Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Watershed Restoration

1993-Present

The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe, on the Northern tip of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State, is pioneering watershed management techniques that will ensure the ecological resurgence of rivers in the area. Along rivers and streams, such as the Dungeness River and the Jimmycomelately creek, the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe has created watershed restoration teams involving all stakeholders, including governmental agencies, private landowners, and non-profits to pioneer a new method for watershed restoration. Along the Dungeness, restoration has taken form in artificial logjams, wildlife reintroduction, and rethinking existing drainage systems. This has created healthier river systems, which in turn, can allow for deeper relationships between the rivers and the Jamestown S’Klallam. The success of these projects demonstrates the ways that selective engagement with settler systems can result in ecological and cultural resurgence.

Image credit: Environmental Planning - Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe (jamestowntribe.org)