The Kitsap Sun reported on the new license issued recently by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Cushman Hydroelectric Dams to operate legally for the next 38 years.  The new license comes out of a settlement between the Skokomish Tribe, the city of Tacoma and federal and state natural resources agencies. The dams, since their installation in the 1920s, have severely impacted the flow…

The Peninsula Daily News posted an article about the recent meeting between Lower Elwha Klallam tribal chairwoman Frances Charles and National Park Service director Jon Jarvis on the progress of the Elwha Dams removal project.

From the article:

“The head of the National Park Service praised Lower Elwha Klallam tribal leaders for their support on the cusp of the largest dam removal project in the

…

The Suquamish Tribe is working with federal and county agencies to restore a significant part of Chico Creek by removing a fish-blocking culvert at its mouth. The project is one more step in the tribe’s massive restoration effort within the Chico watershed.

The mouth of the creek is known to the Suquamish as the “Place of Chum Salmon.” It is one the largest native salmon-producing creeks in Puget…

Port Gamble S’Klallam and Suquamish tribal students recently learned how easy it is to grow their own shellfish, just like a garden.

Viviane Barry, a tribal shellfish biologist, showed students from the Suquamish-based tribal high school how Pacific oysters are easily seeded.

“This type of hands-on stuff is relevant to what is going on in their tribes,” said teacher Bob Kirk. “These students often have clam and…

While the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has been working diligently to protect salmon and their habitat in the Elwha River watershed, there’s another aspect of the pre-dam removal that is just as important: controlling invasive plants.

“These plants quickly spread, preventing native plants from thriving,” said Mike McHenry, the tribe’s habitat manager. “It’s bad for the existing river habitat and if it’s not taken care of,…

The Washington Department of Health has issued an immediate closure of harvesting from beaches in Clallam County after samples collected this week tested for elevated levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP) toxin.

All species are closed for harvest on ocean beaches and on beaches along the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Dungeness Spit to Cape Flattery. Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay are only closed to…

There is a new video posted at http://nwifc.blip.tv/ of the Swinomish Tribe’s 2010 Blessing of the Fleet ceremony and luncheon that took place May 13. Guests were treated to a salmon and shellfish meal, before following the Edwards family from the tribal gym to the waterfront. The tribe’s fleet of fishermen received blessings from the Shaker, Pentecostal and Catholic churches. Fishermen were then sent in…

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe was the first responder on scene for a vessel that drifted onto its reservation and beach in Port Gamble Bay Wednesday night. The tribe deployed oil spill booms from its oil spill response trailer provided from a Department of Ecology (DOE) grant a few years ago.

The 50-foot long former surplus Navy torpedo recovery boat drifted onto reservation shores after becoming…

The Kitsap Sun did a brief update on some of the big restoration projects that will be taking place within the Skokomish watershed this summer, mainly focusing on habitat along the South Fork and mouth of the river.

From the article:

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe is concerned about impacts to tribal hunting rights if Washington State expands Dosewallips State Park by 1,300 acres, as recently proposed. Point No Point Treaty Council biologist Tim Cullinan explains tribal concerns in this article published by the Kitsap Sun recently. The Point No Point Treaty Council provides natural resources management services to its member tribes, the Jamestown S’Klallam and Port Gamble…