Livingston Bay

Livingston Bay covers about 12 acres and is located on the south side of the isthmus that connects Camano Island to the mainland. The isthmus forms the north shore of Port Susan. There is a very narrow channel near the south end of the dike, which provides the only flushing of the estuary.  The marsh has fairly stagnant water and there is a large collection of logs behind the dike.

Source of fresh water

No freshwater streams enter the wetland. There is some fresh water drainage from the hills to the west of this bay.

Plants

Acer macrophyllum, Achillea millefolium, Amelanchier alnifolia, Aster spp., Atriplex patula, Dactylis glomerata, Distichlis spicata, Elymus spp., Pseudotsuga menziesii, Rosa pisocarpa, Rubus ursinus, Spartina alterniflora, Spartina anglica, Thuja plicata, and Triglochin maritimum.

Man made obstructions to the estuary

The buffers of the marsh are forested except for the dike. There is a small gravel road in the west buffer.  Because of the stagnant water, saltmarsh mosquitoes have become a severe problem. The Washington Department of Ecology and a local mosquito control board have ongoing control and use Aquabac 200G (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) to control the problem.

Description of the historic estuary

The family that still owns most of the marsh diked off the saltmarsh from the bay in the 1940s to create farmland.  In the mid 1980s, a large storm breached the dike, and the dike was never repaired.

Resources

Island County Estuarine Restoration Program

Prepared by Sheldon & Associates, Inc., June 2001

Puget Sound Creosote Awareness project

www.pscap.net/index_m.htm