Ruby, Canyon, and Granite Creeks are high-elevation tributaries of the Skagit River in the North Cascades, known for exceptional water quality, ecological richness, and deep cultural significance. Legacy and existing mining claims, particularly near Ruby Creek, put all of that at risk.
Even exploratory mining can introduce sediment and heavy metals and disrupt habitat, undermining what makes these waters exceptional in the first place. Most of the basin sits within federally protected land, but that hasn’t stopped mining claims from threatening water quality and ecosystem health.
“We support protecting the Ruby, Canyon, and Granite Creek watersheds as an Outstanding Resource Water,” said Scott Schuyler, Policy Representative for Natural and Cultural Resources for the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe. “The mouth of Ruby Creek was the site of an ancestral fishing camp where our ancestors collected the salmon that sustained our people. Protecting this important place supports our tribal treaty rights and lifeways.”
Join the many Washingtonians already working to protect these creeks.
Ruby and Granite Creeks start in the glaciated alpine zones of the North Cascades and flow west into the Skagit River at Ross Reservoir, cutting through old-growth forest and steep canyons along the way. That journey supports rich riparian ecosystems and delivers the cold, clear water that the Skagit River system depends on. The Skagit is the most salmon-productive river in Puget Sound, and these creeks are a big part of why.
Designating these creeks as Outstanding Resource Waters would lock in protection for their cold-water habitats, support threatened salmonids, and preserve the recreation and cultural values that make this stretch of the Skagit watershed so significant.
Clean, flowing water is our culture. It’s our well-being. It’s our prosperity. Help us keep it that way.