Quinault River History Corrected
 Whatever is published in their work is fair game for comment and criticism. I have voiced this opinion at several meetings, yet these critical errors can still be found. An excessive amount of blame is focused on logging and homesteaders in the valley. A lot of wood was cut for the war effort (WW2) and had we lost, any discussion is moot. Other logging including Rayoniers cutting then selling a large section in the 90s now described as "young red alder" was done with permits according to the laws at that time. Blaming loggers is all wrong. Blaming homesteaders for surviving here is worse. They created the history and tradition here we value dearly, They preserved this valley to the envy of the world. We are insulted before we ever begin.
 The Tribes' President Fawn Sharp begins; "sharing our common waters". Of course, all are welcome. All the worlds people, though visitors do go home. These waters are public property owned by the citizens of Washington State, not sovereign nations nor the United Nations which seeks to influence and ultimately control its use. Why are we the only ones sharing our water? We are not allowed on the Reservation Beaches and now even all the land on the other side of the Highway #101 is off limits! (berry picking too) So if someone can explain to me how this is sharing then I will withdraw this comment. I really want to.... Their newspaper the Nuggam which is also her mouthpiece, is full of climate change agenda and a barrage of insults directed at the President of the United States which i find disturbing and inappropriate.
 For rehab plans we are compared to a river in Alaska of what we should look like. The eco-systems are very different. The volumes of rain and water are simply not comparable as well as the watersheds dimensions. There is an all winter snowpack which creates a protective shield. There is no sign of human habitation. This should be very disturbing if considered as part of the 100 yr. plan to determine the success of this project. Quinault, just like every other river in America that was settled; first with a trail and then a river road; has been chosen for this experiment.
 We maintain there are other important factors to what they call the Rivers decline in health. Some proper management would help as the "historical work" performed in the past by the community has been 100% prevented by new laws. Flowing out of some 15 miles of the national parks share of the river and watersheds during high water floods has been a parade of old growth logs with roots intact tearing up the banks. silt from landslides that smother fish and absolutely no estimate on the volume of rocks carried out. So natural weather as a source of damage as well as the "march of time" factors are very significant. Yet where does this appear? Studies are quantified and methods such as modeling are only useful while it must be understood that flaws skewer results.
 Another distortion concerning flooding is still used. These are pictures depicting the problem in the Zeigler/ Merryman creeks. We have never asked for help at these locations, nor voiced any concern. Historiclly the site only flooded when the volume of rain was so excessive that there is standing water everywhere, but it is short lived and gone within hours. The river was not a factor until 2006.   The Salmon Recovery Slideshow from the Governors office. Here you will see a picture of Quinalt loggers that doesnt appear to be ours...... and then they accuse our septics of harming fish. No proof. Without a shred of proof. No study was done. They have been asked to withdraw the slide. It is still there. There has never been splash dams on the Quinault. -erroneous and mis-leading.
A couple years ago Lake Quinault was shutdown to all non-natives under the pretext of Pollution from Lake Residents. Be noted that there is a lawsuit appeal currently pending that is challenging this "claimed ownership".  Subsequent studies found no pollution except from the Tribal Fish Hatchery. Then they were given a new hatchery. In this slideshow, the same photo showing the river in 1850 is again falsified and remains in their literature since 2014. (how strange, the 2012 version is correct) It is a river in Alaska. They tell us one thing and everybody else in the world is told something else. They have told us the habitat is critical and in danger of collapse and  we must trust them and give them free reign. Their company(?), Floodplains by Design says it all.
 They also tell the World they support Wild Olympics to: "permanently protect some of the healthiest salmon habitat left on the peninsula."  
So which is it? Protect or urgency to Restore?  
 At the community meeting here, we heard about spiritual values. As a member of the Citizens Fish Comittee, the answer to this question is critical. Is it to do no harm? Or the end justifies the means? We are asked to approve these grants from funding of this Salmon Recovery Board according to the Salmon Recovery Law. Yet these same funds were enhancing private property values and using glyphosate (round-up) herbicide over miles of creeks. It was a fix. Not only that, but earlier years grants were currently being used right here on the Quinault River at Big creek and possibly parts of Ziegler Creek. The ONP joined in spraying at Irely Lake;  better left as frog pond (glyphosate damage to frogs was ignored). I was officially accused of making them uncomfortable and asking questions. I was falsely accused of being disruptive.



accusing our septics of harming fish- poppycock!

reduce the catch
let more go.... the survival limits are shockingly low



jk