upper skagit tribe cultureupper skagit tribe culture

But less than a year into the reapplication process, the city has found itself in disagreement with almost every stakeholder involved, including powerful state and federal agencies. The NRD is responsible for providing technical and policy support for managing and conservation all fish, shellfish and wildlife resources for now and into perpetuity. Tribes within Skagit County include Samish Indian Nation, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Upper Skagit Indian Tribe. According to data from the Upper Skagit Natural Resources Department, the tribe has gone from a high of fishing 79 days total in 1980 to only six days in all of 2017. A brief history of the Upper Skagit Tribe is available online. Place is also about history and the people who came before us and their relationship to the land. Skagit River salmon shaped human subsistence patterns. It took so little area for people to survive on here. We use traditional ecological knowledge and insights from Tribal members to influence our work to ensure availability of traditional use materials and native foods for current and future generations. Arthur Ballard's parents were early Washington pioneers. That promise (of fishing rights) was carefully considered. In turn, these large winter deer herds became an important subsistence base for various Northwest indigenous hunters. Traditionally, Skagit referred only to the Lower Skagit on Whidbey Island. The city's federal license to operate the dams expires in 2025, and in order to obtain a renewal, the city is required to work with various other stakeholders - including the federal and state. Please click through to learn more directly from them. One of the first things they noticed was that the mountains here provided varieties of fine-textured rock that could be used to make tools. The Upper Skagit tribe had hunting and fishing villages along the Skagit River from Mount Vernon to Newhalem for thousands of years before Westerners arrived. The people, then and now, the river, the land, and all its inhabitants are linked by time and history to this place, which flexes to the dictates of climate, environment, and evolution. In the U.S. Constitution, it provides that the laws and treaties of the U.S. should be the supreme law of the land," Wilkinson said. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe. An original signatory of the Treaty of Point Elliott, the Upper Skagit people are descended from a tribe with eleven separate villages on the Upper Skagit and Sauk Rivers in Washington State. Here we have Lower Skagit, Upper Skagit, Swinomish, Samish, Tulalip, Nooksack, Stillaquamish seven different, independent peoples within 30 miles. The project provides approximately 20-percent of the electricity for Seattle residents and businesses. Spiritual ceremonies also were held, with smoke and fire as a medium. The new city ordinance says the tribe wants to reclaim them because the items hold historic and cultural significance. Some of the big mountains overlooking the valley, such as Jack Mt., Hozomeen Mt., and Wright Pk., are partially made of this distinctive, mottled gray rock. Interestingly, Ross is not the first lake to fill the valley, as at least one other existed 18-24,000 years ago, impounded behind glacial ice or debris deposited near Big Beaver valley. The last band on the Skagit River was Kwabatsabsh, including a winter house at Newhalem. And I can almost say its gone.. The North Cascades Environmental Learning Center is built where Sourdough Creek, a minor tributary to the Skagit River, has built a large alluvial fan. City Lights general manager and CEO Debra Smith said the utility is working hard to be better partners with the tribes and other stakeholders as they seek to have their dams relicensed by the federal government. When white settlers seized land in the 1880s, the Upper Skagit Tribe says more than one hundred canoes of people met with settlers to protest land takeover. For thousands of years, the tribe has followed the river into the mountains to hunt for elk and sheep in the summer, and then fished as thousands of salmon migrated upstream in the summer and fall, providing a life-giving force to the tribe. Put in mind of its treaty obligation, the federal government took the state to court. The Upper Skagit tribe includes descendants from 11 villages in the Upper Skagit and Samish watersheds. Like their Native American counterparts, they were attracted to the valleys plentiful natural resources especially the fertile soil. Skagit Land Trust values past and present collaboration with tribal nations. Up-valley from Ross Dam, the ecologies of mountainsides, avalanche slopes, snow-corniced ridges, and glaciers are mirrored in the reservoir waters. In 2018, 2019 and 2020, they fished nine days per year. David Moskowitz for The Margin Hundreds of historic artifacts will soon be returned to the Upper Skagit Tribe from the city of Seattle. More than one hundred canoes of people met with settlers to protest the seizure of their lands. I ask this for my people. