Wetland

Upland Environment Designation Conversion

It is a policy of this Master Program that wetland areas seaward of the existing dikes on Smith Island, Port Susan Bay (north of the midpoint of Township 31) and Skagit Bay will be automatically transferred to the Rural Environment from the Conservancy Environment (subject to the standards for determining tideland to upland conversion which will be developed during the moratorium period) as these wetlands naturally accrete and are converted to an upland condition.

Basically, conversion from wetland to upland status involves making a determination that the area in question is no longer subject to diurnal tidal influence and thus has no further significant active biological role in the overall marine ecosystem.