The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe took on management of the Dungeness and Protection Island national wildlife refuges this summer from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The shift came after the Tribal Homelands Initiative was introduced in November 2021 to strengthen the role of tribes in federal land management.
“While S’Klallam stewardship of Dungeness and Protection Island predates the existence of the wildlife refuge system, the tribe embraces the opportunity to cooperatively manage these refuges,” said W. Ron Allen, the tribe’s CEO and chairman.
Tribal staff will oversee most of the programs, functions, services and activities related to managing the refuges. The tribe hopes to pair its volunteer program at the Dungeness River Nature Center, also owned by the tribe, with the refuge volunteer program.
Law enforcement overseeing the refuges will still be under federal jurisdiction, but the tribe’s law enforcement, which is cross deputized with Clallam County, will respond on coordinated efforts.
Visitors to the Dungeness refuge shouldn’t see any differences in day-to-day operations with the changeover in management, Allen said. The Protection Island refuge is off limits to the public to protect the island’s sensitive and undisturbed habitat for sea life and marine mammals.
The tribe would like to restart education and outreach programming at the Dungeness refuge, and expand research and monitoring initiatives to better share, understand and conserve the traditional lands and water of the tribe.
Oyster cultivation supports tribal economy, culture
Inside the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, the tribe grows oysters within a 50-acre tideland parcel, currently leased by the tribe from the state Department of Natural Resources.
The tribe has all required local, state and federal permits to grow Pacific oysters within the parcel using two cultivation methods: on-bottom bags and loose oysters.
Jamestown Seafood has planted 200,000 Pacific oyster seeds within a half-acre of the tidelands over the past three years without the use of on-bottom grow bags. These oysters grow on the beach to maturity, and are harvested by hand into bags that are removed by boat during high tide.
“The tribe’s goal is to continue to grow oysters freely, without the need for any gear, as long as it is practical to do so,” said Liz Tobin, the tribe’s shellfish program manager.
Farming Pacific oysters in this location is not new; oysters were cultivated here continuously from 1963-2005 when operations ceased due to poor water quality. The tribe, which has leased the land since 1990, dedicated staff and funding to improve the water quality so it could resume oyster farming for economic and cultural purposes, as harvesting, consuming and trading shellfish has been a way of life for the tribe since time immemorial.
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe councilmember Dana Ward enjoys the view from the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. Story: Tiffany Royal. Photo: Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
