Restoration of Leque in permit stage

This summer, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife hopes to finish setback dikes on Leque Island.

"Basically, we are still waiting for permits," said Lora Leschner, the department's Snohomish County wildlife program manager.

The dike setback will go through a streamlined permitting process with the department's habitat program. The aspects not directly related to fish passage, such as trails and a parking lot, will go through Snohomish County's permitting process, she said.

The dikes are part of a restoration plan for Leque Island that will return the south half of the island to an intertidal estuary.

Chinook salmon are classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in the Skagit watershed. Intertidal estuaries were identified as the primary limiting factor preventing Chinook recovery in the area, said John Garrett, manager of the Skagit and Snoqualmie Wildlife areas.

Prior to humans and dikes, all of the Skagit and Stillaguamish valleys, including Leque Island, were intertidal estuaries, Garrett said.

Chinook frey use the estuaries to develop into small fish, he said. Studies have shown that those that spend that time in estuaries have a better survival chance than those that don't.

However, local hunters worry about what impacts the restoration will have on hunting access.

Almost half of the area on Leque Island will no longer be easily accessible, said Rone Brewer, of Stanwood, former chair of Northwest chapter of the state Waterfowl Association.

As the south portion of the island returns to an intertidal estuary, the land will be muddy, which Brewer said he doesn't see as good conditions for waterfowl hunting.

In addition, Skagit Headquarters, another local public hunting area, will become intertidal wetlands after this summer.

As proposed, hunters and birdwatchers with disabilities should have improved access to Leque Island after the project

is finished, Garrett said.

Both Leque and Skagit Headquarters are changing from all field hunting to having portions accessible by boat or during low tides, he said. Before, hunters didn't need to worry about tide changes.

Ultimately, the project will benefit waterfowl and shorebird species, Garrett said. The estuary will provide habitat diversity.

Hunting by boat makes taking children hunting more difficult, since it becomes a fullday event, said Karl Ostrom, of Camano Island, a member of the state Waterfowl Association.

Ostrom has hunted on Leque for about 43 years, and Brewer, for about 39. Both of Ostrom's sons shot their first ducks there.

Hunting access will significantly decrease, Leschner said. The hunting will mostly be from blinds, where hunters sit and wait for waterfowl, and the state will no longer operate a pheasant release site there.

However, the department is looking at other sites to release pheasant, she said.

Ostrom and Brewer said they are concerned that they haven't heard any specifics on replacement sites for hunting.

The end to pheasant hunting will impact the number of hunters coming into the area, Ostrom said. He estimates about 150 to 250 less people will come to the area during that hunting season.

About 150 acres will remain diked on Leque with the current plan, Garrett said.

After the new dikes are built, the old dikes will be left up for a year, allowing the new ones to cure, Leschner said.

There are not currently any breaches in the dikes on Leque, Garrett said. However, there are some areas in desperate need of repairs and maintenance, which the department hopes to resolve with the restoration project.

Brewer said he is concerned that the plan won't address the east dike, which has leaks especially during winter high tides.

The north portion of the island will be preserved for agriculture, along with some wetlands, Leschner said. The plan is to rotate the wetlands along with agriculture. Although it is an experiment for the state, the Nature Conservancy is working on a similar experiment in Skagit County, and it has been done in Oregon.

There aren't many farmers interested in Leque Island, Leschner said. From 1976 to 1983, there was a sharecropper agreement. However, in the 90s, only one farmer leased the land from the state.

"That's one of our frustrations," she said.

As a result, the department has paid for the area to be farmed some years, Leschner said. However, with budget concerns, that can be difficult.

Leque Island is difficult to access from SR 532, Garrett said. It's wet, poorly drained land.

Agriculture is important because it provides food for wintering birds, Ostrom said. They notice a decrease in the number of waterfowl visiting Leque when nothing is planted.

Before the 1970s, Leque Island was privately owned agricultural land, Brewer said. The state purchased the south third of the island in the 1970s, and the rest of the island in the mid 90s.

With the state's purchase, the land became a public hunting area, which means that as long as someone has a state hunting license, they can hunt on the property for free, Brewer said.

Later this summer, the Department of Fish and Wildlife will hold a public meeting to discuss ways to manage public access.

Staff Reporter Kristi Pihl: 629-8066 (ext. 125) or kpihl@ scnews.com.