Makah

Read more about the article Coastal tribes and communities preparing for arrival of tsunami debris
Japanese tsunami debris may begin to arrive in volume in the winter of 2013. Many experts think there will be few large pieces and much of it will be debris such as the crab floats seen in this picture on Second Beach south of LaPush. Items already designed to float such as nets, floats and other plastic items are expected along with the possibility of fuel-laden barrels.

Coastal tribes and communities preparing for arrival of tsunami debris

Japanese tsunami debris may begin to arrive in volume in the winter of 2013. Many experts think there will be few large pieces and much of it will be debris such as the crab floats seen in this picture on Second Beach south of LaPush. Items already designed to float such as nets, floats and other plastic items are expected along with the possibility of fuel-laden barrels.

An empty plastic kerosene can with Japanese writing on it washed onto Point Grenville in March, possibly some of the first debris to reach the Olympic Coast following Japan’s catastrophic tsunami in 2011.

Tribal, local, state and federal agencies are preparing for the possibility that tons more debris may wash ashore. However, little wreckage has reached Hawaii, so tribal scientists are hopeful that not much will arrive here either.

“The original mats of debris aren’t visible by satellite anymore and the at-sea debris that was found north of Midway Island pretty much confirmed it has spread out and much of the debris is now missing and most likely sunk,” said Joe Schumacker, marine scientist for the Quinault Indian Nation. (more…)

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Read more about the article Thirty Cent Creek Reconnected to Sooes River
The connection of the Thirty Cent Creek to the Sooes River was blocked by the artificial pond created by past timber practices.

Thirty Cent Creek Reconnected to Sooes River

The connection of the Thirty Cent Creek to the Sooes River was blocked by the artificial pond created by past timber practices.
An important winter refuge for salmon and trout has been reconnected to Thirty Cent Creek, a tributary of the Sooes River on the Makah Tribe’s reservation.

“This project has been identified for some time and we were finally able to get the pieces to line up to make it happen,” said Ray Colby, water quality specialist for the Makah Tribe. Previously located on private commercial timberlands, the site is one of several acquired by the Makah Tribe as tribal fee lands. (more…)

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Makah Tribe collars cougars for study

The treed cougar flattens his ears as the howls of professional hunting dogs mix with the shouts of Makah tribal wildlife biologists in a snowy forest in the hook Game Management Unit near Neah Bay.

In this picture by Shannon Murphie, a wildlife biologist for the Makah Tribe, a male glowers from a tree.
A tranquilizer dart finds its mark and the adult male falls with a whump into a tarp rigged as a safety net. Carefully lowered to the ground, the 170-pound, 7-foot, 7-inch long cat (tail included) gets a radio collar tag that will help track his movements.

While February’s snow on the North Olympic Peninsula was unwelcomed by many, it’s exactly the kind of weather conditions needed to successfully track and collar cougars.

“Without the snow, it’s hard to track cougars, even with dogs,” Rob McCoy, wildlife division manager for the Makah Tribe said. “But snow makes fresh tracks easy to find and we can get the dogs on the proper track.” (more…)

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Tribes bring management skills and traditional knowledge to developing ocean policy

“Indigenous peoples, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Hawaiian Natives are among the most vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change in the world,” said Fawn Sharp, Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) president, as part of testimony to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works in 2009.

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Tribes and state change harvest levels of black-tail deer to bolster populations

“The management measures are an inter-tribal and state milestone,” said Rob McCoy, wildlife division manager for the Makah Tribe. “Everyone worked together to do something to protect the population for the future. “Harvest is something we can control. We don’t have the capability to accomplish predator control at this time and we can’t control the hair loss disease,” said McCoy. “This is the best way to maximize adult doe survival and increase the numbers of offspring,” he said.

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Fraser River sockeye salmon returns among highest recorded

Treaty tribes in western Washington are having a bountiful Fraser River sockeye fishery this season, with at least three times the number of fish returning as expected. More than 30 million sockeye are estimated to return to the Fraser River in British Columbia this year – the highest run size recorded since 1913.

View photos of the fishery in the San Juan Islands on NWIFC’s Flickr feed.

Nine treaty tribes in western Washington have treaty-reserved rights to catch Fraser River sockeye in U.S. waters before they migrate upstream. The Fraser River sockeye treaty tribes are Lummi, Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Nooksack, Makah, Port Gamble S’Klallam, Suquamish, Swinomish and Tulalip. (more…)

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