Ive never been too fond of the tree hugger type groups. But sometimes they have at least semi valid issues. Raising awareness is one thing. But they always seem to go to far. Always a lawyer or two making money on both ends. Funny how that works. But the tribe takes it to a new level. Its only bad if some one else is doing it is their motto. Im sure if some non indian group wanted to start an oyster farm they would be shmoozing up to the enviromental groups. And the part that makes it the worst to me is probably, most of the oysters will end up on foreign plates. Its only ok to rape the country if indians do it. And lawyers make money.
Since time immemorial, Jamestown has been selling the fruits of the local land that sustained them as a people to foreign countries to profit off the land. That sounds odd. It's not a casino, a gas station, weed, excavating, surveying, etc, it's the bounty of nature. I still can't wrap my brains around it.
Jeff, you manage to keep us apprised on everything you have reported on. Thank you. Good journalism means informing the readers. I am confused about this oyster farming because it contradicts the Tribe's environmental viewpoint on other projects, like Towne Road and the Water Steward. The Tribe is also reminding everyone how it can manage the environment better than anyone else, and yet no one asks for proof. Where is the evidence? And how do casinos play a role in environmentally friendly enterprises?
Yeah...they never were 'stewards'...they were exploiters, just like the rest of humanity.
Stop the romanticism of the noble savage...they were savages, just like the rest of humanity...it's a dog-eat-dog world and a lot of well meaning people have bought the narrative of 'Indians good, White man bad, Orange man worst of all!'
The 'natives' raided and murdered and captured and enslaved their neighbors.
Africans rounded up and sold off their neighbors into slavery...the whites were just the 'brokers'. Africans in America owned other Africans and exploited them.
East Indians in America enslave family members to toil in the motels and convenience stores and other enterprises they own or lease.
All the horrors of humanity are alive and well, right in front of us.
'The past isn't dead...it isn't even the past.' Unknown.
We have a veneer of civility imposed on us by 'controlling interests'.
When the system breaks, as it must, it will be very clear what the true nature of man is.
The more you look at tribal issues the more hypocrisy you will see because $$$ is the issue,liberal radical govts are loaded with it so the virus spreads.
This was a done deal months before the formal announcement. On June 5, 2024, Jamestown had posted a position for "Ranger, Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge to handle Park Ranger & Visitor Services Manager. Connecting visitors with Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge's unique cultural and natural resources."
The National Park Service jumped on the DEI train long ago. Interpretive "Rangers" are some of the frontline cheer leaders for "Natve American" history, as read or shared between liberal activists in NPS uniforms. Visitors to ONP and other NPs are being indoctrinated by non-native imports from various colleges across the United States. Also, be cognizant of the UNESCO status of the once-Olympic National Park as a BIOSPHERE and WORLD HERITAGE SITE. One must pay attention to the language (wording) of placards and kiosks, along with the graphics; as they are all engineered to carry the UNESCO narrative, and point to the "original inhabitants", as having supplied the facts to support the narrative. All of these parks, reserves, and sanctuaries carry the same message, you are a visitor, not a Citizen resident, taxpaying landowner, or steward of your earned property; you are just camping for the moment. Where is the outrage regarding the pile of ashes on Hurricane Ridge, or the replacement facility, after having spent tax dollars on major infrastructure improvements to the utility systems prior to the Visitor Center burning to the ground? The Hoh Road has already been repaired, with traffic flowing as usual, since the wash-out last year. I have noted that local, tax-exempt entities and NGOs have expressed their desire to place a native display at Hurricane Ridge to honor their "sacred ground". Perhaps that explains the silence and inaction regarding the Hurricane Ridge VC.
I cannot claim any knowledge of oyster farming or it's potential impacts. I do know area fish farming with the most farmable species being Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead have a disastrous history. Fish biologists could bore us to tears with the science that boils down to these fish cannot live in such concentrations without various resultant diseases. The hypocrisy of local tribes who intensively
The coast and tidal lands of Vancouver I. and the B.C. Mainland LITTERED with THOUSANDS of TONS of plastic from oyster and fish farm debris...been there...seen that! Most little bays and nooks in B.C. are taken over by fish farming interests which are foreign owned and operated in many cases.
