Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve

The formal designation of Cherry Point as an Aquatic Reserve establishes conservation measures to protect aquatic resources at Cherry Point and recognizes the sustainability of industries located along the Cherry Point Reach. 

Commissioner of Public Lands—Withdrawal Order for Cherry Point State Aquatic Reserve

The environmental resources located within the Cherry Point Reach are vitally important to the health and ecological function of Puget Sound. In the recent past, the resources have shown signs of decline; the cause of this decline is in question. 

Maps and Photographs of the Site

●	The WA Department of Ecology has a collection of shoreline aerial photos of Cherry Point.
●	Cherry Point Site Map (557KB PDF), shown below.

Geographic Location

The Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve is located in northwest Whatcom County along the eastern shore of the Strait of Georgia. Cherry Point Reach is bordered on the north by Birch Bay and on the south by the Lummi Indian Nation Reservation.

 

Site Ownership

All bedlands within the management area at Cherry Point Reach are owned by the State of Washington and managed by DNR. Of the approximately 318 acres of tidelands in the Cherry Point Management Area, 68 acres are privately owned and 250 acres are owned by the state. The bulk of the adjacent uplands are privately owned, primarily by four entities: British Petroleum, Gateway Pacific Terminals, Intalco Aluminum Corporation, and Conoco Phillips. The remainder is in private residential lots with the exception of a small county-owned public access area just east of Point Whitehorn.

 

Ecological Characteristics

A spawning stock of herring and abundant offshore aquatic vegetation attract a wide variety of wildlife at this site.

The following materials describe the unique ecological features of the site:

●	Bathymetry (134KB JPG) (water depth at points around Cherry Point)
●	Ecologic Resources (20KB DOC)
●	Bald Eagle Observations and Predicted Habitat (119KB JPG)
●	Forage Fish Spawning Habitat (146KB JPG)
●	Intertidal Vegetation (84KB JPG)
●	Land Cover Type (190KB JPG)
●	Salmon Streams and Predicted Nearshore Diversity (121KB JPG)
●	Observations of HCP Listed Marine Foraging Birds (132KB JPG)

The Cherry Point Work Group also prepared the following presentations and posters about this site's abundant natural resources:

●	1973-2005 Herring Spawn Cherry Point Stock presentation (4.26MB PDF)
●	Marine Bird Abundance Changes in NW Washington and Cherry Point Washington presentation (2.97MB PDF)
●	Cherry Point Herring Discussion Topics presentation (1.53MB PDF)
●	Cherry Point Sargassum Distribution 1973-2007 presentation (3.64MB PDF)
●	Natural Resources of Cherry Point poster (232KB PDF)
●	Cherry Point Herring Stock  poster (272KB PDF)

Reserve Management

The Cherry Point Work Group prepared the following materials to ensure appropriate management of this aquatic reserve:

●	Draft Cherry Point Management Plan, June 2008 (2745KB PDF)
●	Conservation Specific Management and Natural Areas (100KB JPG)
●	Whatcom County Zoning Adjacent to DNR Aquatic Reserve (112KB JPG)
●	Recommended Conservation Areas (87KB JPG)

Issues of Concern

Several industrial facilities located around the Cherry Point Aquatic Reserve have effluent outfalls and impervious surfaces (such as parking lots) that affect the quality of water entering the area near this reserve.

●	Outfalls and Percent Impervious Surface (143KB JPG)

Information Used to Evaluate Site for Aquatic Reserve Designation

●	Cherry Point Withdrawn Area (300KB PDF)
●	Shoreline Modification as Measured by Washington DNR (119KB PDF)
●	Cherry Point Zoning Designations (266KB PDF)
●	Cherry Point Proposed Aquatic Reserve Proposal (619KB PDF)
●	Cherry Point Technical Advisory Committee Recommendation (264KB PDF)