Date: 10/26/26 11:26 am From: Elaine Chuang via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: [Tweeters] Protection is the key word: Protection Island and Dungeness NWRs
Hi Tweets. I'm offering a mix of recent regional history with hopes for wildlife (yes, mostly birds), along with a whiff of apprehension over the proposed Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Land Transfer Act (soon to be introduced to Congress). In short, this bill if passed would transfer ownership of both the Protection Island and Dungeness National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) from the federal government to the Tribe. Protection Island and Dungeness NWR, both near Sequim WA, are part of our Washington Maritime NWR Complex along the Salish Sea, and have been co-managed by the Tribe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) since 2024, when a two-year co-management and stewardship agreement was reached. Prior to that, the USFWS directly handled all day-to-day operations, site maintenance, staffing and regulatory enforcement; the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe retained ancestral and cultural ties to the area, but did not hold operational or management authority over these refuges prior to August 2024.
Concerns over the proposed Land Transfer (FYI, Dungeness is 608 acres and Protection Island, 300 acres) that can be found in print include, in general ..."potentially"
- loss of public input, voice
- a shift in conservation priorities, potentially wildlife protection
- the introduction of commercial activities (e.g., oyster aquaculture)
- setting of a precedent for other transfers within the Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex, or affecting our National Wildlife Refuges
Here is some reading for you all during that extra hour we’re all going to get this Sunday.
It would be both educational and welcome to know the perspectives held by those in favor of this Land Transfer. Please reply to help us appreciate that side.
And if you search a tiny bit (say, for Protection Island petition), you can locate such.