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), says the dams are partially to blame for the decline of the Skagit Rivers salmon and the orcas that visit Puget Sound, which the river drains into, every year. Rafters served as drying racks for smoked salmon. Its really sad, said tribal elder Marilyn Scott who sits on the Upper Skagit Indian Tribal Council. The Treaty of Point Elliott, promising the retention of fishing rights, was signed by Schuylers great, great, great grandfather, Chief Pateus. Consequently, Hozomeen (an Interior Salish word) today designates a mountain, a lake, and a river; Nohokameen is a glacier on the north slope of Jack Mtn. The National Park Service and Seattle City Light regularly conduct tribal tours of the valley to discuss management of resources along Ross Lake. The artifacts are currently housed in Marblemount, Washington, at the North Cascades Visitor Center. Three hydroelectric dams were constructed on the Upper Skagit River, now in the North Cascades National Park: Gorge Dam - wood (1923); masonry (1950); high concrete (1960). They adapted to a landscape that was newly uncovered from the melting of massive glaciers extending across northern Washington, including Puget Sound and Seattle. Guided by knowledgeable Fraser River Indian guides, and traveling in a dugout canoe specially built for this trip near todays Hozomeen, they followed the river all the way to the mouth of Ruby Creek. The village consisted of eight traditional cedar longhouses which were destroyed in 1880s by early non-Indian settlers who had laid claim to these lands under the U.S. Homestead Act and Dawes Act. But whats going on does not fit that mantra. It can be seen in river and stream gravels, and it is common in some bedrock exposures, mostly east of Ross Lake. Be a part of it! There are signs that the relicensing process is raising awareness. The largest predecessor group was the Sabelxu, located in the vicinity of Concrete, but, importantly, controlled the intersection of the Skagit and Baker Rivers. He was born on his family's farm along the White River on October 18, 1876. I always tell (my kids), We are tied to this river by blood. Crucially, the citys public utility, Seattle City Light (SCL), has denied the tribes request to study removing the Gorge Dam, and instead the city has asked the federal government for the right to draw more, not less power from the Skagit Dams. The active health clinic user population is 382. After initially rejecting a fish passage study in March 2020, the city reversed course in December 2020 and agreed to study fish passage past the dams. It was not until September 10, 1981, that the Upper Skagit Reservation was established. The Seattle TImes/TNS/Steve Ringman dklatush@chehalistribe.org . In 1974, U.S. District Judge George H. Boldt ruled that the tribes were entitled to 50 percent of the fish harvests. Marilyn Scott, Chair 360-854-7070. "So we end up with that promise being that their way of life would be continued. The 84-acre Upper Skagit Reservation lies in the uplands of the Skagit River Valley, east of Sedro-Woolley in Skagit County. Our ancestors eventually consolidated, but a separate reservation was not originally established, and some tribal members had to reside on other reservations, primarily Swinomish. ", Story Maps of History and Culture of Samish Indian Nation, Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe From their website - "The Sauk-Suiattle Indian people have lived under the gaze of Whitehorse Mountain for many generations: as Fishermen, Gatherers and Hunters in the region of Sauk Prairie and near the present-day towns Darrington, Marblemount and Rockport, WA. When the salmon run began, fishermen took canoes to fish camps, down to the mouth of the river. It's the. Because of this, our best understanding of the present is achieved by knowing something about the past. A Seattle city light sign explains that natural barriers, and not the citys dams, stop migrating spawning from moving upstream, a claim disputed by the National Marine Fisheries Service. Scattered here and there throughout the upper Skagit valley are the ancient rock quarries where the ancestors of todays Skagit Indians (and other Northwest tribes) gathered, cleaned, and shaped the stone to make knives and other tools. Snow-capped peaks dot the horizon as Schuyler drives deeper into the mountains of the North Cascade national park. The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, according to historians, has inhabited the Skagit Valley along the Skagit River for 10,000 years. Rick Hartson, Natural Resources 360-854-7049 rickh@upperskagit.com. This large landform is perched on the edge of the Skagit gorge, which remains unseen beneath the aqua blue waters of the reservoir. Between Newhalem and Ross Dam is the ten-mile long Skagit River gorge. From a young age, Arthur was very interested in the languages of the Native Americans of the Puget Sound region. That is at the heart of the city of Seattle.. Upper Skagit Tribe. Andrea Weiser, senior archaeologist for Seattle City Light, is in the background. Sedro-Woolley , WA 98284, See map: Google Maps. Scott Schuyler, policy representative for the upper Skagit Tribe for natural and cultural resources, holds a precontact fish club that is part of the artifacts discovered near Ross Lake, being turned over to the tribe. In addition Lummi Nation, Nooksack Tribe, Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians, and The Tulalip Tribes have ancestral and continued connections to these lands. Stretching 150 miles from British Columbia through the North Cascades and emptying into the Salish Sea in Mount Vernon in Skagit County, it's the largest river in western Washington. The information below is from the individual websites for each of the four sovereign nations located in Skagit County. Conserving wildlife habitat, agricultural and forest lands, scenic open space, wetlands, and shorelines for the benefit of our community and as a legacy for future generations. It doesnt make sense, in this era of moving to 100% clean energy, to be taking out these carbon-free resources that are critical to integrating wind and solar, DeBoer said. In the 1880s, Indian