Liars and hypocrites...but that's the norm now...maybe always has been.
'We, the fallen, have done so much, starting with so little...to debase, degrade and exploit nature and our fellow man, we are now qualified to to anything...with impunity...unless you are white...Amen and Amen!'🙏🏼
Interesting.....sudden shift in the tides. Suspect the woke mind virus may have had a hand in this. I am all for seeing new businesses grow (and wish for their sucess) but I suspect no other entity would have been able to pull this off without a fight. That enironmentalist currently living in the tree up in Port Angeles comes to mind.
Great work. Shipping clams and oysters to Asia has a carbon footprint that should have had a NEPA study. That is the environmental byproduct of tribal independence.
It's tribal independence through government funding. At what point is it deemed tribal independence and we can say, okay, time to cut the cord? That has never been addressed.
#17-Use systematic deception, high-sounding phrases and popular slogans.
"The opposite of what has been promised can always be done afterwards...That is of no consequence."
I don't know if the commies in our gov't are consciously carrying out these steps or if they are just being used by the men behind the curtain but that they are carrying them out, is certain!
So true. Just look at 101 around the casino, soon it will probably have a 25mph speed and a stop sign directing people to turn in and drop some $$ there.
Dead reckoning is a valuable skill in life, when dealing with change, agendas, and survival. According to Wikipedia, dead reckoning is "obsolete" due to advances in GPS, AI, and technology. Fortuntely, we have handheld devices and apps with all the answers to the challenges in this world; I know I sure feel more secure in that knowledge. "When in Rome..." ...or end up on the floor of the Colosseum.
We sure are living in the strangest of times when all of these so-called "environmental causes groups" completely ignore the biggest scale attacks upon the environment that have ever been recorded in history, like the proven weather weapon attacks & weather modification assaults, and now they no longer care about these privileged special interest groups like the local tribe bulldozing over wetlands and introducing non-native species to the same environment that they laughingly claim to respect! I wonder how many years in prison & what fines that "we" taxpayers would get for just throwing one non-native fish into the local waters~? I don't know about anyone else, but all of these blatant assaults on our environment and "us" sure are starting to look very intentional to me~! Weird huh~! When was the last time anyone saw a non-native species of anything turn out well for a different location/environment~? I am just wondering because this is the time of year that I have to go hand-to-hand combat with the horrific non-native blackberry thorns~! Oh well, happy Memorial Day to everyone and please remember the great veterans who did their duty for America~! Sincerely, Mike
When activists cosplay as journalists, you get CCWD.
Instead of gathering a group of open-minded truth-seekers, the CCWD once again waves the flag of transparency while subtly fanning resentment against the tribe. The article talks about shady influences (tribe hosted banquet, federal lawsuit), but offers zero evidence to back its claims. You know it's lazy journalism when you see phrases like "remains unclear" and "raises questions". Its speculation dressed up as scrutiny.
The articles real target isn't the Friend's silence but the Tribe itself, framed as exploiting sovereignty to dodge accountability while profiting from oysters in a protected refuge. There is no reference to the transformative Boldt decision, which guarantees the tribe's right to harvest shellfish, or the privatization of beaches and biotoxin closures that force Tribes into aquaculture to preserve their cultural lifeline to traditional foods and treaty rights. These inconvenient realities are ignored, replaced with activism that paints Native self-sufficiency as suspect. The reader comments, laced with "woke mind virus" rants and slurs like "rape the country", reveal the articles undercurrent of anti-tribal bile, which it stokes without overtly endorsing.
I do appreciate the authors desire for transparency. But we don't ever get actual journalism. There is no evidence that the author asked for USFWS to release its oyster farm permits or for the tribe to share environmental data. Instead we get vague hand-wringing and a selective outrage that spares non-tribal aquaculture from similar scrutiny. No articles about Johnson & Gunstone Shellfish or Discovery Bay Shellfish. Emulating the style of the CCWD author, an article might sound like this:
"Why does the CCWD seem to turn a blind eye to these shellfish companies impact on sensitive ecosystems? Could it be a cozy relationship between the author and these companies? The public deserves to know!"
