The History of the Land in Snohomish County and Why the SLS Was Created

Since time immemorial, Tribal people have depended on the lands and waters of the Salish Sea, sharing resources and migrating with the seasons to hunt, fish, and gather foods. English explorers documented their encounters with the Tulalip People as far back as 1792.

“The serenity of the climate, the innumerable pleasing landscapes, and the abundant fertility that unassisted nature puts forth, required only to be enriched by the industry of man with villages, mansions, cottages, and other buildings, to render it the most lovely country that can be imagined…”
– George Vancouver

Over the next hundred years, there were increasing amounts of white settlers coming to North Puget Sound. In the mid-1800’s, settlers were moving onto the Snohomish County landscape in droves, logging was a booming industry, and the land was quickly being cleared of trees. Moving into the floodplains of the Snohomish and Stillaguamish rivers, settlers saw the potential in the fertile mudflats and river valleys, and set out to build dikes to separate the land from the water. They saw the land as a limitless resource that could feed their families and communities.

In 1855 the Point Elliott Treaty was signed by Puget Sound Tribes with the US government. The Treaty of Point Elliott established land boundaries for Tribal reservations, reserved rights to natural resources, and assured sovereign status (self-government) for Tribes. It also reserved the right to hunt, fish and gather in usual and accustomed areas, which was later upheld by Judge Boldt in 1974- commonly known as the Boldt decision. Life for Tribes was fundamentally changed by signing the treaty – signing away their land and control of their lives for the promise of continued fishing, hunting, and gathering.

By 1900, thousands of acres had been diked, giving access to farming. Agriculture, along with logging, sustained the economy in Snohomish County for almost a century. Currently, agriculture in Snohomish County is a $157.5 million dollar industry, second only to aerospace. However, the historical success of agricultural production has had a direct impact on the ecosystem. Over 90% of the original floodplain wetlands in the County have been filled, drained, or channeled, leading to the dramatic change in the ecosystem and significant declines in salmon.

Today, Snohomish County is one of the fastest growing counties in the United States. From 2010 to 2020, Snohomish county’s population grew by 16%, outpacing the growth of Washington state as a whole. With an increasing population comes the increased need for additional housing and associated infrastructure, putting a strain on the already declining habitat and agricultural industry.

The floodplains of Snohomish County are facing difficult and complex challenges. Land conversions and changing weather patterns threaten the livelihoods of farmers. Salmon populations continue to decline due to habitat loss. Large flood events are becoming more frequent and damaging. Competing needs to accommodate for population growth, Tribal rights, salmon recovery, and agricultural resiliency has created conflict in the County over the last few decades.

In 2008, that conflict came to a head when thousands of acres throughout the county were being considered for habitat restoration, much of that falling on active farmland in the floodplain. The Snohomish County Agricultural Advisory Board recognized this, and made a request that Snohomish County find a way to balance the goals and policies of the Growth Management Act. They called for a moratorium on habitat restoration projects until its concerns were addressed.

In spring 2010, Snohomish County Executive and the Snohomish County Council launched the Sustainable Lands Strategy to bring together Tribes and farmers to find common solutions that could support a balance on the landscape for salmon recovery, agricultural resilience, and floodplain connectivity.

June 21, 2010 was the first SLS meeting, convened by representatives from the Puget Sound
Partnership, Conservation Commission, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Snohomish County, and the Tulalip and Stillaguamish Tribes. Over 12 years later, the values of the Sustainable Lands Strategy still hold, creating a collaborative table that brings together fish, farm and flood interests to share needs, find areas of agreement and work together on projects to build mutual trust and actions. SLS is a voluntary table with an inclusive decision-making structure. As the late Terry Williams (former SLS co-chair/founder and Tulalip Tribal elder) would often say, “everyone has a seat at the SLS table.”