Bateman Circumnavigation
I have been periodically watching the progress of the Bateman Island causeway removal project; waiting to see when I could make a lap around the island in the packraft. The construction crew had kept some booms in the water with cables across the channel for a while to help prevent sediment spreading downstream. I noticed that the booms were removed recently so everything looked like a go to paddle around the island on Friday the 13th of February.
Beginning of Bateman Island Restoration Project (Dec. 2025)
The picture above was from the very beginning of the project (taken 12/26/25). This still shows the full causeway before any work was started. Below, I took a picture from less than one month later, with a significant channel open on the far side, but still more work to remove material (note the yellow booms that I mentioned earlier).
Causeway removal 1/22/26
Last week the causeway was pretty much removed but the booms were still in place (see below).
Causeway Removal Progress 02/05/26
This week the booms were removed, so it was go time for a packraft paddle around Bateman Island. I chose to paddle around in a counter-clockwise (ccw) loop. I did fight the current along the Columbia river side a bit and the strongest fight of current was at the northern tip of Bateman Island. Once on the Yakima river side of the island, I did eventually get a bit of a push from the current back to the boat ramp.
Bye Bye Bateman Island Causeway (02/13/26)
I was thinking more about this paddle on the drive home and had a funny thought. Today; I was kind of like the opposite of Moses (Exodus 14). Instead of parting the waters, it was a parting of the land of sorts (evident when you look at the GPS track).
Thanks for reading. If you care to look back at some previous Blog posts on this Bateman project you can find them here:
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