Demanding accountability to mask prejudice is a tactic as tired as it is divisive. If the watchdog wants answers, it should dig for facts (court filings, impact studies, tribal statements), not peddle innuendo that fuels a culture war while side-stepping the hard truths of native sovereignty and treaty rights. I thought CCWD and the readers wanted to get away from culture wars? Instead, they are leading the charge.
Speaking for myself, not CCWD, I can tell you that I am sick and tired of special treatment and special rights given to the Tribes. This is racism and reparations, and the Tribe deserves neither. What was done was done-- none of us alive were participants, yet we keep paying for it. The notion of fishing and hunting rights were related to the tribal members living off the land, catching fish and hunting animals to eat, not to commercially exploit, as is being done today. Then, with all their loot from commercial operations, and paying no taxes, they buy local politicians to ensure that what they want, they get, at the detriment to the rest of us.
Like it or not, the Tribe was either conquered by ruthless settlers long before my time, or willingly sold out their interests. It's done, over, history, get over it! Or maybe we should be giving concessions to Mexico, and they to Spain to do the same. History is rife with unfairness, evil, and ugliness, but what's done is done and giving special perks to U.S. citizens of a specific heritage is racism, plain and simple. I think it's time to treat the Tribe as you would any citizen, including taxation, living within the general laws, and not given any special treatment.
The Jamestown S’Klallam’s treaty rights, upheld by the Boldt Decision (1974) and its 1994 shellfish extension, are not “special perks” or “reparations.” They are binding legal obligations from the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point, recognized as the “supreme law of the land” under the U.S. Constitution (Article VI). These rights were not granted by the U.S. government but retained by Tribes in exchange for ceding millions of acres of land, ensuring access to fish and shellfish, including for commercial purposes like oyster farming in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. Calling this “racism” misrepresents treaties as race-based rather than sovereign agreements between nations. This distortion permeates CCWD’s articles and comment sections, fueling resentment akin to the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s, when vilifying treaty rights led to violence and division. Privatized beaches and biotoxin closures force Tribes into aquaculture to sustain cultural and economic ties to traditional foods, yet CCWD targets the Tribe while ignoring non-Tribal shellfish farms like Johnson & Gunstone or Discovery Bay Shellfish. If you seek fairness, demand scrutiny of all shellfish operations, not just Native ones, and respect the Constitution’s legal framework. Clinging to a fantasy of “special perks” distorts reality and divides the community. True transparency requires CCWD to probe USFWS permits or Tribal environmental data, not peddle unevidenced accusations.
I don't approve of any pollution operation, no matter who causes it. What I do NOT approve of is this "sovereign nation" stuff. If the Tribes want to be "sovereign nations", then do not meddle in OUR sovereign nation's political affairs. You don't pay any taxes, but vote on how much taxes the rest of us pay. Do Americans pay taxes in Europe? Mexico? Canada? Of course. So JKT should similarly pay taxes instead of being exempt. I call the exemption a "perk", whether a past Congress authorized it or not. We are all Americans and should be treated equally, not divisively. I view this inequality as "racism", perhaps inaccurately, but oppose any special treatment to any group, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, hair color, girth, or language spoken. We are all Americans and should be treated EQUALLY, regardless of now-ancient agreements which seemed to make sense at the time.
The left has spent decades screaming “racism” and “unfair”, and its not a good look. Follow the laws. And if you dont understand them, ask the CCWD to write about them. Hes a good writer, and his words will resonate with you better than mine will.
I agree to follow the laws, but that doesn't preclude wishing to change them. It's high time to treat everyone equally, without special benefits to subsets of American citizens.
"There is no reference to the transformative Boldt decision, which guarantees the tribe's right to harvest shellfish, or the privatization of beaches and biotoxin closures that force Tribes into aquaculture to preserve their cultural lifeline to traditional foods and treaty rights."
Interesting. I've always read that as preserving their cultural lifeline to traditional foods.
By ignoring critically important factors such as the Boldt decision, privatization of beaches which restricts access to wild beds, and biotoxins limiting safe harvests, the article misrepresents the tribe's actions as opportunistic rather than necessary. This is the same tactics that non-natives used during the fish wars of the 60's and early 70's. If you don't know history, it will repeat itself over and over again.
Did the Boldt decision discuss using the "fishing grounds" for commercial purposes, or was the context to preserve their natural lifeline to traditional foods?
