Cantwell/Randall Bill to Restore Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Lands Unanimously Passes Senate, Heads to President for Signature

Cantwell/Randall Bill to Restore Lower Elwha Klallam Tribal Lands Unanimously Passes Senate, Heads to President for Signature

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act is one of the last steps of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dam removal project & will help restore fisheries; Bill now heads to President's desk to become law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), former chair and longest-serving member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and Representative Emily Randall (D, WA-06), who serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs, to transfer federal land back to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe after decades of work to restore the Elwha River. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act, having previously passed the House, now goes to the President's desk for his signature.

"Today, Congress took a historic step to strengthen salmon and habitat recovery and help fulfill a decades-old vision to restore the Elwha River and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's connection to lands that have sustained them since time immemorial. I'm thrilled we got this bill across the finish line and look forward to the President signing it into law," Sen. Cantwell said.

"Today, we took an important step in upholding our treaty obligations by passing legislation to transfer land into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. As a freshman member of Congress who represents - alongside their elected Tribal leaders - over 15,000 Tribal members, this significance is not lost on me," said Rep. Randall. "Now signed into law, this bill will help ensure we meet our trust responsibilities to restore Tribal lands."

"It is a great honor to be trusted to steward these lands again, it continues to be a great part of our healing from the dam removal projects. We continue to see slow but persistent growth in our river and the return of the salmon. This has been a long process, and we appreciate the Federal partners for all the hard work in making this a priority. A special thanks to Councilwoman Frances Charles (Former Chairwoman of 22 years) for her years of persistence to see this land come back to the tribe!" said Melissa A. Gilman, Tribal Chairwoman of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.

"The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act is very significant to the Elwha Klallam people. The return of these lands is an important final action to the dam removal project that rewilded the Elwha River and made possible the recovery of the salmon populations," said Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Council Member and former Chair Frances Charles. "The return of these sacred and culturally significant lands to the Tribe's stewardship protects the federal investment in the restoration of the river and upholds the federal government's treaty and trust obligations to the Tribe. The Tribe is grateful to Senator Cantwell and Representative Randall for their efforts to keep this legislation moving toward the return of the lands to the Tribe."

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act represents another important step in the decades-long effort to restore the Elwha River and address the impacts of the dams on the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Congress authorized the historic removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in 1992 to restore the river and its once-abundant salmon runs. While both dams were successfully removed by 2014, restoration of the Elwha watershed has continued.

The legislation builds on that work by returning more than 1,082 acres of federal project lands to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. Placing these lands into trust will allow the Tribe to continue its stewardship of the Elwha River, protect cultural and natural resources, and support the long-term recovery of salmon and other native fish.

Specifically, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act would:

• Transfer three parcels of land totaling 1,082 acres to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to be held in trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
• • The land is just outside the boundaries of the Olympic National Park and includes 1,061 acres originally acquired by the National Park Service to demolish two dams along the Elwha River.
  • The two remaining parcels were acquired by the U.S. Department of the Interior to construct a pipeline to transfer surface water to the Tribe's new fish hatchery - the House of Salmon.
• Boost habitat restoration efforts led by the Lower Elwha Tribe and federal agencies, aiding in the recovery of all five species of Pacific salmon and other native fish, including Chinook, coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon, along with steelhead and bull trout.

Land is taken into trust when land is transferred to the BIA to be held in trust for the benefit of the tribe. The proposal is supported by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), the Makah Tribe, and the City of Port Angeles.