Cypress Island (Washington)
Encyclopedia
Cypress Island is the westernmost part of Skagit County, Washington
and is about halfway between the mainland and offshore San Juan County. It is separated from Blakely Island
to the west by Rosario Strait
and from Guemes Island
to the east by Bellingham Channel. The island has a land area of 5500 acres (22.3 km²), and a population of 40 persons as of the 2000 United States Census.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources
manages about 5100 acres (20.6 km²) of the island and leaves the island in a natural state. Cypress is heavily forested and has a system of trails linking various parts of the island. In roughly the middle of the island is a lake of about 7 acres (28,328 m²). On the southeastern corner of the island is a sheltered bay featuring a salmon fish farm. Cypress is not served by ferry
and there are no public utilities on the island.
The island is a popular destination for kayak
trips due its relatively close proximity to the mainland and to the camping available at two sites on the east side.
, which provides a poor balance of nutrients to soils that develop on it. Limited areas of fertile non-ultramafic soils occur around the island's northern end and in small pockets elsewhere.
Forests on the island are dominated by Douglas-fir
. The magnesium-rich bedrock supports a considerable population of Rocky Mountain juniper. Other common trees include shore pine, Pacific madrone
and Douglas maple
. Some western hemlock
, western red cedar, grand fir
, red alder
and bigleaf maple
also occur.
tribe, which had a village established on nearby Guemes Island
.
, who named it San Vincente. The island was named again by Captain George Vancouver
in early June 1792, when he mistook juniper trees for cypress trees. Vancouver reports that the Chatham
, one of the vessels in his party, lost an anchor in Strawberry Bay, on the west side of the island. Vancouver wrote:
(DNR) designated 156 acre (0.63131016 km²) as a Natural Area Preserve, and added 56 more acres in 1978. At that time, however, most of the island remained in private hands.
Several attempts were made to develop the island. Spokane industrialist Raymond A. Hanson
acquired 3150 acres (12.7 km²) on Cypress Island in 1978 and, in the 1980s proposed first a large-scale public utility development and then a five-star resort and golf-course. Small land-owners on the island, organized in a group called "Friends of Cypress Island" fought both proposals. Hanson finally sold his land to the Department of Natural Resources in 1989.
This purchase along with subsequent, smaller purchases, have allowed the Natural Area Preserve to be expanded to 1073 acres (4.3 km²), out of the 5100 acres (20.6 km²) that comprise the Cypress Island Natural Resources Conservation Area.
The waters surrounding the island became a DNR Aquatic Reserve in 2007.
Skagit County, Washington
Skagit County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named after the Skagit Indian tribe. As of 2010, the population was 116,901. It is included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and is about halfway between the mainland and offshore San Juan County. It is separated from Blakely Island
Blakely Island, Washington
Blakely Island in San Juan County, Washington is the sixth largest island in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, USA, encompassing a land area of 16.852 km² . It is separated from Cypress Island to the east by Rosario Strait. The population was 56 persons as of the 2000 census. There is no...
to the west by Rosario Strait
Rosario Strait
Rosario Strait is a strait in northern Washington state, separating Island and San Juan Counties. It extends from the Strait of Juan de Fuca about north to the Strait of Georgia...
and from Guemes Island
Guemes Island
Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington state, USA. It is located north of the town of Anacortes on Fidalgo Island and is accessible by both private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County....
to the east by Bellingham Channel. The island has a land area of 5500 acres (22.3 km²), and a population of 40 persons as of the 2000 United States Census.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources
Washington Department of Natural Resources
The Washington Department of Natural Resources manage over of forest, range, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tidelands, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers...
manages about 5100 acres (20.6 km²) of the island and leaves the island in a natural state. Cypress is heavily forested and has a system of trails linking various parts of the island. In roughly the middle of the island is a lake of about 7 acres (28,328 m²). On the southeastern corner of the island is a sheltered bay featuring a salmon fish farm. Cypress is not served by ferry
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
and there are no public utilities on the island.
The island is a popular destination for kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
trips due its relatively close proximity to the mainland and to the camping available at two sites on the east side.
Natural Features
Most of the island is underlain by ultramafic rock such as serpentiniteSerpentinite
Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Minerals in this group are formed by serpentinization, a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle...
, which provides a poor balance of nutrients to soils that develop on it. Limited areas of fertile non-ultramafic soils occur around the island's northern end and in small pockets elsewhere.
Forests on the island are dominated by Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...
