Tribes

The State of Our Watersheds Report is produced by the treaty tribes of western Washington, and seeks to present a comprehensive view of 20 watersheds in the Puget Sound region and the major issues that are impacting habitat.

The Upper Skagit tribe includes descendants from 11 villages in the Upper Skagit and Samish watersheds. Although the tribe signed the treaty of Point Elliott, no reservation was established, and members refused to leave the region. Today, the tribe's population is scattered among different towns, including Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon, and Newhalem.

Upper Skagit Area of Concern:

The Skagit River provides 30% of freshwater input to Puget Sound, and the watershed is one of the healthiest in the region. This makes protecting existing habitat a high priority, as population growth will only put more pressure on the ecosystem. One focus has

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

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is descended from Coast Salish people that lived in and around the Skagit and Samish Rivers. Their reservation, about 15 square miles, is located on Fidalgo Island, between Skagit Bay, Padilla Bay, and the Swinomish channel.

Swinomish Area of Concern:

The tribe is focused in the Skagit Watershed (WRIAs 3 and 4), where restoration of tidal and nearshore habitat is a priority. One issue in the watershed is forestland buffers. Washington Forest Practice rules require riparian buffers of around 140 feet, but landowners with less than 80 acres are exempt. Many of the streams in

The Suquamish Tribe, whose ancestors have lived in the region for approximately 10,000 years, has 950 enrolled members. About half of them live on the Port Madison reservation, established in 1855 by the treaty of Point Elliott.

Suquamish Tribe Area of Concern:

The tribe works mainly on the Kitsap Peninsula. Kitsap County is the third most densely populated county in Washington, and has no land zoned for agriculture. The hydrology is fairly unique, with groundwater recharge dependent solely on precipitation. Road construction and loss of forest habitat impact streams, and every Watershed Assessment Unit (WAU) within Kitsap County is either

The Stillaguamish Tribe is descended from the Stoluck-wa-mish River Tribe, who signed the treaty of Point Elliott in January 1855. Some tribal members moved to the Tulalip reservation, while others remained along the Stillaguamish River. The headquarters for the tribe are in Arlington, Washington.

Stillaguamish Area of Concern:

The Stillaguamish watershed is largely undeveloped, but population growth has put pressure on resources and salmon habitat. Continued loss and fragmentation of habitat is a primary concern, and protecting existing habitat is necessary for the survival of Chinook in the Stillaguamish. Salt marsh habitat, which provides feeding ground for outgoing juvenile Chinook