Have a say in the future of Blake Island Marine State Park

(Recent view of Blake Island in the mist)

By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Looking across Puget Sound from west-facing West Seattle, Blake Island, once known as Smugglers Island, is an easily identifiable part of the view, tucked between Vashon and Bainbridge, It’s just 4 miles from Alki Point. Long a destination for motor boats, kayakers, and Argosy boat tours, its future is starting to come into focus for the state parks department, as it assembles a master plan for the island. Now it’s seeking input from the public and tribal governments about the four options they are considering.

(image today from Blake Island Marina camera)

Irregularly shaped and including 1,127 acres of forested land and adjacent waters, Blake Island features a marina, moorage buoys, campsites, trails and Tillicum Village, which was the destination for those Argosy excursions until 2021. Argosy closed their concession agreement then “due to challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic,” and the island has just been accessible by private boat or kayak since then.

The master planning project comes at a time when visits to the park are down after the concession closure — a little more than 31,000 day-use visits in 2025 compared to almost 80,000 in 2019, when Argosy was still in the picture. More facilities and better access will mean more visitors, but a different kind of experience for those who have taken the trip in recent years and are used to just 200 people on the island on a busy day in July. That is part of why parks is asking the public to weigh in. They are looking at big-picture questions, like whether Tillicum Village could/should be renovated or a full-service restaurant added, how to improve the deteriorating marina, or just remove it entirely, and whether the state should look at an expansion of available buildings, services and access. State planners have clustered these into four main alternatives in a slide deck shown during a community meeting last month in Port Orchard:

“Back to Nature” removes marina
• Intentional reduction of facilities
• Retreat approach to climate change
• Marina no longer invested in
• More natural experience
• Predict lower visitation

“Rustic Retreat” funds improvement of the marina, but no new concessions
• Natural state
• Contrast with urban surroundings
• Rustic experience
• Improved access

“Concession” identifies concession area and needed infrastructure
• Continuation of Tillicum Village scale concession
• Long-term lease
• Educational or entertainment programming
• High visitation

“Recreation” explores state parks facility expansion
• Expansion of recreational facilities
• Additional overnight accommodations
• Lodge building and cabins
• Opportunities for large groups and events

The Blake Island master planning alternatives survey is available online until April 30th along with a public comment form. Parks expects to identify a staff-recommended alternative by the spring, with additional planning and work on the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) checklist plus more opportunity for public input during that time frame. Lastly, the final Master Plan document is expected to go to the State Parks and Recreation Commission in the fall. Parks staff was not able to reply to questions about funding sources for the project options in time for this report.

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