Working together to protect and restore salmon runs

Less than 100 years ago millions of salmonids – sockeye, coho, chinook, pink, chum, cutthroat, char and steelhead – returned to the Skagit River every year to spawn. Today these once-mighty salmon runs are greatly diminished and face an uncertain future.

Numerous factors have contributed to the decline of the Skagit’s salmon population.  Habitat degradation, rapid development in the Puget Sound Basin and overharvest are the primary causes.

There are many opinions on what needs to be done. But on one point there is agreement: the job of restoring the Skagit’s abundance requires that we join forces and work together in partnership and collaboration. To this end, a number of organizations concerned about the future of salmon in the Skagit came together in February 1997 to form the Skagit Watershed Council.

The Skagit Watershed Council is a “big-tent” community-based partnership of organizations working together to protect and restore salmon habitat in the Skagit and Samish watersheds.

Membership is open to those organizations that support the mission of the Council. Active membership is achieved through regular engagement in the affairs of the Council. The Skagit Watershed Council is the Designated Lead Entity under Chapter 77.85 RCW Salmon Recovery.

The Skagit Watershed Council is incorporated in the state of Washington as a not-for-profit organization and is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a publicly supported 501(c)(3).