Tribal Projects

The Commission has established a fund specifically to support tribal projects in the Northwest Straits region. Initially, this funding was used to support a liaison position to help the Commission better understand how to work with tribal co-managers and identify projects of mutual interest. At the recommendation of the liaison, this fund became a source of grant funding to support tribal projects that align with the Northwest Straits Initiative's benchmarks. To date, four projects have been funded through this process:

Bank Stabilization and Beach Nourishment at Weaverling Spit

In 2009 the Commission provided support for a project for the Samish Indian Nation to restore 550 feet of eroding shoreline with an engineered soft shore stabilization project in order to protect an archeological site that is in danger of eroding onto the beach, provide habitat for forage fish spawning along with vegetation for shade of habitat and restore the shoreline along the Tommy Thompson Trail in Anacortes that is currently being impacted by erosion.

Approximately 1,982 tons of rock, 8 large root wads and four 25-30’ foot sections of trees were used to stabilize the bank and form drift sills to help keep the bank and the rock in place. Close to 30 concrete cylinders and numerous angular, remnant rip rap were removed from the beach. Much of the jute fabric from a prior project was removed when it was encountered. Two sections of concrete storm drain were removed and a scour apron was constructed. It is now a day lighted gradual seep across the beach entering Fidalgo Bay. Fourteen hours after final work was completed on the beach, surf smelt were present at the high tide line.

Following the stabilization project, the Samish Indian Nation plans to plant native shrubs and trees to provide shade for spawning forage fish.

Canoe Journey Water Quality Project

Each summer the waters of Puget Sound and Georgia Basin are traveled by canoe as part of the Coast Salish Canoe Journey, in which 44 First Nations and 29 Washington Tribes travel to a final landing destination. In 2008 and 2009, the Northwest Straits Commission provided support for a project to collect baseline water quality data for the Salish Sea, identify potential hotspots of water quality concern, and plan for water quality data collection on future Canoe Journeys.

For this project, four canoes were outfitted with GPS units and water quality probes that measured surface-water temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solids, and turbidity. At the end of the Journey, the data was downloaded and used to compile a database and maps of water-quality measurements across the Salish Sea. The project brings tradition and science together to accomplish a data gathering process that is ideally done with a canoe, eliminating the impacts of boat engine and exhaust disturbance that interferes with data collection and quality.

Shadow of the Salmon

Approximately $80,000 from this fund was used in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 for casting and filming an educational film titled Shadow of the Salmon. This hour long docu-drama features an exciting view of the great importance of salmon and the environment among the Salish tribes of western Washington. Viewers will experience this through the eyes of a young Native American from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. The eye-opening adventure provides insights into traditional tribal culture, including a First Salmon Ceremony and the annual Canoe Journey, as well as the natural resource management achievements of tribes today.

The film targets television audiences across the country as well as middle-school classrooms. A middle school curriculum to go along with the film has been produced outside of the Northwest Straits Commission’s grant agreement. Together, the film and the curriculum are a valuable tool in teaching school children about tribal history in the Northwest Straits region and its linkage with contemporary tribal natural resource and environmental management.

To see a trailer of Shadow of the Salmon, visit the Northwest Indian Fishery Commission’s website at http://www.nwifc.wa.gov/

Dosewallips Estuary Restoration Interpretive Signage

The Port Gamble S'Klallam tribe requested funding to design and install interpretive signs to educate the public about the value of local marine resources, the importance of conservation, and the methods used in the Dosewallips Estuary Restoration Project to improve natural system functions. Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, Washington Trout, State Parks and others created a restoration project at the mouth of the Dosewallips River, located in Dosewallips State Park. The interpretive signs describe the estuary restoration activities.

Fish Use of Pocket Estuaries

The Skagit River System Cooperative (SRSC) received funding to expand the geographic scope of the Skagit Bay pocket estuary research and conduct preliminary investigations into the restoration potential of these unique habitats in several regions. Working in coordination with 4 other tribes, the SRSC explored patterns of salmon use of pocket estuaries by sampling for juvenile salmon at a series of locations during their migration cycle. Data from this project are proving important to understand how young Chinook rely on small, pocket estuaries during migration from the Skagit River. Other funding sources contributed to this study as well.