The Importance of Shared Spaces: Crescent Lake Unit, Snoqualmie Wildlife Area

By Jeremy Lucas and Martha Jordan

Jeremy Lucas, Vice President of Eastside Audubon

The Crescent Lake Unit is a diverse place both in habitats and the variety of users it attracts.

It is located three miles south of Monroe at the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers. It contains 359 acres of early succession forest, sloughs, and agricultural fields. A mix of native coniferous and deciduous trees and shrubs, with a large stand of mature big-leaf maple, make up the forest. Crescent Lake is a 10-acre oxbow lake that was once part of the Skykomish River. A 270-foot long footbridge across the lake, originally built in 1978, was renovated in 2015 providing walking access to the south interior of this unit. There are two parking areas, one at the north end and one in the south.

The property was acquired for wildlife conservation, as well as hunting and other wildlife-related recreational opportunities. The area was originally logged and converted to agriculture and used by the local dairy industry until the 1960s. Years of cattle grazing created trails within the forested unit, leading to edge habitat and areas for walking and wildlife viewing. A vision for this unit includes expanding agriculture to improve waterfowl habitat, and wetland enhancement.

Martha Jordan, Avian Science Committee Chair of Pilchuck Audubon

Wildlife Viewing

Trumpeter swans and migratory waterfowl such as Canada geese, snow geese, and a variety of ducks forage on the unit in the winter months. This is a very important wintering area for trumpeter swans in the region with about 300-800 swans using the site. The dairy farm pasture grass and winter wheat fields adjacent to Crescent Lake provide abundant forage. Crescent Lake is used for roosting and resting. Tundra swans also visit the area although in small numbers.

According to eBird, 165 species have been seen on the Crescent Lake Unit. This includes woodpeckers, green heron, marsh wren, red-tailed hawk, many species of dabbling and diving ducks, several owls, bald eagle and so many more. Check out the eBird listing here: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L292411?yr=all&m=&rank=mrec . This is a citizen science database portal that provides freely-shared bird lists at 'hotspots' and interactive maps plus other birding information updated daily. The eBird information shows a checklist with seasonal information on the 165 species of birds reported from this Unit. This Unit also provides quality habitat for elk, deer, bear, weasel, coyote, and a variety of small mammals.

Riley Slough runs through another former river channel and enters into the Snoqualmie River near the northwest corner of this property. There is a 25-acre marsh on this unit. As part of the salmon recovery work in the Snohomish basin, two culvert projects were completed on the Crescent Lake unit to improve flow and remove barriers to fish passage. Over 40 years ago, Riley Slough was an important salmon-bearing stream in the Skykomish River, but dikes at the upper end of Riley and Haskel sloughs blocked the flow of the river. To improve flow and habitat in the lower slough, WDFW replaced an undersized culvert in 2010. The removal of a second undersized culvert and the lowering of the grade in 2011 allow seasonal flow through Crescent Lake. Since then, teams of volunteers have worked to remove invasive species from the 215 acres of deciduous woodland adjoining Riley Slough, along with creating and maintaining a network of trails for seasonal hunting and recreation use.

Crescent Lake is a very popular unit with multiple user groups, including waterfowl and small game hunters, hikers, bird dog trainers, and wildlife watchers. This is a pheasant release site that is very popular with hunters. Pheasant hunting season is from Management of the unit has led to increased presence of deer and elk, which is now attracting archery hunters. There is a gravel parking area with kiosks at the north and south ends of the property. There is one unimproved water access site on the unit. The unit currently provides 11.5 acres of year-round bird dog training area, where all other uses of the wildlife area are allowed. Historically, off-leash dogs has been a problem on the unit. The placement of signage, increased enforcement and outreach has helped users understand the rules about pets on the wildlife area. Crescent Lake is a good model for the other Snoqualmie units to strive for, providing a good balance of wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities.

This Unit is a shared space; please be respectful of the various users who may also be on the site. There are areas of this unit that are available for wildlife viewing that is closed to hunting and/or dog training. If you do go out during hunting season, we strongly suggest you wear an orange or pink vest or hat for visibility. For more information on hunting seasons and regulations please read information on the kiosk boards in the parking lots or go to WDFW website and find the information there.

The parking areas are gravel. There are no restrooms or other amenities. Please remember to pack out your trash.

A BIRDING WITH AWARENESS REMINDER:

BEFORE YOU GET OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE: Please remember to put your Discover Pass on your dashboard or hang it on the rearview mirror. You need a Discover Pass to park in any WDFW Wildlife Area parking lot or their boat access sites. They can be purchased anywhere WDFW licenses are sold and online.

Read what is posted on the reader boards/kiosks.

Note if there are other cars in the lot. Be aware that other activities may be happening on the unit such as hunting (big game, waterfowl and upland bird) during certain dates, hunt dog training, or a scheduled special activity. A reminder that during the fall these areas are pheasant release sites for hunting and special hours may apply on pheasant release days.

If you are out during hunting season it is suggested that you wear an orange or bright pink vest, so hunters can see you.

If you see a wildlife-related issue, including poaching, there are several ways you can report the issue:

Call 911 to report poaching in progress, a dangerous wildlife complaint, or an emergency.
Call 877-933-9847 for non-emergency poaching/violation reports.
Send an email to reportpoaching@dfw.wa.gov.
Send a text tip to 847411 (TIP411) by entering WDFWTIP, followed by a space, and then entering your report.
Use the online form to report a violation

And remember, please keep your dog on leash at all times while out enjoying your wildlife viewing. Our wildlife areas are not off-leash dog parks.

If you are able and willing, bring a garbage bag and either some collection device (like a stick) or gloves, please do so. Picking up the smaller items is appreciated, especially when out on the unit. The bigger items as well as most of the garbage piles dumped at the parking lots are picked up by volunteers associated with other groups, especially the hunting groups. I keep a Hiking checklist and those items are always included in my run-through of everything I need.

REPORT garbage dumping, serious graffiti, damage to signs or kiosks, and damage to the parking lot by sending an email to the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area manager at brian.boehm@dfw.wa.gov . Or you can call Martha Jordan, a member of the Snoqualmie Wildlife Area Citizen’s Advisory Committee at 206-713-3684.

With some knowledge about the shared space, regulations, and what you can do to be part of the active stewardship community, you can not only help protect these areas for wildlife and future generations but have a great and safe time out there. Now, get out there and bird!

Photo credit by Mick Thompson.