1 Tribe reaches 20-year milestone of Land Claims Agreement

 In 1988, the Puyallup Tribe settled a historic agreement with the Port of Tacoma, city of Tacoma and other governments that has played a major role in the development of the Tribe and the surrounding areas to this day. In September of this year, all settlement parties celebrated the 20-year history of their now respectful, working relationship and progress of the area.

The Tribe had a long history of beliefs that their land had been wrongfully taken from them by government entities. In 1988, after years of research from tribal members and a long negotiations process, the Tribe received payment for their land that directly benefited each tribal member, as well as the Tribe’s development as a whole.

A $20 million trust fund accrues interest that pays for services to tribal members, such as health care, and other needs. Tribal members also receive monthly per-capita payments to help support their individual needs and families. The Tribe’s two casinos and port investments also stem from the historic agreement of 1988, which will pave the way for even more development and partnerships in the future.

 2 Elders see progress on project decades in the making

 In January of this year, Puyallup tribal elders saw the ground break on a project they had been promised for decades. The Elders Center, located between the I-5 Casino and the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, has since been making progress, and should be fully functional by 2009. The center will be a recreational place for elders to spend their time, socialize, participate in activities, celebrate and practice wellness and healthy lifestyles. The building design was steered by the input from the tribal elder community.

An environmentally-friendly green roof as well as a spirit garden are two features the elders desired and will be able to enjoy soon.

3 Tribe, port sign historic agreement

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians and its economic development division, Marine View Ventures, signed what many have called a historic deal with the Port of Tacoma April 22. The agreement, which the parties hope will be a boon for the regional economy, calls for the port and Tribe to exchange land and to work together to develop and widen the Blair Waterway.

As per the agreement, the port transferred about 19 acres to the Tribe and the Tribe about 12.5 acres to the port. Both parties have agreed to a project to widen the Blair Waterway, a project that will be undertaken and managed by container terminal operator SSA Containers Inc. The parties also agreed to cooperate on intermodal rail, road infrastructure and other development opportunities. “It’s always been my dream to see this happen,” said Herman Dillon, Sr., chairman of the Puyallup Tribal Council. “It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders.”

 4 Canoes head to Cowichan

The Tribe continued their tradition of participating in the annual Canoe Journey again in 2008, making it the 14th year of the journey for coastal tribes. The 75-member Puyallup canoe family, which is consistently growing its base, successfully paddled for two weeks last July from Squaxin Island to Duncan, British Columbia, where they met hundreds of participants from other tribal canoe families. This year marked the largest ever Canoe Journey, as well as the beginning of the 2008 Indigenous Games, also held in Duncan on the Cowichan Reservation. Tribal youth also documented the journey on camera as part of Longhouse Media’s Native Lens project, an organization Puyallup began working with this year.

 5 Council Results Finalized

Dillon, Shippentower-Games elected to council

 More than 800 Puyallup tribal members came out to vote in the 2008 general Tribal Council election in June 2008. The election, which was conducted June 7, determined the re-election of  Tribal Council Chairman Herman Dillon, Sr. and the election of former Councilmember Nancy Shippentower-Games.

Nancy Shippentower-Games, who received 358 votes, will serve her second term on the council, and has a vision for uniting the Tribe, and bringing traditional culture back into the lives of the membership.

Herman Dillon has sat for 24 years on the Tribal Council. He was elected with more than 400 votes from the membership. He believes he brings a wealth of experience, and a vision for the future to the council for his next three-year term.

 6 Membership catches political bug

In 2008, the Puyallup Tribe played its part in shaping the course of this year’s historic election. For the first time ever, the Tribe was active in registering American Indian voters and held several rallies for Democratic Party candidates to get tribal members excited about voting and engaged in the election process.

“Years ago, our people wouldn’t vote,” said Puyallup Tribal Councilmember Nancy Shippentower-Games at a rally in October. “I notice more and more Native Americans are voting, and that’s a good thing…because these elections affect us.”

