Squaxin Island Tribe's Natural Resources

UPDATE:  Lacey City Council unanimously passed a resolution to sign the MOU last night.  That means all have agreed and the signing ceremony on Nov. 29th is on. The Olympia City Council voted unanimously to approve signing the MOU forming the Budd/Deschutes Environmental Stewardship Coalition tonight.  The City of Yelm and the Squaxin Island Tribal [...]

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King 5: Farm deal clears Olympia water jam

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  On-the-ground habitat restoration projects will be the focus of a new coalition to jumpstart salmon productivity in the Deschutes River watershed.  The Squaxin Island Tribe and the cities of Olympia, Lacey and Yelm are establishing the Deschutes Watershed Environmental Stewardship Coalition. “The Deschutes coalition will be an ongoing alliance to fund and conduct on-the-ground [...]

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The Squaxin Island Tribes salmon fisheries started off slow but appear to be at or above recent year averages, with exception of coho. Our harvest of Chinook was above average at 7, 839.  Approximately 4,968 Chinook made it past our fishing efforts to Tumwater Falls Hatchery.  Tumwater Falls reached the needed egg take goal to [...]

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One of the talks at the recent Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference showed how common household pesticides that are considered safe individually are lethal to juvenile coho when they are combined. The author found that the mixing of chemicals was either additive or synergistic meaning that the pesticides reacted with each other to become far more [...]

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Nutrient loading and its effects on the health of the Salish Sea was a topic covered from a variety of perspectives at the recent Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference in Vancouver, BC.  The most common threat from elevated nutrients is hypoxia, or dangerously low levels of dissolved oxygen as is found at times in Hood Canal. [...]

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Last week I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference  in beautiful Vancouver, BC with four of my fellow Squaxin NR colleagues. Throughout the three days I sat in on a number of breakout sessions and reviewed scientific posters that ranged in topics covering Estuary Science, Marine Survival of Salmon, Marine Mammals, and Traditional Foods [...]

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Update:  Judge Paula Casey ruled in favor of the Squaxin Island Tribe to protect Johns Creek! Fish runs in Johns Creek, near Shelton, have been shrinking for years.  Wells are stealing water that should flow into Johns Creek.  Ecology has refused to stop new wells until it knows where wells can be safely drilled. So, [...]

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It’s time to get your boats ready and gear mended because fishing season is just around the corner.  We are expecting to see some good returns of Fall Chinook  with approximately 19,500 expected to come back to Tumwater Falls Hatchery this year.   The coho season was a real downer last year with record low [...]

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KAMILCHE – A Thurston County Superior Court  ruled in favor of an effort by the Squaxin Island Tribe  to protect the Johns Creek Basin.  Squaxin filed suit  last year asking the state to impose a moratorium on  drilling new wells until the state determines if water  is legally available to supply those wells. Judge Paula [...]

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