The nəxʷq̕íyt nəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕ | Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (PGST or the Tribe) is a federally recognized tribe located at the northern tip of the Kitsap peninsula. For thousands of years, the ancestors of the nəxʷsƛ̕áy̕əm̕ made their living on the Strait of Juan De Fuca and Puget Sound, in villages across the Olympic Peninsula and San Juan Islands. The Tribe’s Usual and Accustomed (U&A) fishing and hunting areas span over 2.7 million acres.   

Environmental degradation and climate change are threats to the community’s wellbeing and to the Tribe’s sovereignty. Increasing stream temperature in Puget Sound and extreme heat events are causing shellfish population declines and unprecedented mortality for salmon. More frequent extreme weather threatens the Tribal government’s ability to function during a crisis and care for its citizens. Sea level rise increases risk of toe erosion and slope instability of the high bluff along the shoreline of the PGST reservation, and it also threatens community-centered areas, such as Point Julia, which is a key site of historical, ancestral, and cultural significance for the S’Klallam people.    

PGST staff are working to assess, monitor and protect the coastal wetland against future climate stress. Much of the Tribe’s infrastructure is now set back safely from the shoreline, and the Tribe has engaged in a multi-year effort to assess risk and relocate families at higher risk of landslide activity to safer lots.  The Tribe is committed to expanding climate and energy resilience to protect Tribal sovereignty and ensure a healthy environment for generations to come.