Kiket Island
Encyclopedia
Kiket Island is a small islet in Washington, co-owned by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Located less than four miles northwest of the town of LaConner in Skagit County, Washington, Kiket is connected to Fidalgo Island
by a tombolo
, over which runs an access road. Thus, Kiket Island is not what most people would consider an island.
Hope Island lies to the south of Kiket; Skagit Island only a few hundred feet to the southwest. These islands can be said to divide Skagit Bay
from Similk Bay. The shoreline of Kiket Island and vicinity has been called one of the best-studied areas of coastal Washington. Ecological studies were made in the last decades of the twentieth century, when the site was considered for a nuclear power plant.
In 1969, Seattle City Light
and Snohomish County PUD
considered building a $250 million 1,100 MW nuclear power plant on the island. By 1972, the plan for the nuclear plant was dropped due to environmental concerns. Seattle City Light and Snohomish County PUD later sold the property in 1980.
On June 23, 2010, a joint ownership agreement was signed by the state Parks and Recreation Commission and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Both Kiket and tiny Flagstaff Island (connected to Kiket by another tombolo) are included in the agreement, and are now part of Deception Pass State Park. The partners and the Trust for Public Land gathered grants and donations from a range of sources to purchase the $14 million property from a private owner. Formal public access to and use at the Kukutali Preserve is still to be determined by an as yet uncompleted management plan. In the interim, public access to the island is provided by weekly guided tours conducted by Washington State Parks representatives. People who wish to visit the island should contact staff at Deception Pass State Park to make arrangements for the Saturday day tours.
In January 2011, a man by the name of Michael Oakes was convicted in the slaying of a celebrity dog trainer, who had once used the island for his dog training business. Michael Oakes, in the trial documents, said that he dumped the body into the Swinomish Channel, as he was afraid "police would catch him". The body was never found, and Oakes was sentenced to 320 months in prison.
As part of the acquisition process, wildlife surveys were conducted in the winter of 2008–2009.
Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass...
by a tombolo
Tombolo
A tombolo, from the Italian tombolo, derived from the Latin tumulus, meaning 'mound,' and sometimes translated as ayre , is a deposition landform in which an island is attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island...
, over which runs an access road. Thus, Kiket Island is not what most people would consider an island.
Hope Island lies to the south of Kiket; Skagit Island only a few hundred feet to the southwest. These islands can be said to divide Skagit Bay
Skagit Bay
Skagit Bay is a bay and strait located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Whidbey Island Basin of Puget Sound. The Skagit River empties into Skagit Bay. To the south, Skagit Bay connects with the rest of Puget Sound via Saratoga Passage and Possession Sound...
from Similk Bay. The shoreline of Kiket Island and vicinity has been called one of the best-studied areas of coastal Washington. Ecological studies were made in the last decades of the twentieth century, when the site was considered for a nuclear power plant.
In 1969, Seattle City Light
Seattle City Light
Seattle City Light is the public utility providing electrical power to Seattle, Washington and parts of its metropolitan area, including all of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park and parts of unincorporated King County, Burien, Normandy Park, Seatac, Renton, and Tukwila...
and Snohomish County PUD
Snohomish County PUD
Snohomish County Public Utility District is a public utility providing power to 320,000 customers in Snohomish County and on Camano Island, Washington. It provides water service to over 20,000 customers in the northeast section of the Snohomish County....
considered building a $250 million 1,100 MW nuclear power plant on the island. By 1972, the plan for the nuclear plant was dropped due to environmental concerns. Seattle City Light and Snohomish County PUD later sold the property in 1980.
On June 23, 2010, a joint ownership agreement was signed by the state Parks and Recreation Commission and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Both Kiket and tiny Flagstaff Island (connected to Kiket by another tombolo) are included in the agreement, and are now part of Deception Pass State Park. The partners and the Trust for Public Land gathered grants and donations from a range of sources to purchase the $14 million property from a private owner. Formal public access to and use at the Kukutali Preserve is still to be determined by an as yet uncompleted management plan. In the interim, public access to the island is provided by weekly guided tours conducted by Washington State Parks representatives. People who wish to visit the island should contact staff at Deception Pass State Park to make arrangements for the Saturday day tours.
In January 2011, a man by the name of Michael Oakes was convicted in the slaying of a celebrity dog trainer, who had once used the island for his dog training business. Michael Oakes, in the trial documents, said that he dumped the body into the Swinomish Channel, as he was afraid "police would catch him". The body was never found, and Oakes was sentenced to 320 months in prison.
As part of the acquisition process, wildlife surveys were conducted in the winter of 2008–2009.