Mission Beach

Mission Beach, on the Tulalip Reservation, is a heavily developed stretch of shoreline, with homes built out over the beach and perched on top of the bank. It's a continuous (albeit colorful) line of stairways, boat lifts, and timber bulkheads.

I visited several years ago (see photo and link below) and this stretch at the south end was a long row of homes tucked into the toe of an unstable bluff. Storm waves could be tossing logs against the front windows while mud from the hillslope flowed in the back door.

AERIAL VIEW

These properties were all leased from the tribe and the tribe decided a long time ago that when the leases ran out, they would reclaim the beach. And in 2013, that's exactly what happened. I'm sure that no amount of warning makes someone feel good about dismantling something that's been part of their family's lives for decades, but it's also a neat reminder that nothing is forever (or at least that some things, like beach houses below unstable slopes, should be forever). It would be nice if the remaining pile bulkhead could be pulled - it provides little, if any, benefit and prevents complete restoration of the beach.

Everett Herald: February 2013

Here's what this same stretch looked like in 2009 (from Mission Beach 2009)