A Vision for Strawberry Bay (Cypress Island, WA)
Observations of Marsh, Beach and Nearshore
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George Vancouver visited Strawberry Bay on the HMS Discovery. In his book, the Voyage of Discovery..., Vancouver noted the high quality fresh water in the marsh. He also noted that the fresh water did not enter the bay through a stream - it percolated through the beach sand:
"... the sea side is occupied by low marshy land through which are several small runs of most excellent water that find their way into the bay by oozing through the beach." (Vol 1. pg 297)
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Vancouver also noted that the bay is "... greatly exposed to the winds and the sea..." (Vol 1. pg 294).
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The US Coast Survey depicted the marsh and continuous beach, an image very similar to today (left). Wavy lines symbolize bull kelp. Floating kelp is a protected habitat and regional Vital Sign indicator of ecosystem health.
A photo showing the continuous beach and historical waterfront structures (right).
The dock and some structures are no longer present. The remaining structures in the photo are proposed for removal by DNR.
Photo source: Jeremy Roberts
Airphoto of Strawberry Bay and surrounding hills (left). Eelgrass beds are visible in the nearshore. Eelgrass is a critical habitat for many species. Eelgrass beds are protected and monitored as a regional indicator of health by the Puget Sound Partnership's Vital Signs.
Photo source: Jeremy Roberts
click on image to open report
2012
Strawberry Bay was identified as a priority for protection in its current intact state by the Puget Sound Nearshore Ecosystem Restoration Project in their report Strategies for Nearshore Protection and Restoration in Puget Sound. Strawberry Bay - segment 7121 - was noted in multiple habitat categories. The Beach is identified as a protection priority (Appendix A, Sheet 10). It also represents a notably long and intact Barrier Embayment (Appendix A, Sheet 11).
In the regional analysis, Strawberry Bay also stands out for its extremely low degradation (group D1) and low risk of degradation from the most common physical impairments (railroad, jetties, parcel density, development).