Coastal tribe seeking higher ground

WASHINGTON – Members of a Washington state coastal tribe pleaded with a congressional panel Thursday to move them out of a tsunami zone and into a national park.

“Without this bill, the tsunami danger could lead to extinction of the Quileute people,” Tribal Chairwoman Bonita Cleveland said, adding, “now is the time to protect us before it is too late.”

The Quileute Reservation is located in Clallam County on 1 square mile wedged between the Pacific Ocean and Olympic National Park, with no room to expand. Much of the reservation land is in flood and tsunami zones.

H.R. 1162, introduced by U.S. Rep. Norman Dicks, D-Wash., would allow the tribe to move its homes and facilities to higher ground currently owned by the federal government. It would transfer about 785 acres from the national park to the reservation, 510 acres along the south side of the Quillayute River and 275 acres directly south of the current reservation boundary.

Under questioning by U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., a member of the National Parks Forests and Public Lands subcommittee, Cleveland said the tribe and the National Park Service have tried to reach an agreement for about 40 years. Cleveland told Grijalva that the entire tribe supports the proposal.

A video Cleveland presented showed the ocean is so close to the village that water can be seen in the school’s playground. She held up a picture drawn by a student showing tsunami waves and people running for cover.

Along with the threat of a tsunami, flooding also causes problems, according to information the tribe gave the panel. The road into and out of the reservation has been covered by as much as 4 feet of water during floods. Cleveland showed photos of roads, homes and other buildings flooded in 2003 and 2006.

The National Park Service is offering the tribe 220 acres that are currently designated as wilderness area. The park service would then set aside 4,100 acres in the park as wilderness.