Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal Library: Programs & Events ~ ʔaʔstúʔŋət

With David Brownell, Executive Director, North Olympic History Center

The S’Klallam people have a deep and ancient connection with the plants and animals of the Olympic Peninsula. Originally dotted with at least 10 prairies and extensive wetlands, the landscape of the Sequim-Dungeness valley has been heavily modified for the past century. We will use ethnographic and research materials to “reconstruct” the landscape and understand how S’Klallam ancestors thrived for millennia on its bountiful resources.

Join Neil Harrington of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Natural Resources Department as he talks about the history of Washington’s only native oyster and the Tribe’s present day efforts to restore and protect these iconic shellfish. Neil Harrington has been with the Tribe since 2012 as an Environmental Biologist in Natural Resources working on shellfish and phytoplankton.

ƛ̕əw'cən Mackenzie Grinnell, Traditional Foods & Culture Program Coordinator, takes us on a virtual walk through the woods, pointing out things that may go unnoticed and bringing your attention to some of the finer relationships that exist in our world.

Randy Johnson, Habitat Program Manager, will discuss how human impacts have severely reduced salmon productivity in northern Olympic Peninsula streams and estuaries, and the methods being used to restore productivity. Human impacts include migration barriers, diking and floodplain loss, logjam removals, residential developments, bank hardening, and water withdrawals. We will address how restoration practitioners are addressing these impacts and reducing downward trends in salmon productivity.

Bob Steelquist will discuss the history of oaks in the Pacific Northwest and restoration efforts underway in Sequim, Whidbey Island, the San Juans and Vancouver Island. His studies, as well as those of scientific literature, oral
histories, and archaeological evidence within the region shows that Native people actively managed oak landscapes and exchanged acorns. He will address the important role of Tribes in advocating for and restoring oaks and prairies as well as bringing to light the legacy of “First Stewards” in shaping the landscape we see now, and preparing us and the land for climate change.