Environmental Advocacy

Stewards

The Duwamish Tribe have lived, fished, hunted, and farmed their ancestral lands and waters for thousands of years prior to the arrival of European and American whites. They continue to do so today, and lead activities related to the reclamation, remediation, and stewardship in support of environmental justice for the lands that comprise Seattle and the adjacent watersheds flowing into Puget Sound. For many decades, the tribe has contributed to the environmental health and welfare to the benefit of the citizens of Seattle with an emphasis on underserved, marginalized populations. The examples of environmental stewardship, cited below, illustrate that the tribe is a recognized partner of city, county, state, federal (Environmental Protection Agency) authorities, non-profit organizations, and universities.

Treaty Tribe

Numerous projects and grants acknowledge the Duwamish Tribe as an extant political and cultural institution that has survived and is thriving to this day. They continue as a tribal entity, a Treaty Nation, and as co-signers of the Treaty of Point Elliott (1855).

Leadership

The past and current leadership roles and contributions to the environment of our city include the efforts of Mr. James Rasmussen, senior Duwamish tribal member, who was mentored by John Beal.

John Beal, a Vietnam veteran and an early proponent for clean water and return of the salmon, recognized the need for collaboration among stakeholders and learned to establish common ground with local businesses, environmental organizations, and the Duwamish Tribe as early as 1976 in restoring the Duwamish River tributary of Hamm Creek and adjacent waterbodies. Beal, working with B.J. Cummings, then Executive Director of the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, and James Rasmussen, spearheaded the cleanup of the polluted urban stream Hamm Creek and the greater Duwamish River and the watershed. To learn more, see Duwamish Alive.

Legacy

These early efforts were instrumental in EPA’s listing of the Duwamish River as a Superfund Site, the creation of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC), and the more recent formation of the EPA’s Duwamish Roundtable, which will inform the next phase of the Cleanup Plan. For more information: The Duwamish River of Possibility

See more about James’ legacy in his own words:

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Video of Urban Waters Voices: James Rasmussen.

The Superfund Manager for DRCC, EPA’s Community Advisory Group for the Duwamish Superfund site is a senior Duwamish tribal member. With the Superfund designation comes the mandate for clean water. A total of 5.5 miles of the Duwamish River and 412 acres is identified for remediation.

Activism

• In 2015, in the tribe’s traditional Raven Canoe, the Duwamish Tribe joined hundreds of kayaktivists at the "Paddle in Seattle" to protest exploration of the Arctic Sea by Shell Oil.

• In 2017, The Duwamish tribe was the recipient of the King Conservation District (KCD) grant “The Duwamish Upland Reforestation Project,” an ongoing effort to protect, restore and reforest the greenspaces adjacent to the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center. The project goal is to eliminate invasive species, reintroduce native vegetation to the West Seattle community, and restore the property’s ecosystem by providing a place to sustain native food, medicine, and wildlife habitat in relation to Duwamish culture.  

• In 2019, KCD awarded the tribe the “Ridge to River” grant to study the remediation and return to safe, user-friendly pedestrian hiking trails linking connections between South Seattle College, Pathfinders Elementary School, and the Duwamish Longhouse.  The purpose of the project is to assess trail routes through the Greenbelt and determine remediation options required to address the pollution of the land by cement kiln dust, a highly toxic by-product of cement production. Do so will meet federal, state, and municipal policy and safety regulations for trail usage, and develop a comprehensive trail plan for the greenbelt. This will address recreation, education, cultural exchange, environmental justice, youth employment, and forest restoration. This project also partners with the Sno-King Watershed Council and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance to provide water quality training to tribal and community partners in EPA-certified protocols to monitor for the presence of E. Coli contamination of the waters of Puget Creek and the Port of Seattle T107 Park (Ha ah Poos), an important regional historic site called Duwamish Site No. 1 on the National Register of Historic Places.

• Also in 2019, the Duwamish Longhouse launched a public awareness campaign against plastic litter directed towards the river and marine environments of Washington State.  Decals are distributed at tribal events and the longhouse to the public to message and educate citizens to reduce the introduction of plastic debris into the waterways.

• In 2020, the Duwamish Tribe became a stakeholder for the Water Resource Inventory Area 9 (WRIA 9) under the Salmon Habitat Recovery Plan to make recommendations and decisions formulated on science-based assessments, to protect and restore the Green, Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed.

• Our partnership with Duwamish Alive links the tribe’s leadership and participation with a host of private, commercial, industrial, recreational, government, and environmental advocacy groups. The partnership will organize, plan, and initiate recovery efforts, and make available vibrant greenspace and waterways in the Duwamish Watershed to the public.

• Most recently, the Duwamish Tribe created the Duwamish Ecotours program. The program incorporates traditional culture (storytelling, mythology, and ethnobotany) through tours, outreach, training, and volunteerism, weaving together an educational program with the natural history of the river. This includes Hah-ah-poos, a historic village site on the Duwamish River across the street from the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center.