Sequim City Council is reviewing a request from the Jamestown Corporation to use taxpayer money to bus local elementary students to its Dungeness River Nature Center festival. The tribe, reporting over $100 million in annual revenue, wants the city to cover buses, ads, food, and staff time for its environmental event. Critics question why a profitable tribal corporation needs public dollars to shape young minds while expanding its own commercial developments. Should Sequim families pay the tab?
During its work session yesterday, the Sequim City Council examined a 2027 Municipal Funding Application that included a request from the Dungeness River Nature Center. The center is owned and operated by the Jamestown Corporation, a sovereign entity that regularly reports more than $100 million in annual revenue.
The tribe is asking Sequim taxpayers for $3,739.20 to bring local elementary students to its environmental festival. According to the application’s cost breakdown, the larger event budget includes $725.20 for school buses, $400 for food, $300 paid to a local newspaper for advertising, and more than $2,300 in staff time.
Festival Presenters
Last year’s festival featured exhibits from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NOAA is a partner with the Jamestown Corporation on aquaculture initiatives including commercial fish net pens.
The County’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC), which is advocating for the relocation of Three Crabs residents in Dungeness due to sea level rise and climate change, also participated.
The “nonpartisan” Clallam County League of Women Voters — a left-leaning activist group — also had a booth at the event. The organization has helped introduce curriculum materials into local schools that promote “time immemorial” teachings alongside lessons encouraging students to become Black Lives Matter activists.
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge also had a booth at the festival. The refuge is co-managed by the Jamestown Corporation, which is actively lobbying Congress for sole ownership and control of the public land.
The Peninsula Trails Coalition also had a booth manned in part by Indivisible members Jim Stoffer and Alex Fane.
Changing Society “At the Younger Level”
Jamestown’s request has raised concerns among residents who note the contrast between the tribe’s environmental education messaging and its commercial activities. These include operating a full-service gas station, plans for a truck stop, and recent grading and filling of wetlands to expand its golf course.
In a 2003 interview, Jamestown Corporation CEO Ron Allen openly described the long-term strategy:
“You change a society… at the younger level. You use the media… every form of media.”
Supporters of the funding argue the Nature Center provides valuable educational opportunities. Critics counter that a multi-million-dollar tribal corporation should cover the full cost of its own outreach rather than asking Sequim taxpayers to subsidize field trips that advance its messaging — especially when that messaging promotes turning public wildlife refuges toward commercial interests.
If you believe Sequim City Council should decline this request and let the Jamestown Corporation fund its own program, you can contact the council at clerk@sequimwa.gov.
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