Both. Confirmed in the 1974 ruling and its 1994 shellfish extension. It recognized the Tribe's historical reliance on fishing for economic and cultural purposes, not just subsistence, and allows tribes to establish commercial fishing such as oyster farming.
Perhaps they didn't anticipate, but I lean more towards they did because of the courts broad affirming of tribal rights to harvest fish and shellfish in all "usual and accustomed grounds". The Dungeness NWR overlaps with the Jamestown's treaty-protected harvesting areas, so their oyster farming and refuge co-management align with these rights, subject to federal conservation laws.
This is satire, correct? Do you have a name, "Sequim Native"? Anyone with an opinion worthy of consideration or respect doesn't hide behind Garry Oaks, only "experts".
Support the referenced group (www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org)….this group has brought and won many lawsuits to protect the public’s health and environment.
Please give credit for this important lawsuit win to Protect the Peninsula’s Future ( PPF). This excellent and effective organization has been protecting the county’s environment since 1973. They offer Expertise in environmental law and policies and how to protect our resources and health.
Ive never been too fond of the tree hugger type groups. But sometimes they have at least semi valid issues. Raising awareness is one thing. But they always seem to go to far. Always a lawyer or two making money on both ends. Funny how that works. But the tribe takes it to a new level. Its only bad if some one else is doing it is their motto. Im sure if some non indian group wanted to start an oyster farm they would be shmoozing up to the enviromental groups. And the part that makes it the worst to me is probably, most of the oysters will end up on foreign plates. Its only ok to rape the country if indians do it. And lawyers make money.
Since time immemorial, Jamestown has been selling the fruits of the local land that sustained them as a people to foreign countries to profit off the land. That sounds odd. It's not a casino, a gas station, weed, excavating, surveying, etc, it's the bounty of nature. I still can't wrap my brains around it.
For Me but not for Thee!😎
Yes raise awareness. That turned into a bully position backed by feel good bumper sticker slogans.
That’s why you try and intervene in the case to prevent back outs.
Agree...
Give 'em a cookie and a glass of warm milk and these elderly NGO volunteers will agree... You said, woke, diversity, inclusion, they're in!
Billy, your comment is truly pathetic.
Jeff, you manage to keep us apprised on everything you have reported on. Thank you. Good journalism means informing the readers. I am confused about this oyster farming because it contradicts the Tribe's environmental viewpoint on other projects, like Towne Road and the Water Steward. The Tribe is also reminding everyone how it can manage the environment better than anyone else, and yet no one asks for proof. Where is the evidence? And how do casinos play a role in environmentally friendly enterprises?
Did you ever think you would see the day when the best environmental stewards around would start opening a chain of gas stations?
Yeah...they never were 'stewards'...they were exploiters, just like the rest of humanity.
Stop the romanticism of the noble savage...they were savages, just like the rest of humanity...it's a dog-eat-dog world and a lot of well meaning people have bought the narrative of 'Indians good, White man bad, Orange man worst of all!'
The 'natives' raided and murdered and captured and enslaved their neighbors.
Africans rounded up and sold off their neighbors into slavery...the whites were just the 'brokers'. Africans in America owned other Africans and exploited them.
East Indians in America enslave family members to toil in the motels and convenience stores and other enterprises they own or lease.
All the horrors of humanity are alive and well, right in front of us.
'The past isn't dead...it isn't even the past.' Unknown.
We have a veneer of civility imposed on us by 'controlling interests'.
When the system breaks, as it must, it will be very clear what the true nature of man is.
We are perilously close to finding out.
Cheers😁
Yes and no. I'm so confused!
Yeah, that's part of the plan...Read Rothschilds' 25 Point Plan and see if you recognize anything.😇
I take it you are not really confused by their hypocrisy...
I'm on a hamster wheel, and I can't get off.
Now we can know (imagine) what that's like, inferentially!
Those little bars keep getting stuck in my toes!🤪
The more you look at tribal issues the more hypocrisy you will see because $$$ is the issue,liberal radical govts are loaded with it so the virus spreads.
$$$ + Liberalism, just agencies for control.
Control just a euphemism for power.
Power just an aphrodisiac for psychopaths.
Henry (gag me with a spoon🤮) Kissinger quote: "Power is the greatest aphrodisiac."
