The Seattle Times and the Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader both posted the latest update on what the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and the state of Washington have proposed to do with the Sequim Elk herd. From the Seattle Times:
Instead of moving a herd of elk that has been hemmed in by development in Sequim, wildlife managers have decided to spend about $1 million to erect fences to keep the animals out of highways and farms.
January 14, 2003
With the 2003 State Legislature now in session, water is again a key environmental issue being considered by the state lawmakers.
Another thing they must consider is that the tribes hold the senior water right in this state. The senior right is not held by the public utility districts. It’s not held by the cities, and it’s not held by corporations or the counties. It’s held by the tribal governments—along with the state and federal governments. These are the governments that actually own the water, on behalf of their respective citizens. That’s the law, and yet the state has consistently ignored the tribes in its legislative and management practices and policies.