Back in March, the Squaxin Island Tribe of the Squaxin Island Reservation finalized the purchase of 14 parcels of designated forest land in Packwood totaling 419.7 acres, according to the Lewis County Parcels website.
Previously, the parcels were owned by New Growth Olympus, a Delaware-based LLC, as listed in the the bargain and sale deed document.
While no official announcement about any development plans was ever made, rumors recently began to circulate in East Lewis County that plans for a casino were in the works.
The Chronicle contacted Squaxin Island Tribe attorney Nathan Schreiner to see what the tribe’s plans for the land are.
“The Tribe has no plans to build a casino on the property. The Tribe will continue to manage the property for forestry purposes,” Schreiner said in an email. “Any future development, if it occurs, will be limited in scope and in accordance with applicable restrictions. But there are no plans at this point in time for development.”
According to the U.S. Department of Interior, Tribal governments across the nation currently own approximately 19.2 million acres of forest land across 33 states producing on average a full volume 66 billion board-feet timber with 732 million board-feet harvestable annually.
Given the Squaxin Island Tribe are the legal owners of the parcels now, the Tribe could decide to have the land rezoned, but changing the designated forest land zoning is no simple task.
While the Tribe could submit a written request to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) asking to have the fee land converted to trust status, according to congress.gov, any planned development on the land would still be subject to regulations outlined in the National Indian Forest Resources Management Act.
There are over 56 million acres of trust land across the country, according to the BIA’s website.
The Tribe could also opt to enter Washington state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Trust Land Transfer Program, but this DNR program exists specifically to help Tribal governments acquire land for conservation or recreation purposes.
However, maintaining the land as designated forest land has benefits. Aside from the revenue and jobs created harvesting timber from the land, owners of designated forest land also received reduced property tax rates.
While the Squaxin Island Reservation is just a small island in the eastern interior of the Olympic Peninsula, the Squaxin Island Tribe, “is a historic steward and a conscientious co-manager and protector of natural resources, working in cooperation with numerous federal, state and county government agencies and organizations,” according to its website.
Its stated mission is “to maintain a leadership role in perpetuating natural resources including water quality, fish, shellfish, wildlife, timber and plants, while promoting, preserving, protecting and restoring habitat.”
Along with their Packwood property in Lewis County, the Squaxin Island Tribe also has an agreement with the Green Diamond Resources Company to access land the company owns near Mineral for hunting and gathering.
To learn more about the Tribe’s natural resources, visit the Squaxin Island Tribe’s website at https://squaxinisland.org/government/departments/natural-resources/.
