Henry Isthmus Preserve

Henry Island

A 21-acre salt-marsh isthmus, which forms the crossbar of the distinctive “H” shape of Henry Island, is home to an abundance of wildlife and native plant communities. As a natural system, the area features both high quality and high diversity, including a shallow mud-bottomed bay, an intertidal zone, a coastal beach, salt-grass meadows, and natural dunes. The rare accretion beach on Nelson Bay has been identified as one of the most important habitat sites of this type in Washington State.

The acquisition of a conservation easement on the isthmus property in 2006 was a landmark in a project initiated in 2003, when the Preservation Trust and the San Juan County Land Bank raised $950,000 to acquire the adjacent 21-acre Mosquito Pass Preserve.

With the successful completion of the $1.95 million “Campaign to Connect the Henrys” early in 2018, the Preservation Trust completed acquisition of the isthmus and adjacent “Knoll” property, which affords a spectacular outlook over Nelson Bay.

Together with the combined Mosquito Pass Preserve, the Henry Isthmus Preserve comprises a total of 56 protected acres of salt marsh, upland forest, and 4,100 feet of marine shoreline.

Click here to view an aerial video of the Henry Island Isthmus. Filmed in February 2017, this video footage just goes to show that the Henry Isthmus and Mosquito Pass Preserve is an extraordinarily beautiful island place, even in the middle of winter.

The Henry Isthmus/Mosquito Pass Preserve is open to the public. Click here for visitor information and trail map.