Padilla Bay Reserve, Washington
State
Washington
State Partner
Washington State Department of Ecology
Acres
11,000
Est. Date
1980
The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve’s 11,000 acres of diverse coastal lands are home to many species of birds and fish, as well as harbor seals and river otters. The Reserve is located on Washington’s Salish Sea at the saltwater delta of the Skagit River. Reserve staff work together with partners to prioritize coastal resource management through research, training, education, and monitoring programs.
Explore the impact of Padilla Bay in 2019, from their volunteer-based water quality monitoring program to their hands-on education programs for middle-schoolers.
Did You Know…
Algae of the intertidal and subtidal areas in the Salish Sea produce twice as much plant material as the most productive crops in the Pacific Northwest.
Latest News from the Padilla Bay Reserve
The Great Octopus Rescue of 2023
Here’s one for the feel good file: A Giant Pacific octopus stranded on a Washington state beach was saved by a little girl, park staff, and personnel from the Padilla Bay Reserve.
Talk NERRdy to Me: Dr. Sylvia Yang
This month, NERRA’s correspondent-on-the-loose Nik Charov chatted with Dr. Sylvia Yang, research coordinator at the Padilla Bay Reserve. They talked about the complexities of science, why estuaries are more cheese than crab, and what mysteries await NERRds traveling to the Annual Meeting…
15 billion and counting
Although the Japanese mud snail (Batillaria attramentaria) has lived in Padilla Bay for nearly 100 years, its population has surged, and scientists at the Padilla Bay Reserve are trying to figure out why.