The Bay and the Creek
Little Manzanita Bay is a quiet shallow cove where the summer tide swings as much as 15 feet, resulting in the Bay often being simply exposed tidelands.
Source: Bainbridge Island Land Trust Map
Why are the Bay and the Creek important?
Manzanita Creek is one of the few streams on Bainbridge Island where adult salmon have been observed during surveys by the Bainbridge Island Watershed Council.
Manzanita Creek is used by Coho, cutthroat trout, and chum. These fish pass through the tidelands as spawning adults and as out-migrating juveniles.
Little Manzanita Bay is so biologically significant for recovery of salmon that the Bainbridge Island Land Trust was awarded a grant of $700,000 for Puget Sound salmon recovery priorities.
Little Manzanita Bay is designated Critical Habitat, under the Endangered Species Act, for Puget Sound chinook salmon, Puget Sound rockfish, and Southern Resident Killer Whale. The Bay is also considered Essential Fish Habitat for coho, Chinook, and Puget Sound pink salmon.
The tidelands are a nursery for shellfish, other mud-dwelling invertebrates, and a critical link in the food chain for a broad range of bird, mammal, and fish species, including salmon.
Numerous studies identified Little Manzanita Bay area as a priority area, with many individual parcels identified for protection and or restoration in order to meet Chinook salmon recovery goals. See Resources section for links to supporting studies.
