McBride, A. and Beamer, E., 2010. Feasibility Assessment for Salt Marsh Restoration at Camano Island State Park, Whidbey Basin. Skagit River System Cooperative, La Conner, WA. pp. 30.

The purpose of this Feasibility Assessment is to determine if landscape and land use conditions
at Camano Island State Park could support the restoration of a small historic pocket estuary to
saltwater and tidal influence while concurrently maintaining the existing land use. This
feasibility assessment was initiated to direct Port of Everett mitigation funds toward nearshore
restoration that would benefit ESA-listed Chinook salmon (Oncorynchus tshawytscha) of mixed
origin. Camano Island State Park (Camano ISP) is located along Saratoga Passage on Camano
Island, Whidbey Basin (Figure 1). The Park was chosen as a potential restoration site because it:
 Is located within an area assumed to be used by mixed juvenile Chinook salmon stocks;
 Is on a juvenile salmon migration corridor;
 Has likely had historic tidal channel marsh habitat; and
 Has landowners willing to explore the idea of habitat restoration (Washington State
Parks). Efforts are underway throughout Puget Sound to develop and implement actions in the nearshore
that will benefit nearshore ecosystems and support salmon recovery efforts. Skagit Bay research
since 2002 shows that wild fry migrant juvenile Chinook salmon extensively use non-natal
pocket estuaries (Beamer et al. 2003). Non-natal pocket estuaries are small estuaries within the
landscape that are not associated with salmon-bearing watersheds. Chinook salmon utilize pocket
estuaries during the early period of nearshore rearing (Beamer et al. 2003 & 2006). This use of
pocket estuaries allows them to grow faster and avoid predation by other fish (Beamer et al. 2003