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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>I’ll just add my 2 cents to this thread to say that in two decades of regularly birding the Skagit Wildlife Area I have never had an unpleasant interaction with a hunter. I was at Wiley Slough just a few days ago, and encountered birders, hunters, dog-walkers, trail-bikers and casual sightseers all using the area and coexisting peacefully.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The estuary area immediately adjacent to the headquarters, between the South Fork Skagit River and the newly-raised dike, from the north parking lot south to the tidegate structure, is closed to hunting. You may encounter some hunters walking on the dike to get to or from open hunting areas further south, but they won’t be hunting in the area from the north parking lot to the tidegate. Hunters will also be launching boats to hunt from the river, so you may hear some gunfire to the east, but I have never felt unsafe walking the dike trail.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The closures in 2009 for estuary restoration and from Fall 2022 – Fall 2024 for rebuilding the dikes were frustrating for birders and hunters alike, and the transition periods have been esthetically jarring, if not downright ugly. But WDFW has successfully restored 156 acres of tidal marsh that is ecologically vital to salmon and very beneficial to waterfowl and shorebirds as well. The north parking lot has been raised and graded for better drainage, the boat launch has been paved, the bird-viewing blind has been completely rebuilt (no more cracked heads!) and the encroaching brush has been cleared away. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From my perspective, WDFW has done a very good job of balancing the needs of several different communities of interested users, while also restoring a large area of much-needed estuarine habitat, which is about the best result we could hope for.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>See more info at <a href="https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/habitat-recovery/puget-sound/estuary-restoration-projects/wiley-slough-restoration-project#details">https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/habitat-recovery/puget-sound/estuary-restoration-projects/wiley-slough-restoration-project#details</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Wishing you Good Birding,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Doug Simonsen<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Anacortes<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>