children were prevented from practicing their religion when taken from their families and communities to government-run boarding schools. The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is asking Seattle to conduct an official removal assessment for the dam, which has dewatered parts of a three-mile stretch in the Valley of the Spirits. We remain open to listening and learning from each tribe as we develop authentic relationships through our common regard for the land, water, air, and other living things. Thats when, without consulting the tribe, Seattles publicly-owned utility, Seattle City Light, built three dams in the middle of the Skagit River for the generation of electricity. Utility leadership says they intend to return the items as soon as possible. The river should be singing to us right now, it should be free flowing, Schuyler says as cold February rain drops silently disappear into his quilted blue jacket. Theres a large amount of hypocrisy here that (the city) needs to come to terms with. By the time he was 15 years old, he had made a list of words (and their meanings) of the Yakama Tribe. Each year, the tribe recovers three to five elk that have been killed on the road or illegally hunted. Lack of coordination about the citys operations on Upper Skagit ancestral lands created cost-effective hydropower for the citizens of Seattle. The Upper Skagit people lived along the Skagit River from Diablo, all the way west to its mouth. The service also said that observers have seen salmon swimming at the base of the 300-foot Gorge Dam, suggesting that no such barrier exists. The main campuses of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe are east of Sedro-Woolley, WA just off Highway 20 on Helmick Road. Go back to the list of American Indian tribes The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is a federally recognized Native American tribe located in the state of Washington. You might also notice that there is only one large, north-south trending mountain valley, wider than any others, that splits the Northern Cascades down the middlethis is the Upper Skagit Valley occupied by todays Ross Lake reservoir. Would you like to sponsor our work on the Lushootseed language? You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Two Native American tribes have failed again in their bid to persuade a federal judge in Nevada that a lithium mine planned near the Oregon line is on sacred lands where their ancestors were massacred in 1865. Dan Tolliver, Planning & Transit 360-854-7072 dant . The headwaters of the Skagit River valley are deeply carved by glaciers, remnants of which remain as local alpine glaciers. The Skagit is the last American river outside of Alaska still home to all five species of wild salmon, although the fish stocks are dwindling: two species are now listed under the Endangered Species Act and a nearby resident killer whale population, which depends on the Skagit Rivers salmon for survival, is listed as endangered. The right of taking fish at usual and accustomed grounds and stations is further secured to said Indians, treaty authors wrote. The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is a federally recognized Indian Tribe with a membership of 238. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe 25944 Community Plaza WaySedro Woolley, WA 98284Phone: 360-854-7000Website, There are eleven bands of indigenous people that comprise the Upper Skagit Tribe, 1974: Constitution and by-laws approved by the Secretary of the Interior. The cultural history of the North Cascades and Upper Skagit Valley is rich with thousands of years of human history, from the first native peoples through to the colorful parade of explorers, miners, loggers, fire lookouts, climbers, rangers and dam workers that followed. Chris Townsend, SCLs director of hydroelectric licensing, told the Guardian that SCL was always planning on including the study. I ask this for the Orca. Its nearly impossible to precisely measure how Seattles dams have impacted the Skagits fish because dam construction started in 1919, well before scientists had a chance to measure the rivers pre-dam health. I ask this for our sacred Skagit, she wrote. Following conflicts between land-hungry white settlers and Washington Indians in the 1850s, the territory's governor and Indian Agent, Isaac Stevens, drafted several peace treaties. This just shows that they dont really care because they are just ignoring our voices. Archaeologists estimate the 270 objects belonging to the Upper Skagit Tribe are between 4,000 and 9,000 years old. We acknowledge our responsibilities to care for these conserved and protected lands, both through sustainable stewardship practices and the core values that guide our work. marilyns@upperskagit.com (360) 854-7000 . As of 1977, there were an estimated 100 speakers of Skagit. Andrew Bearlin, the utilitys Skagit license manager, said in an interview with the Guardian that SCL does not have fundamental scientific disagreements with the other scientific agencies. google_ad_format = "728x15_0ads_al_s"; He is a specialist in the adaptations of mountain peoples and his work has drastically changed thinking about the interactions of prehistoric peoples with the North Cascades landscape. 