Squaxin Island Tribe's Natural Resources

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Industrial activity in Shelton Harbor has changed since 1977. On Monday, the Squaxin Island Tribe will send out a press release on future plans for the harbor.

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On 6/22, the Squaxin Island Tribe and other partners on an advisory committee made a report to the Oakland Bay Clean Water District Board of Directors (aka the Mason County Commissioners) on the status of Oakland Bay.  The review was generally positive, but cautious.  Below summarizes some of my and others comments. Water quality has [...]

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From the press release: The Squaxin Island Tribe is appealing to Gov. Chris Gregoire the decision by the state Department of Ecology to reject a petition to protect Johns Creek. ”Ecology’s inaction does further harm to our treaty-based fisheries,” said Andy Whitener, natural resources director for the Tribe. “Salmon recovery should not have to bear [...]

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A news release this afternoon: The Squaxin Island Tribe has filed a second petition with the state Department of Ecology (DOE) to stop all new water withdrawals, including permit-exempt wells, in the Johns Creek watershed near Shelton. The action was taken to protect several runs of salmon that spawn and rear in the creek. “There [...]

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From Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission Website: Anderson Good Choice to lead WDFW The treaty tribes of western Washington look forward to continuing to work with Phil Anderson as director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Anderson was named the department’s permanent director Saturday by the nine-member commission….(read more at NWIFC website).

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  State and Tribal scientists use fecal bacteria (FC) as an indicator of water pollution in Oakland Bay.  In 2006 during the summer months, the bacteria concentration in the water column at the head of Oakland Bay skyrocketed and restricted commercial harvest in some shellfish beds.  In in the first half of the summer of [...]

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Weyerhaeuser published a report in June 2009 in the Journal of American Water Resources Association (Volume 45, Number 3, Pages 793-808) detailing 30 years of turbidity data collected in the upper reaches of the Deschutes (WA) Watershed.  To my knowledge, it is the longest water quality study on private forestlands in the Pacific Northwest. In the mainstem [...]

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I toured the Deschutes Watershed on June 4th with 17 other members of the Deschutes Advisory Group.  The group is charged with implementing measures to address water quality issues identified in the DOE TMDL technical report. One highlight of the tour was stopping at the mouth of Huckleberry Creek not far downstream from the upper Deschutes [...]

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