- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe of coastal Washington is moving its infrastructure to higher grounds to escape rising sea levels, thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Commerce announced this week.
The project is funded by the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023, which provided the Department of Commerce with $483 million to award to areas vulnerable to hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, and other natural disasters.
“Located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, sea-level rise is causing the Shoalwater Bay Tribe’s low-lying land to disappear,” said U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) in a statement, chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. “This investment in the Tribe’s Master Relocation Plan brings the Shoalwater Bay community one-step closer to moving their vital community facilities out of harm’s way and up to higher ground.”
This new project is one of many the tribe has taken on to make its land and structures more resilient to climate change: In August 2022, the tribe built the first tsunami vertical evacuation tower in North America. The tower can accommodate over 400 people and would reduce the amount of time it would take to evacuate from the end of the 3-mile-long Tokeland Peninsula in the event of a tsunami.
In June 2023, Sen. Cantwell helped the tribe secure nearly $25 million for the Upland Village Relocation Road Project.
“The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe is at a critical juncture in their reservation expansion and climate resiliency efforts,” said Sen. Cantwell at the time. “This funding will construct a roadway with the necessary utility infrastructure, allowing the Tribe to relocate critical infrastructure while preserving their cultural growth and economic success.”
More Stories Like This
Charles F. “Chuck” Sams III Joins Oregon Law as Inaugural Oregon Tribes Scholar-in-ResidenceInterior Department Moves to Expand Oil and Gas Development in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve
Feds Release Final Environmental Impact Statement on Oak Flat Mine
Interior Department Announces Over $119 Million for Abandoned Coal Mine Reclamation
Osage Minerals Council Celebrates the Final Dismissal of Hayes II Litigation
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
