Tulalip Tribes
The Tulalip reservation is located near Marysville, Washington. It was created after the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855, and currently has a population of 2,500 members. The entire tribal population is approximately 4,000 and growing.
Tulalip Tribes Area of Concern:
The Snohomish River basin, part of the region where the Tulalip tribes focus restoration efforts, suffers from extensive shoreline armoring and a history of draining and clearing wetland habitat. In order to protect salmon stocks, the tribes closed many of their usual and accustomed fishing areas to Chinook harvest, and have worked to reduce potentially harmful impact of hatchery fish on native wild stocks. The Tulalip restoration goal is 80% of historic habitat, and they have targeted 1,276 acres of tidal marsh for a 3-year workplan.
Natural Resource Management:
- The Tulalip Tribes released more coho salmon in 2012 than ever before. A high survival rate at the Bernie Kai-Kai Gobin hatchery allowed the tribe to set 1.3 million smolts free, making a total of 12 million hatchery salmon released this year. All of the salmon are tagged, allowing careful monitoring and responsible harvest.
- The tribes are looking at climate change impacts over a broad area, hoping to illuminate how changing processes in one location may impact others. They have noticed soil compaction and lack of decomposing ground cover, also called “duff”, in upland forests. The tribe is collaborating with researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Colorado, and hopes to gather data to support the need for large-scale restoration.
- In 2009, the tribes became part of Qualco Energy, a nonprofit partnership with Northwest Chinook Recovery and the Sno/Sky Agricultural Alliance. A biodigester operated by Qualco generates energy from cow manure, gathered from dairy farms in the Tualco Valley. The biogas project keeps manure out of the rivers and reduces methane emissions.
- The tribe began work in 2010 to restore tidal flow to 350 acres of floodplain in the Qwuloolt estuary. The area was historically laced with tidal channels, but levees and drainage ditches cut off the natural flow of the river. Multiple fish stocks, including Chinook, coho, chum, and keta salmon, use the estuary. The entire restoration plan is available here.
Tulalip Tribes
6406 Marine Drive
Tulalip, WA 98271
Phone: (360) 716-4000
FAX: (360) 716-4032
Tulalip Natural Resources
6406 Marine Drive
Tulalip, WA 98271
Phone: (360) 716-4480
FAX: (360) 716-4490
Bernie Kai Kai Gobin Salmon Hatchery
Phone: (360) 716-4550
FAX: (360) 716-4460
Tribal Chair: Melvin R. Sheldon Jr.
Director of Fish and Wildlife: Ray Fryberg Sr.
Commissioner of Fisheries & Natural Resources: Terry Williams
Website: www.tulaliptribes-nsn.gov
Source: NWIFC