
The marsh today - Photo by Greg Ferguson
Today, salmon can no longer travel from the marsh to the sound and back. The inflow /outflow pipe is 1/3 of a mile long and empties deeper in the sound than salmon will go.
Inflow/Outflow pipe at low tide under Marina Beach Park - Photo by Greg Ferguson
And here is a depiction of the Edmonds Marsh Estuary as it might be — With local creeks flowing in freely and an open channel to Puget Sound. Habitat is enhanced for salmon, birds, and other wildlife. The estuary filters stormwater and other runoff. And educational opportunities and recreation abound.
For a more detailed history of the development of the marsh and means to improve and restore the marsh to an estuary,
view the Removing Barriers presentation HERE.
Then, take a look at the detailed plan
in the Restoration Proposal.
HONORING THIS LAND AND PEOPLE
We honor the traditions of the Coast Salish peoples who shared the land that is now called Edmonds. This was where the many tribes of the Salish met and gathered. They shared with us. But then, we took the land and allowed the place where the tribes fished and gathered to be degraded.
It is time to fix this, as best we can, and share the land again. Join us in helping to return the important Edmonds Marsh to a true estuary that will support salmon, Orcas and other wildlife that existed when the Salish people took care of the land. We must take care of it, too, if we want to share these life-giving resources with the next generations.
See these two public artworks connected to marsh history, located in downtown Edmonds:
When visiting Edmonds, please stop by the “Marsh Life” installation created by Tulalip artist Ty Juvinel. The work expresses the community’s admiration for the history and value of the Edmonds Marsh.
Nearby are murals that also honor the original peoples of this coast.
Murals created by Andy Eccleshall and Ty Juvinel.
(located in the alley next to The Papery on main street)
RESOURCES:
Many groups share similar goals, and we are pleased
to be able to work together.
If you would like to join occasional work parties to help clear the marsh of invasive plants and other overgrowth or help with new planting, please send us a note.
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marsh sketch by Roy Deleon