Deer Harbor Shoreline Restoration

December 28, 2007

San Juan County

Deer Harbor is located on the western lobe of Orcas Island, and contains one of the largest salt marshes and tidal mud flats in the San Juan archipelago.  The current project is on the property of Bob and Meg Connor, and will include shoreline planting and improvements to tributary stream to allow for fish passage. While the surrounding area maintains its' idyllic rural character, the inner harbor was listed as imperiled in 2001 in an analysis of estuaries in the San Juan Islands.

The protected inner harbor called Cayou Lagoon once contained oysters, eel grass beds and a viable salmon creek. The Channel road bridge crosses the outlet of Cayou Lagoon, and has constricted the tidal exchange into the lagoon for the past 40 years. The resulting sedimentation has gradually filled the lagoon, and eliminated the deep water channels that provide habitat for a variety of marine creatures. Decreasing freshwater flows from tributaries has also decreased the functioning of the estuary as a sanctuary for marine species.

Contact Robin Clark, (206) 382-7007.