Testimony of Joseph Pavel

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TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH PAVEL, NATURAL RESOURCES DIRECTOR FOR THE SKOKOMISH TRIBE, WASHINGTON STATE BEFORE THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE SUBCOMITTEE ON ENERGY AND WATER

MAY 3, 2017

My name is Joseph Pavel, I am the Natural Resources Director for the Skokomish Tribe and former Chairman of the Tribe. I want to thank the Subcommittee, Chairman Simpson and

Ranking member Kaptur for the opportunity to present testimony on a project that is critical to not only the Skokomish Tribe, but the entire Puget Sound in Washington State. I also want to thank our Congressman, Derek Kilmer, for his support of the Tribe and our partners the Mason

County Conservation District on the Skokomish River Restoration Project. I am requesting

Congress’ support for $13,168,000 in the Army Corps of Engineers, Ecosystem Restoration

Budget.

Since time immemorial, the people of the Skokomish Indian Tribe have occupied and controlled lands adjacent to the Skokomish River and Hood Canal on the Olympic Peninsula of

Washington State. In 1855, the Skokomish Indian Tribe entered into a treaty with the United

States government, which reserved a permanent homeland for the Skokomish people near their ancestral villages along the Skokomish River. The Skokomish River Basin is located on the

Great Bend of Hood Canal, a natural fjord-like arm of the Puget Sound. The Skokomish River is the largest source of freshwater to the Hood Canal and is of critical importance to the overall health of Hood Canal and the entire Puget Sound.

152112-1 The location of the Skokomish Reservation was intended to facilitate easy access to the

Skokomish River, its tributaries, and the tidelands and salt water of Hood Canal that sustained the Skokomish people for generations. These are among the areas where the Tribe also holds treaty-reserved rights to fish. The Skokomish people continue to rely on natural resources of the

Skokomish River for subsistence, ceremonial, cultural, religious, economic and other purposes.

In fact, many tribal members derive all or a part of their income from the fish and shellfish that are sustained by the Skokomish River system.

In short, the Skokomish River is both the cultural foundation for the Tribe and the primary source of the Tribe’s exercise of its treaty-protected fishing rights under the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point. Thus, the health of the Skokomish River is vital to the life, culture and economy of the Skokomish Tribe. Unfortunately, the River has been substantially damaged, including by the effects of upstream hydropower development and other federally sanctioned activities on the River.

Specifically, as discussed in the Army Corps EIS on the Proposed Skokomish River

Restoration Plan, “high sediment load, reduced flows, and encroachment on the floodplain by man-made structures are causing continued degradation of natural ecosystem structures, functions, and processes necessary to support critical fish and wildlife habitat throughout the

[Skokomish River] basin. The decline in Skokomish River ecosystem health has resulted in the listing of four anadromous fish species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (Chinook salmon, chum salmon, steelhead, and bull trout) that use the river as their primary habitat.”

Further, according to the Army Corps “the impaired ecosystem has adversely affected riverine,

152112-1 wetland, and estuarine habitats that are critical to these and other important fish and wildlife species such as bears, bald eagles, and river otters to name a few.”

Last year as part of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act (WIIN),

Congress authorized the Skokomish River Restoration, as one of only three ecosystem restoration projects in the Country authorized as part of WIIN. This project is supported by the

Army Corps of Engineers, which prepared the feasibility study and in December, 2015 submitted a report to Congress recommending the Restoration Plan, which was subsequently authorized by

Congress in WINN. The total federal contribution of this Restoration Plan as authorized by

Congress is $13,168,000 and the nonfederal share is estimated at $7,091,000. The Skokomish

Tribe and Mason County Conservation District are the non-federal cost-sharing sponsors and we are working jointly to secure our contribution.

The Restoration Plan would address the condition of the River, thereby improving aquatic habitats for the fish and wildlife species found in the Skokomish River, including for the four ESA listed species: Chinook salmon, chum salmon, steelhead trout, and bull trout.

According to the Army Corps the Restoration Plan “maximizes environmental benefits considering cost effectiveness and incremental cost analyses, significance of outputs, completeness, efficiency, effectiveness, and acceptability.”

The Plan as authorized by Congress was carefully considered by the Army Corps, the

Tribe, the Mason County Conservation District and all other stakeholders. This Plan will restore the ecosystem of the Skokomish River Watershed Basin, one of the most important watersheds

152112-1 in the Puget Sound and the Nation. It is time to do this work and bring life and vitality back to our River and the entire Skokomish River Basin Watershed.

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