Kilmer Introduces Legislation to Protect Sacred and Cultural Lands for Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Port Angeles, WA – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) introduced the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act, legislation that would restore more than 1,000 acres of ancestral land along the Elwha River to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
These parcels of land were acquired by the National Parks Service under the Elwha River Ecoystems and Fisheries Restoration Act of 1992 to facilitate the removal of two dams on the Elwha River. By taking these lands into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the legislation would protect and restore sacred and cultural lands, including the Tribe’s Creation Site. The legislation would also allow for the continued restoration of the region’s ecosystem, including the protection and repopulation of native fish species.
“This legislation will fulfill a critical commitment made as part of the dam removal project. Specifically, it will help restore the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's homelands – ensuring the Tribe can continue to restore sacred ancestral grounds and treaty fishing rights,” said Rep. Kilmer. “I’ll keep working to ensure the federal government fulfills its trust and treaty obligations.”
“The Tribe is excited by the introduction of this bill, which is an important final action to the dam removal project and the restoration of the fisheries. The transfer of these lands along the Elwha River to the Tribe will safeguard the federal investment in restoration of the river ecosystem and the salmon fisheries through tribal management of the resources. The bill will also protect the Tribe’s sacred cultural homelands by restoring them to the stewardship of the Tribe,” said Chairwoman Frances Charles of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
In the early 1900s, two dams were built on the Elwha River to provide hydroelectric power to the neighboring towns. The dams consequently decimated local salmon and trout populations, which have significant cultural and economic meaning to the Tribe. The dams also flooded a tribal settlement site, seasonal camps, and sacred lands.
In 1992, Congress passed the Elwha River Ecosystems and Fisheries Restoration Act (“Elwha Act”) to remove the dams and restore the river ecosystem and fisheries. In order to remove the dams, the hydroelectric project lands – dam and reservoir sites –were transferred to the NPS. The dam removal project was completed in 2014, and ecosystem and fisheries restoration efforts are under way. This legislation would complete provisions in the Elwha Act to restore land to the Tribe by placing it into trust with the U.S. Department of Interior.
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