DARRINGTON (June 23, 2008) - The Sauk-Suiattle Tribe is resolving the meandering Sauk River's erosion problem one house at a time.

The tribe worked with the Skagit River System Cooperative to acquire a $1.2 million grant to buy four properties on 55 acres of floodplain upstream of the reservation. The houses and 500 feet of riprap will be removed in hopes of restoring the river's natural movement.

The dynamic Sauk River has moved 1,000 feet during the last 50 years. Houses that were once far from the river have become waterfront property, threatened by the bank's continuing erosion. Skagit County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers put riprap in the river several times, at great expense, in an attempt to protect the road and the houses.

Riprap constrains the natural movement of the river - designated as wild and scenic by the U.S. government - and degrades salmon habitat. It also is a potential threat to the reservation downstream.

With the riprap removed, it is expected that side channels will form, enhancing salmon habitat in this tributary to the Skagit River.

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Posted at 4:16 PM

ARLINGTON (June 12, 2008) - More than 3,000 abandoned crab pots litter the waters of North Puget Sound. Left on the sea floor, the pots continue to trap Dungeness crab and other species, which die and become bait that lures more crab into the pots.

In 2003 and 2005, the Stillaguamish Tribe removed 333 abandoned crab pots from Port Susan, containing 952 live crab and remains of countless dead crab. Without exact figures, fisheries managers are unable to factor in those mortalities when developing population estimates and harvest regulations.

To find out how many crab are killed by abandoned gear each year, the Stillaguamish Tribe has deployed 12 test pots, commercial and recreational, in both shallow and deep waters of Port Susan, a popular, high-density area for crabbing. The pots were baited before they were put in the water and will not be re-baited. Divers are inspecting the pots every two weeks, counting and tagging the catch, noting whether any crabs have escaped or died, been partially eaten or decomposed. Species other than Dungeness crab are recorded and released.

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Posted at 2:55 PM

ARLINGTON (June 3, 2008) - The Stillaguamish Tribe has blessed the first arrivals of its developing buffalo herd.

The tribe purchased eight buffalo from the Yakama Indian Nation and plans to acquire seven more by the end of the year. The herd will primarily benefit the many members of the tribe who suffer from diabetes. They will receive the lean buffalo meat through the tribe's diabetes program.

Buffalo meat is nutritious, with large amounts of iron, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids.

"With the high rates of diabetes in Indian Country, we decided to provide buffalo to our tribal members as a healthy alternative," said Stillaguamish Chairman Shawn Yanity. "Salmon runs have declined and we don't have access to deer and elk like we used to. Plus, many of our traditional plants, such as camas, aren't readily available anymore."

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Posted at 10:54 AM