Stewards of the land and water

The Puyallup Tribe has protected lands and waters since time immemorial. In the late 20th century, Tribal Members fought for fishing rights, leading to the historic Boldt Decision in 1974.

The Tribe has taken a stance for the environment and people of Pierce County and neighboring areas by standing against Tacoma LNG, Electron Hydro and other threats to the health and well-being of the people and species that call the land and waters home.

On December 10, 2019, surrounded by hundreds of students at Chief Leschi Schools, the Puyallup Tribal Council declared a climate emergency, making the Puyallup Tribe one of the first Tribes in the world to do so. The five-page resolution outlined a plan to implement sustainable practices and policies and included points about the Paris Climate Agreement and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Tribe has opposed Puget Sound Energy’s Tacoma LNG facility from the beginning.

In December 2020, the Puyallup Tribe filed suit against Electron Hydro LLC, under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

“The fish can’t speak for themselves. We have to do it for them. We are fighting for them and for you.”

–Puyallup Tribal Council, in response to a judge issuing a preliminary injunction to stop a dam’s owners from opening an intake until permits are in place.

The Puyallup Reservation has 90 miles of rivers and streams, 360 acres of wetlands and 145 acres of lakes. The Water Quality Program at the Puyallup Tribe is responsible for monitoring these water bodies to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act, and tribal and state water quality standards.

The Tribe filed suit against Electron Hydro LLC under the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act in December 2020 for the unlawful pollution of the Puyallup River.

The Puyallup River is home to Chinook salmon, which are important to tribal and non-tribal fishers alike and a critical food source of endangered Southern Resident orcas, and to steelhead and bull trout. All three species are protected under the Endangered Species Act. The century-old dam in the upper Puyallup has long been a killer of salmon and has never complied with the Endangered Species Act.

“From the time the rock dam was proposed in 2020, the Tribe and its biologists made it clear that the structure would harm fish and prevent successful upstream migration for salmon to spawn,” said the Puyallup Tribal Council after the ruling. “Year after year, the Tribe has demanded it be removed to allow for spawning migration. Year after year the operators and regulators refused to do the right thing and remove the illegal structure that was harming salmon. For years, Electron Hydro has followed its devastating act of polluting the water with turf with further harm to fish by preventing their upstream migration. We are grateful the court agreed with our repeated calls for its removal because the dam violated the Endangered Species Act. The Tribe will work closely with agencies to be sure this happens as soon as possible. It is a good day for salmon, even if it took years to get to this result.”

The Fisheries Department continues to grow and maintains a large presence in the Puyallup River watershed. The department leads efforts to preserve and restore salmon habitat throughout a watershed that is showing many symptoms associated with logging, urbanization, and a rapidly expanding human population. The Tribe continues to identify enhancement opportunities and create restoration projects, while participating in research related to salmon recovery efforts.

The department closely monitors the status of salmon populations both within and outside its jurisdiction and strives to maintain healthy, harvestable salmon populations for the benefit of all.

The Puyallup Tribe Sustainability Program is a committee composed of volunteer, Tribal Community members who advocate for, and are dedicated to, climate action. Headed by the Sustainability Manger, the program works together to identify measures for the Tribe to address waste, recycling, climate change, and energy efficiency.

The mission of this program is for the Tribal community to become aware of the Tribe’s world view, and traditional tools that work toward restoring Earth balance. And, where appropriate, educate other organizations and communities about the Tribe’s world view and appropriate traditional knowledge, which will assist in restoring a safe and stable climate. To learn more, click here.

In 2024, the Tribe added four Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles (EVs) to its police vehicle fleet.