As the climate changes, abnormally high or low temperatures, strong storms, tidal surge and sea level rise, and unusual precipitation patterns are affecting our environment in many ways. After experiencing numerous extreme weather events, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) decided to put in place a far-reaching action plan to prepare for future climate changes. The Swinomish Climate Change Initiative takes a close look at possible climate related impacts and brings the community together to deal with threats to the Swinomish way of life.
The Coast Salish Gathering provides an environmental policy platform for the tribal and First Nations governments, state and provincial governments, and the US and Canadian federal governments—all of which have interests in the Salish Sea region—to discuss and determine effective environmental strategies and practices. Most important for the Coast Salish people, however, it amplifies their voice on the environmental issues that matter most to them: access to toxin-free traditional foods, adequate water quality and quantity, and collective climate change policies.
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community’s recent acquisition of a 360-acre parcel of land within the reservation known as the Knudsen Farm marks the beginning of a new period of major opportunities and significant choices for the Swinomish. The Tribe has already decided to devote approximately half of the Knudsen parcel, which lies along the Swinomish Channel below Padilla Bay, to a new 1,200 slip Marina that at the time of this writing is scheduled to begin construction in late summer 2002 (see Map on Page 2 for layout of proposed Marina). The purpose of this report is to investigate the possibilities available to the Swinomish for the development of the remainder of the site, approximately 120- acres surrounding the Marina known as “the Uplands.” The report is written from the perspective that the proposed Marina will move forward as planned, creating an opportunity for the Tribe to choose between a variety of sometimes competing economic and social opportunities created by following different paths in the development of the Uplands.
The Cooperative Land Use Program, which is based on memoranda of agreement and understanding between the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Skagit County, provides a framework for conducting permitting activities within the boundaries of the “checker-boarded” reservation and establishes a forum for resolving any conflicts that might arise. Since 1996, both governments have followed a common Comprehensive Land Use Plan and used similar procedures to administer it, exemplifying a mutually beneficial government-to-government relationship.
As the climate changes, abnormally high or low temperatures, strong storms, tidal surge and sea level rise, and unusual precipitation patterns are affecting our environment in many ways. After experiencing numerous extreme weather events, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) decided to put in place a far-reaching action plan to prepare for future climate changes. The Swinomish Climate Change Initiative takes a close look at possible climate related impacts and brings the community together to deal with threats to the Swinomish way of life.
The Coast Salish Gathering provides an environmental policy platform for the tribal and First Nations governments, state and provincial governments, and the US and Canadian federal governments—all of which have interests in the Salish Sea region—to discuss and determine effective environmental strategies and practices. Most important for the Coast Salish people, however, it amplifies their voice on the environmental issues that matter most to them: access to toxin-free traditional foods, adequate water quality and quantity, and collective climate change policies.
The Cooperative Land Use Program, which is based on memoranda of agreement and understanding between the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Skagit County, provides a framework for conducting permitting activities within the boundaries of the “checker-boarded” reservation and establishes a forum for resolving any conflicts that might arise. Since 1996, both governments have followed a common Comprehensive Land Use Plan and used similar procedures to administer it, exemplifying a mutually beneficial government-to-government relationship.