. The magnesium-rich bedrock supports a considerable population of Rocky Mountain juniper. Other common trees include shore pine, Pacific madrone
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
and Douglas maple
Douglas Maple
Acer glabrum is a species of maple native to western North America, from southeastern Alaska, British Columbia and western Alberta, east to western Nebraska, and south through Washington, Montana and Colorado to California, Arizona and New Mexico....
. Some western hemlock
Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla. the Western Hemlock, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma County, California.-Habitat:...
, western red cedar, grand fir
Grand Fir
Abies grandis is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California of North America, occurring at altitudes of sea level to 1,800 m...
, red alder
Red Alder
Alnus rubra, the Red alder, is a deciduous broadleaf tree native to western North America.-Description:It is the largest species of alder in North America and one of the largest in the world, reaching heights of 20–35 m. The official tallest red alder stands 32 meters tall in Clatsop County, Oregon...
and bigleaf maple
Bigleaf Maple
Acer macrophyllum is a large deciduous tree in the genus Acer.It can grow to be up to 35 m tall, but more commonly grows 15 m to 20 m tall. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California...
also occur.
Native American Indian presence
Prior to homesteading in the early twentieth century, the island was used by the SamishSamish
The Samish are a Native American tribe who live in the U.S. state of Washington. The seat of their tribal government is in Anacortes. The Native American form of "Samish" is /sʔémǝš/, from /s–/, "nominalizer", /ʔé/, "be there", and /–mǝš/, "people".-Pre-Contact with Europeans:The Samish were less...
tribe, which had a village established on nearby Guemes Island
Guemes Island
Guemes Island is a small island in western Skagit County, Washington state, USA. It is located north of the town of Anacortes on Fidalgo Island and is accessible by both private boat and by the Guemes Island ferry operated by Skagit County....
.
Early exploration
The first sighting of Cypress Island by Europeans was by the Spanish during the 1791 voyage of José María NarváezJosé María Narváez
José María Narváez was a Spanish naval officer, explorer, and navigator notable for his work in the Pacific Northwest of present-day Canada. In 1791, as commander of the schooner Santa Saturnina, he led the first European exploration of the Strait of Georgia, including a landing on present-day...
, who named it San Vincente. The island was named again by Captain George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
in early June 1792, when he mistook juniper trees for cypress trees. Vancouver reports that the Chatham
HMS Chatham (1788)
HMS Chatham was a Royal Navy survey brig that accompanied HMS Discovery on George Vancouver's exploration of the west coast of North America in his 1791–1795 expedition. Chatham was built by King, of Dover and launched in early 1788...
, one of the vessels in his party, lost an anchor in Strawberry Bay, on the west side of the island. Vancouver wrote:
The island of Cypress is principally composed of high rocky mountains and steep perpendicular cliffs which in the center of Strawberry bay fall a little back and the space between the foot of the mountains and 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.
Preservation
In 1975, the Washington Department of Natural ResourcesWashington Department of Natural Resources
The Washington Department of Natural Resources manage over of forest, range, agricultural, and commercial lands for the people of Washington State. DNR also manages of aquatic areas which include shorelines, tidelands, lands under Puget Sound and the coast, and navigable lakes and rivers...
(DNR) designated 156 acre (0.63131016 km²) as a Natural Area Preserve, and added 56 more acres in 1978. At that time, however, most of the island remained in private hands.
Several attempts were made to develop the island. Spokane industrialist Raymond A. Hanson
Raymond Alvah Hanson
Raymond Alvah Hanson , was an entrepreneur, inventor and engineer who lived in Spokane, Washington. Hanson held over 100 patents...
acquired 3150 acres (12.7 km²) on Cypress Island in 1978 and, in the 1980s proposed first a large-scale public utility development and then a five-star resort and golf-course. Small land-owners on the island, organized in a group called "Friends of Cypress Island" fought both proposals. Hanson finally sold his land to the Department of Natural Resources in 1989.
This purchase along with subsequent, smaller purchases, have allowed the Natural Area Preserve to be expanded to 1073 acres (4.3 km²), out of the 5100 acres (20.6 km²) that comprise the Cypress Island Natural Resources Conservation Area.
The waters surrounding the island became a DNR Aquatic Reserve in 2007.
External links
- http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_P001&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-transpose=N&-all_geo_types=N&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=100$10000US530579501001025&-geo_id=100$10000US530579501001026&-search_results=100$10000US530559605002023&-format=&-_lang=en&-show_geoid=YCypress Island: Blocks 1025 and 1026, Census Tract 9501, Skagit County, Washington] United States Census Bureau
- Cypress Island Natural Resources Conservation Area Management Plan
- Article on Cypress Island resident Nick Fahey from the NY Times