Environmental Program
Resource Protection & Restoration
Environmental protection and habitat restoration are priorities for the Tribe in sustaining important resources for future generations. Protecting our natural areas and forestlands from the impacts of development and restoring key habitats that support marine life, wildlife, and plants are critical for protecting our way of life.
The following are a few examples of the Environmental Program’s resource protection and habitat restoration projects in the Tribe’s usual and accustomed areas.
- Former Mill Site Protection: The Tribe received a generous Estuary and Salmon Restoration Program (ESRP) grant to protect land at the former mill site in Port Gamble Bay from the impacts of development. We are currently working to develop a conservation easement that would protect up to 16 acres of the site into perpetuity for the purpose of restoring nearshore habitat and coastal processes.
- Shipbuilders Creek Restoration: The Tribe is currently in the planning stage of a restoration project on the Reservation that will replace a culvert at Shipbuilders Creek. We are currently working with Kitsap County to develop plans for replacing the culvert to restore fish passage in the creek.
- Project Consultation: The Tribe has been in consultation with various stakeholders regarding projects that have been proposed in its usual and accustomed area. Projects that have the potential to impact the Tribe’s treaty rights and resources may cumulatively pose a serious risk to the Tribe’s way of life. We have been in discussion regarding avoidance and mitigation options as part of our ongoing effort to protect and restore our natural resources. We engage with interested parties about our concerns and seek workable solutions.
For more information about these and other projects in the Tribe’s Environmental Program please contact the Natural Resources Department.