Little Manzanita Bay is a peaceful area on Bainbridge Island and the community wants to keep it that way.
So it has formed a nonprofit group called Friends of Little Manzanita Bay and is looking for islandwide support.
Manzanita Creek is one of only two creeks left on BI where adult salmon have been observed in the last three years. Spawning adult coho and chum salmon, cutthroat trout and out-migrating juveniles ply the creek and its tributaries, according to their website. Mother otters teach their young to compete with bald eagles, osprey, kingfishers, terns and gulls for the running fish.
People enjoy the quiet waters too: children on skimboards, seniors swim, kayakers socialize on the water, paddleboarders follow the creek upstream, and toddlers marvel at the crabs in the sand on the beach. There are no docks, and powerboats and jet skiers rarely are seen there because of its shallow waters, the website says.
Victoria Kirkman, one of the members, has grown up there and is concerned about potential development. “You never know,” she said. By letting others know about the special place, Kirkman hopes others will join in and help preserve it.
The website also says: 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. Individual parcels are identified for protection to meet Chinook salmon recovery goals. It is designated critical habitat under the Endangered Species Act for chinook salmon, rockfish and killer whale. The bay is also considered Essential Fish Habitat for coho, chinook and 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. While next to Manzanita Bay, it is separate. It has no docks, while the big one has 31. It has a fish-bearing stream, and the other doesn’t. It empties at low tide, while the big one doesn’t, the website says.
To get involved call 971-217-6752 or email FriendsofLittleManzanita Bay@gmail.com
