On behalf of the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, we are pleased to provide you a copy of the Annual Report for fiscal year 2024 – 2025.

The Commission and the Endowment Fund were established in 1984 by the High Ross Treaty – an international treaty between Canada and the U.S. which settled protracted negotiations between the countries. In the High Ross Treaty (1984-2065) Seattle agreed not to raise Ross Dam for 80 years in exchange for power purchased at rates equivalent to what would have resulted from raising the dam. If the dam had been raised the additional 120 feet, over 5,000 more acres of prime wildlife habitat and recreation lands in BC would have been flooded.

We view the Upper Skagit transboundary watershed as a valued, ecologically and culturally unique place, conserved for the benefit of all. With that in mind, we consider it our mission to ensure the preservation and protection of the natural environment, cultural resources and compatible recreational opportunities within the Upper Skagit Watershed through reciprocal relationships with First Nations and Tribes to foster international cooperation.

The Commission manages the Endowment Fund and provides funding to support trans- boundary conservation and recreation projects in the Upper Skagit watershed north of Ross Reservoir. This includes the Skagit Valley and Manning Provincial Parks, and the Silverdaisy watershed (“Donut Hole”) in BC, and most of the North Cascades National Park complex in Washington State.

 → Read the Annual Report