One such rally hosted Democratic incumbent Governor Chris Gregoire, U.S. Congressman Norm Dicks and Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, who was running for state attorney general. This was the first year the Tribe had recruited its membership to get actively involved in a presidential and local elections, and their hard work and enthusiasm looks to have paid off.

 7 Tribe gives to red wolf exhibit

This spring, the Tribe made a historic donation to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium.

The Tribe’s gift to the Zoo Society’s capital campaign – $685,000 over the next five years – is the largest in the zoo’s history. The zoo will have to reapply to receive  $137,000 each year. Caryl Zenker, the zoo society’s deputy director, called the Tribe’s gift “an absolutely historic occasion and a terrific partnership.”

The bulk of the funds have been earmarked as the naming gift for the zoo’s new red wolf exhibit. The zoo has been a champion supporter of the endangered species for decades, and the new exhibit will provide much-needed updates to the living quarters of the red wolves.

The balance of the donation will be for the presenting sponsorship for Zoobilee, the zoo’s black tie fundraising gala, for the next five years.

 8 Tribes remember the sacrifice of ancestors

The Puyallup and Nisqually Tribes teamed up to coordinate a memorial event to remember the injustice of the deaths of Chief Leschi, and his brother Quiemuth, who were both killed fighting for the rights of Native American people.

February 19 marked the 150th anniversary of Chief Leschi’s hanging in Steilacoom.

To commemorate this, Tribal and non-tribal people alike ran and walked in honor of the great men who forged the road for Puget Sound Indians today.

Puyallup tribal members from youth to elders gathered at the gravesite of Chief Leschi on the Puyallup Reservation, along with other communities, to remember the past and honor the sacrifices made by leaders such as Chief Leschi. “It’s not only to remind us  but to teach,” said Cultural Coordinator Connie McCloud in February. “Still many of our young children don’t understand their history.”

 9 Tribes sign agreement on White River

In August, the Cascade Water Alliance, Puyallup Tribe and Muckleshoot Tribe approved an agreement for protection of fish habitat, water supply and recreation in the White River and Lake Tapps that will provide water for growing suburban areas in the future while meeting the tribes’ goals for protecting fish habitat.

Negotiations were underway for several years between both tribes, Cascade Water Alliance and Puget Sound Energy. The agreement calls for flows that mimic natural flows and will protect fish habitat while allowing for maintenance and enhancement projects.

The Puyallup Tribe received $14 million from the agreement. Of that, about $1.5 million was applied toward legal costs. The remaining money supports habitat restoration. The agreement took into account water quality, temperature and oxygen levels, fishery and recreational needs and other issues. Russ Ladley, environmental biologist for the Puyallup Tribe, noted the agreement will provide the best water flow in the river since the dam operation began in 1911. “This will be the best fishery environment in the White River since then.”

10 Port hands Gog-le-hi-te II wetland to Tribe

In May, the Port of Tacoma Commission deeded the Gog-le-hi-te II wetland site to the Tribe, which now has the responsibility to maintain the site as necessary. The Gog-le-hi-te II project is just up the river from Gog-le-hi-te I, a similar project that was completed in 1986. The Gog-le-hi-te II project was required by regulating agencies as a way to offset habitats destroyed by the Port of Tacoma’s widening projects along the Blair Waterway.

The manmade wetland area, a former municipal dump, was cleaned up and dug out to form an enclosed, protected area for aquatic and other water-loving animals. The Gog-le-hi-te II project was a collaboration among the port, the Tribe, the city of Tacoma and the Army Corps of Engineers. The total cost of the project was $11.7 million. The city of Tacoma gave about $2 million to the project for cleanup associated with its former dumpsite. The Port of Tacoma put in the rest of the money.

Its primary design is to give migrating juvenile salmon a place to osmoregulate, and should make for a stronger salmon run. “Everybody recognized how valuable a project this was and everybody did what they could to make this a success and I think that shows,” said Bruce McDonald, project manager for the port.