This was a done deal months before the formal announcement. On June 5, 2024, Jamestown had posted a position for "Ranger, Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge to handle Park Ranger & Visitor Services Manager. Connecting visitors with Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge's unique cultural and natural resources."
The National Park Service jumped on the DEI train long ago. Interpretive "Rangers" are some of the frontline cheer leaders for "Natve American" history, as read or shared between liberal activists in NPS uniforms. Visitors to ONP and other NPs are being indoctrinated by non-native imports from various colleges across the United States. Also, be cognizant of the UNESCO status of the once-Olympic National Park as a BIOSPHERE and WORLD HERITAGE SITE. One must pay attention to the language (wording) of placards and kiosks, along with the graphics; as they are all engineered to carry the UNESCO narrative, and point to the "original inhabitants", as having supplied the facts to support the narrative. All of these parks, reserves, and sanctuaries carry the same message, you are a visitor, not a Citizen resident, taxpaying landowner, or steward of your earned property; you are just camping for the moment. Where is the outrage regarding the pile of ashes on Hurricane Ridge, or the replacement facility, after having spent tax dollars on major infrastructure improvements to the utility systems prior to the Visitor Center burning to the ground? The Hoh Road has already been repaired, with traffic flowing as usual, since the wash-out last year. I have noted that local, tax-exempt entities and NGOs have expressed their desire to place a native display at Hurricane Ridge to honor their "sacred ground". Perhaps that explains the silence and inaction regarding the Hurricane Ridge VC.
Good catch!
Seems to me, their position was that they would be better stewards of the National Wildlife Refuge that white people. I don’t quite get that.
I cannot claim any knowledge of oyster farming or it's potential impacts. I do know area fish farming with the most farmable species being Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead have a disastrous history. Fish biologists could bore us to tears with the science that boils down to these fish cannot live in such concentrations without various resultant diseases. The hypocrisy of local tribes who intensively
The coast and tidal lands of Vancouver I. and the B.C. Mainland LITTERED with THOUSANDS of TONS of plastic from oyster and fish farm debris...been there...seen that! Most little bays and nooks in B.C. are taken over by fish farming interests which are foreign owned and operated in many cases.
Liars and hypocrites...but that's the norm now...maybe always has been.
'We, the fallen, have done so much, starting with so little...to debase, degrade and exploit nature and our fellow man, we are now qualified to to anything...with impunity...unless you are white...Amen and Amen!'🙏🏼
Oh, yeah...and technically I'm PINK, not WHITE, so go reverse-race yourselves right into your own special hell!🤣
It sounds like “wringing of hands”, rather than a “sudden shift”…..U vill comply….
Und ju vill LIKE it!😁
Lol
Interesting.....sudden shift in the tides. Suspect the woke mind virus may have had a hand in this. I am all for seeing new businesses grow (and wish for their sucess) but I suspect no other entity would have been able to pull this off without a fight. That enironmentalist currently living in the tree up in Port Angeles comes to mind.
Wouldn't have been a fight but a slam-dunk!🤔
Great work. Shipping clams and oysters to Asia has a carbon footprint that should have had a NEPA study. That is the environmental byproduct of tribal independence.
It's tribal independence through government funding. At what point is it deemed tribal independence and we can say, okay, time to cut the cord? That has never been addressed.
Rothschilds 25 Point Plan For World Domination.
#17-Use systematic deception, high-sounding phrases and popular slogans.
"The opposite of what has been promised can always be done afterwards...That is of no consequence."
I don't know if the commies in our gov't are consciously carrying out these steps or if they are just being used by the men behind the curtain but that they are carrying them out, is certain!
What the tribe wants, the tribe gets.
So true. Just look at 101 around the casino, soon it will probably have a 25mph speed and a stop sign directing people to turn in and drop some $$ there.
Dead reckoning is a valuable skill in life, when dealing with change, agendas, and survival. According to Wikipedia, dead reckoning is "obsolete" due to advances in GPS, AI, and technology. Fortuntely, we have handheld devices and apps with all the answers to the challenges in this world; I know I sure feel more secure in that knowledge. "When in Rome..." ...or end up on the floor of the Colosseum.
