As a way to better connect with waterfront landowners, the Suquamish Tribe has been hosting a successful shellfish social hour the past two years. At a restaurant in Silverdale each winter, the tribe invites property owners on Dyes Inlet to talk with tribal staff about its work, including tribal shellfish harvesting and its tidelands leasing […]
The Suquamish Tribe recently acquired 157 acres of culturally important tidelands on Dyes Inlet. A traditional shellfish harvesting area, the swath of land is also the site of old wintering villages and homesteads, stretching between Chico Creek and Phinney Bay. The tribe has been harvesting shellfish on the tidelands in cooperation with previous owners since […]
The Coast Salish – U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Tribal Journey Water Quality Project was recognized with the Department of the Interior’s Partners in Conservation Award. The award recognizes the strength of collaborative activities such as the USGS partnership with the Coast Salish Western Washington Tribes and British Columbia First Nations. This cooperative effort combined traditional […]
Why do tribal members get to come onto private property and harvest shellfish? Washington state is one of the few states in the nation where tidelands are privately owned. Most states have kept tidelands in public hands so everyone can enjoy them. The state sold off the tidelands several decades after the treaties were signed […]
King 5 came down to Nisqually yesterday and filed this report on the Nisqually Tribe’s habitat restoration efforts: A small tree is struggling for a foothold in the Nisqually River Delta, and it’s not alone. There are thousands of them growing up in protective white pipes, reclaiming the lands occupied by their ancestors more than […]
Skokomish (June 6, 2008) – Since earthen dikes were breached last fall on the Skokomish tidelands, Alex Gouley has been a busy man. The Skokomish Tribe’s habitat division manager has not only been working on the next phase to restore the 300-acre estuary back into a natural salt march area that is good for fish […]
After hearing testimony from tribal elders, biologists, historians, treaty experts, as well as testimony from private property owners and non-Indian commercial shellfish growers, Federal District Court Judge Edward Rafeedie followed in the footsteps of the Boldt Decision. He ruled the treaties’ “in common” language meant that the tribes had reserved harvest rights to half of […]
Various news media covered the Skokomish Tribe’s dike breaching project on Monday and Tuesday: From the Kitsap Sun: Watching the salt water lap his shoes, Keith Dublanica, senior land planner for the Skokomish Tribe, decided it was time to move from the Skokomish River tidelands to higher ground Monday afternoon. If he had been standing […]
The Seattle Times printed a story about the Skokomish Tribe and Washington State Parks swapping acreage near the Skokomish reservation. Plans for the land include restoration of tidelands and construction of a sewer system, which will help improve water quality for the area. The tribe will also provide public access to tidelands while retaining shellfishing […]
OLYMPIA (May 18, 2007) – Puget Sound treaty Indian tribes and commercial shellfish growers have finalized an agreement that will protect and enhance the resource while resolving legal issues from a federal court ruling that re-affirmed treaty-reserved tribal shellfish harvest rights. The pact resolves lingering legal issues from a 1994 federal court ruling that upheld […]
