Arco Blue Heron Nesting Colony
Location: Birch Bay
Size: 77 acres
Public Access: No
Easement granted: December 1996
Easement type: Conservation
Grantee: Whatcom Land Trust
The Atlantic Richfield Corporation Conservation Easement property is located near the ARCO Cherry Point oil refinery. It adjoins Birch Bay State Park and a more recent conservation easement, ARCO Terrell Creek. Together, the two easements cover 180 acres. The property supports a Great Blue Heron colony of about 230 nests, although the number of nests can vary greatly from year to year.
Purpose of the easement is to protect the long-term viability of the heron colony. The birds are sensitive to disturbance.
The herons have favored the western paper birch and red alder for nesting, but several other kinds of trees are found in the area, including black cottonwood, big-leaf maple, grand fir, Douglas fir, western hemlock and western red cedar. Sword fern, nettles, and a variety of berries dominate the understory.