Should be ded-reckoning...deduced reckoning...from clues, signs and wonders of nature and the environment. Definitely a skill.
I recently saw a post (unverified) that over 100 million Americans cannot navigate anywhere without their cell-app-maps.
Vulnerability has a whole new level of meaning now.
Can anyone say SHEEPLE?🤓
Well, so much for protecting the wildlife~!
We sure are living in the strangest of times when all of these so-called "environmental causes groups" completely ignore the biggest scale attacks upon the environment that have ever been recorded in history, like the proven weather weapon attacks & weather modification assaults, and now they no longer care about these privileged special interest groups like the local tribe bulldozing over wetlands and introducing non-native species to the same environment that they laughingly claim to respect! I wonder how many years in prison & what fines that "we" taxpayers would get for just throwing one non-native fish into the local waters~? I don't know about anyone else, but all of these blatant assaults on our environment and "us" sure are starting to look very intentional to me~! Weird huh~! When was the last time anyone saw a non-native species of anything turn out well for a different location/environment~? I am just wondering because this is the time of year that I have to go hand-to-hand combat with the horrific non-native blackberry thorns~! Oh well, happy Memorial Day to everyone and please remember the great veterans who did their duty for America~! Sincerely, Mike
When activists cosplay as journalists, you get CCWD.
Instead of gathering a group of open-minded truth-seekers, the CCWD once again waves the flag of transparency while subtly fanning resentment against the tribe. The article talks about shady influences (tribe hosted banquet, federal lawsuit), but offers zero evidence to back its claims. You know it's lazy journalism when you see phrases like "remains unclear" and "raises questions". Its speculation dressed up as scrutiny.
The articles real target isn't the Friend's silence but the Tribe itself, framed as exploiting sovereignty to dodge accountability while profiting from oysters in a protected refuge. There is no reference to the transformative Boldt decision, which guarantees the tribe's right to harvest shellfish, or the privatization of beaches and biotoxin closures that force Tribes into aquaculture to preserve their cultural lifeline to traditional foods and treaty rights. These inconvenient realities are ignored, replaced with activism that paints Native self-sufficiency as suspect. The reader comments, laced with "woke mind virus" rants and slurs like "rape the country", reveal the articles undercurrent of anti-tribal bile, which it stokes without overtly endorsing.
I do appreciate the authors desire for transparency. But we don't ever get actual journalism. There is no evidence that the author asked for USFWS to release its oyster farm permits or for the tribe to share environmental data. Instead we get vague hand-wringing and a selective outrage that spares non-tribal aquaculture from similar scrutiny. No articles about Johnson & Gunstone Shellfish or Discovery Bay Shellfish. Emulating the style of the CCWD author, an article might sound like this:
"Why does the CCWD seem to turn a blind eye to these shellfish companies impact on sensitive ecosystems? Could it be a cozy relationship between the author and these companies? The public deserves to know!"
Demanding accountability to mask prejudice is a tactic as tired as it is divisive. If the watchdog wants answers, it should dig for facts (court filings, impact studies, tribal statements), not peddle innuendo that fuels a culture war while side-stepping the hard truths of native sovereignty and treaty rights. I thought CCWD and the readers wanted to get away from culture wars? Instead, they are leading the charge.
Speaking for myself, not CCWD, I can tell you that I am sick and tired of special treatment and special rights given to the Tribes. This is racism and reparations, and the Tribe deserves neither. What was done was done-- none of us alive were participants, yet we keep paying for it. The notion of fishing and hunting rights were related to the tribal members living off the land, catching fish and hunting animals to eat, not to commercially exploit, as is being done today. Then, with all their loot from commercial operations, and paying no taxes, they buy local politicians to ensure that what they want, they get, at the detriment to the rest of us.
Like it or not, the Tribe was either conquered by ruthless settlers long before my time, or willingly sold out their interests. It's done, over, history, get over it! Or maybe we should be giving concessions to Mexico, and they to Spain to do the same. History is rife with unfairness, evil, and ugliness, but what's done is done and giving special perks to U.S. citizens of a specific heritage is racism, plain and simple. I think it's time to treat the Tribe as you would any citizen, including taxation, living within the general laws, and not given any special treatment.
