Tribes

In August 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe signed an agreement to become co-managers of two national wildlife refuges in the Puget Sound region. It was the first agreement of its kind in the state, and since that time, the tribe has been leading site operations at Dungeness Spit and Protection Island, greeting visitors, fixing roads, and hosting scientists. We spoke with refuge manager Fawn Wagner to get her insights into what it means for both wildlife and the tribe's strong historical and cultural relationship with the region.

Beavers are typically associated with freshwater environments, but scientists have learned that they also survive and thrive in the shoreline marshes of the Salish Sea. New research is revealing the vital connection between tidal beavers and salmon.

Three common words and their legal interpretation a half-century ago helped set the stage for a cultural revival among Native Americans while propelling an environmental movement that still resonates today. Environmental reporter Christopher Dunagan revisits the legal reasoning behind the famous Boldt decision that upheld tribal fishing rights in the state of Washington.

Treaty rights are critical to the sovereignity of Puget Sound area Tribes and are deeply connected to natural resource management. Five landmark treaties in our region were signed during a three-year period from 1854 to 1856 and continue to drive policy to this day.  

The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community has begun constructing the first known clam garden to be built in modern times. They hope that what was once an ancient way of cultivating shellfish can now be a hedge against climate change.

Can restoring the natural balance of the Nooksack River also reduce flood risks? Officials on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border are taking note as climate change raises the stakes.