Like the winding Skagit River itself, Edgewater Park’s landscape has changed dramatically over time. Take a look at accomplishments over the past decade:
Restoration along the Skagit River before and after – 2005 to 2012
Edgewater Park Side Channel
side channel
The City of Mount Vernon constructed a ¼ mile long side channel in 2005 to improve salmon habitat at Edgewater Park. Historically several side channels existed at this location. Many of the side channels along the Skagit River have been lost due to human activity over the last 150 years, making this side channel incredibly important to the life cycle of Skagit salmon and many other species of wildlife. Monitoring has confirmed that young Chinook, coho, and chum salmon and steelhead trout use the side channel over many months of the year.
creating the side channel
The Edgewater Park Side Channel will not always have flowing water. The channel is designed to have water flowing into it during spring runoff when young salmon need side channels the most, during their migration out to Puget Sound.
Spring flooding at the Edgewater side channel
Hundreds of Earth Day volunteers planted 4,000 native trees and removed over a ton of invasive plants, such as English Ivy, to provide healthy habitat along the side channel. Today, community volunteers like you continue to care for Edgewater Park.
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