I now live on Camano Island and thus drive past Eide road frequently. Based on what I have observed and what I have been told by people who claim to have spoken with the foreman of the contractor, the construction (destruction?) will end at the end of October (due to lack of funds I am told) at which time it will again be open for access by birders, hunters, etc. Until then the road is closed at the bottom of the hill near the bridge with a barricade and "no trespassing" signs. From the highway it looks as though all of the trees, shrubs and grass have been scraped from the 2 large fields and put into scattered piles. Dirt was hauled over to fill in the small pond on the west side of the road near the entrance. I can see a straight channel which appears to separate the 2 west fields and it contains water. The fields west of the road before you get to the parking lot still appear to be intact. Whether that will remain is hard to gauge.
One of the main reasons that I moved to Camano was to be near this rich wildlife area. I have gotten many of my best photos there over the years. It is sad to see it altered so drastically. We will see what it brings through this fall and winter. I anticipate more hunting since Ducks Unlimited was a major financial contributor.

Bob KothenbeutelCamano Islandviperdotbobatfrontier.com
visit my website:?www.rlkimages.photoshelter.com


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Wildlife photographer based in Washington state | Bob Kothenbeutel
Bob Kothenbeutel is a Washington state-based wildlife photographer specializing in images of birds in flight and... | |

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On Friday, October 6, 2017 4:08 PM, Barbara Deihl <barbdeihl at comcast.net> wrote:


Tweets -

I know there had been plans to breach the dikes and flood the area, ostensibly for salmon, and other reasons.? There were community mtgs for a few years running and finally, decisions made, but, like everything else, action was a long time coming, so I decided to live with my memories of years gone by, and wait to hear from area residents and/or birding friends that things are in motion.? That time seems to have arrived.

If any of you know a bit about this and could do a 'simple' summary? and/or send a link or two to some documents,? I'm sure others as well as I would certainly appreciate it, and will pass it on to other, non-Tweeters nature lovers.? I've already gotten a few responses to my oblique comment in today's post - those folks were surprised to hear the news.? We wonder if the owls, hawks, falcons, blackbirds, shorebirds, shrikes, wrens, etc., that have wintered in that once-gem of an area, will show up elsewhere.? And the hunters, where will they be hunting?

Perhaps some unexpectedly good things will come of this loss...

Thanks,

Barb Deihl
Matthews Beach Neighborhood - NE Seattle
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