The Jamestown S’Klallam’s treaty rights, upheld by the Boldt Decision (1974) and its 1994 shellfish extension, are not “special perks” or “reparations.” They are binding legal obligations from the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point, recognized as the “supreme law of the land” under the U.S. Constitution (Article VI). These rights were not granted by the U.S. government but retained by Tribes in exchange for ceding millions of acres of land, ensuring access to fish and shellfish, including for commercial purposes like oyster farming in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge. Calling this “racism” misrepresents treaties as race-based rather than sovereign agreements between nations. This distortion permeates CCWD’s articles and comment sections, fueling resentment akin to the Fish Wars of the 1960s and 1970s, when vilifying treaty rights led to violence and division. Privatized beaches and biotoxin closures force Tribes into aquaculture to sustain cultural and economic ties to traditional foods, yet CCWD targets the Tribe while ignoring non-Tribal shellfish farms like Johnson & Gunstone or Discovery Bay Shellfish. If you seek fairness, demand scrutiny of all shellfish operations, not just Native ones, and respect the Constitution’s legal framework. Clinging to a fantasy of “special perks” distorts reality and divides the community. True transparency requires CCWD to probe USFWS permits or Tribal environmental data, not peddle unevidenced accusations.
I don't approve of any pollution operation, no matter who causes it. What I do NOT approve of is this "sovereign nation" stuff. If the Tribes want to be "sovereign nations", then do not meddle in OUR sovereign nation's political affairs. You don't pay any taxes, but vote on how much taxes the rest of us pay. Do Americans pay taxes in Europe? Mexico? Canada? Of course. So JKT should similarly pay taxes instead of being exempt. I call the exemption a "perk", whether a past Congress authorized it or not. We are all Americans and should be treated equally, not divisively. I view this inequality as "racism", perhaps inaccurately, but oppose any special treatment to any group, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, hair color, girth, or language spoken. We are all Americans and should be treated EQUALLY, regardless of now-ancient agreements which seemed to make sense at the time.
The left has spent decades screaming “racism” and “unfair”, and its not a good look. Follow the laws. And if you dont understand them, ask the CCWD to write about them. Hes a good writer, and his words will resonate with you better than mine will.
I agree to follow the laws, but that doesn't preclude wishing to change them. It's high time to treat everyone equally, without special benefits to subsets of American citizens.
"There is no reference to the transformative Boldt decision, which guarantees the tribe's right to harvest shellfish, or the privatization of beaches and biotoxin closures that force Tribes into aquaculture to preserve their cultural lifeline to traditional foods and treaty rights."
Interesting. I've always read that as preserving their cultural lifeline to traditional foods.
By ignoring critically important factors such as the Boldt decision, privatization of beaches which restricts access to wild beds, and biotoxins limiting safe harvests, the article misrepresents the tribe's actions as opportunistic rather than necessary. This is the same tactics that non-natives used during the fish wars of the 60's and early 70's. If you don't know history, it will repeat itself over and over again.
Did the Boldt decision discuss using the "fishing grounds" for commercial purposes, or was the context to preserve their natural lifeline to traditional foods?
Both. Confirmed in the 1974 ruling and its 1994 shellfish extension. It recognized the Tribe's historical reliance on fishing for economic and cultural purposes, not just subsistence, and allows tribes to establish commercial fishing such as oyster farming.
Got it. I'm guessing that it didn't anticipate the situation in this case where it's occurring in a NWR, if it makes a difference.
Perhaps they didn't anticipate, but I lean more towards they did because of the courts broad affirming of tribal rights to harvest fish and shellfish in all "usual and accustomed grounds". The Dungeness NWR overlaps with the Jamestown's treaty-protected harvesting areas, so their oyster farming and refuge co-management align with these rights, subject to federal conservation laws.
This is satire, correct? Do you have a name, "Sequim Native"? Anyone with an opinion worthy of consideration or respect doesn't hide behind Garry Oaks, only "experts".
Support the referenced group (www.protectpeninsulasfuture.org)….this group has brought and won many lawsuits to protect the public’s health and environment.
Please give credit for this important lawsuit win to Protect the Peninsula’s Future ( PPF). This excellent and effective organization has been protecting the county’s environment since 1973. They offer Expertise in environmental law and policies and how to protect our resources and health.