14,000 years ago, the last bits of the glacier that had filled the upper Skagit Valley with a mile-thick sheet of ice had melted away. ", Department of Natural Resources - "The Natural Resources Departments (NRD) mission is to manage, protect and enhance natural resources to support the Tribes fishing, hunting and gathering rights. The cultural history of the North Cascades and Upper Skagit Valley is rich with thousands of years of human history, from the first native peoples through to the colorful parade of explorers, miners, loggers, fire lookouts, climbers, rangers and . At the time of the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855, members of these bands carried on fishing, shellfishing, hunting and gathering activities from the saltwater areas all the way to the mountainous upper reaches of the Skagit River, adjacent areas and, for hunting and gathering, even into Eastern Washington. Here's why you'd better get used to it. It was an amazing trip of discovery, interrupted in places by huge log jams requiring them to portage before they could continue. The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, through the relicensing process, has officially requested that Seattle City Light access the removal of the Gorge Dam to see if the utility could still meet their hydropower needs by utilizing the other two dams, Diablo and Ross. Our projects include a wide range of activities from stormwater monitoring, plant and animal population studies and climate change analysis to full scale beach and river restoration projects and marine debris removal. I ask this for the salmon. Deposits from glacial lake Skymo are visible today as silt and clay beds along the shores of Ross Lake between Rainbow Point and the mouth of Devils Creek. Seattle City Light built its company-town of Newhalem on Upper Skagit ancestral burial grounds. We had an important village at Sauk Prairie, near the confluence of the Sauk and Suiattle Rivers. The Upper Skagit calls that dewatered section their Spirit Valley.. The United States considered that it was worth it to get all that tribal land, said Prof. Charles Wilkinson of the University of Colorado. But Schuyler said he hopes the relicensing process will expose the hydroelectric projects environmental harm and that the residents of Seattle could then decide to remove the Gorge Dam. The mayors office did not respond to KING 5s interview request for this story. As a child, he spent weeks fishing on the Skagit River, learning from uncles, grandparents, and cousins. This article relating to the Indigenous peoples of North America is a stub. This page has been viewed 3,941 times (943 via redirect). Schuyler. Rather than ensure peace, the treaties touched off an Indian war in eastern Washington when some tribal members refused to relocate. Scott Schuyler stands in front of the Gorge Dam, which diverts the entire Skagit River into a hydroelectric tunnel. Among them are flaked cobble tools, scrapers, chopping and cutting devices, and hammerstones. Types of options in the toolbox included non-regulatory tools such as buffers and incentives, regulatory controls such as shoreline restrictions and setbacks, options to allow shoreward migration of beaches and habitat, practical engineering techniques such as bank protection or raising/hardening structures where desired or appropriate, and improved risk prevention planning. A recent archaeological dig of an ancestral village site above the town of Hamilton found artifacts for cedar fishing nets like a doughnut-shaped cobble . The tribe says Seattles century of hydroelectric work on the Skagit has contributed to a sharp drop in rivers salmon runs, which has ripple effects across the region. Wilkinson is considered one of the foremost authorities on Indian law, history, and policy. Samish Indian NationFrom their website - "The Samish Indian Nation is the successor to the large and powerful Samish Tribe, a signatory to the Treaty of Point Elliott in 1855. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The city has had the stone and bone artifacts since Seattle City Light crews excavated the . Go back to our Native American websites for kids These peaks are one of the snowiest places on earth and the Skagit drains the most heavily glaciated American mountains outside of Alaska yet the de-watered riverbed below the highway is barely large enough to be called a creek. Todays three Skagit River tribal governments, the Upper Skagit, Sauk-Suiattle, and Swinomish, along with the Nlakapamux (Lower Thompson) First Nation of British Columbia, provide insight and advice regarding archeological sites and other resources relating to their traditional connection to the valley. Coyote and Rock: And Other Lushootseed Stories, The Valley of the Spirits: The Upper Skagit Indians of Western Washington, Indians in the Making: Ethnic Relations and Indian Identities around Puget Sound, A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. All rights reserved. The stories revealed to the next generation where the best salmon fishing was and where to hunt game in the mountains, how to find sacred ground in the mountains, and where to bathe in the river for healing. In her 2019 letter, she explained to the mayor how seeing the dried-up portion of the river below Gorge Dam, where Seattle City Light operations divert water through a power tunnel, caused her pain. The Skagit River, Skagit Bay, and Skagit County all derive their names from the Skagit peoples. From Swinomish Climate Change Initiative & Department of Environmental Protection - "To address projected impacts identified in the Swinomish 2009 Climate Impact Assessment Technical Report, such as inundation of shoreline areas and resources, wildfire risk, and health impacts from higher temperatures, the adaptation project team assembled a comprehensive adaptation strategy toolbox. We recognize and respect the inherent, indigenous, and treaty rights of the Coast Salish People, who have a deep and abiding connection to this place. The Biden administration has halted the sale of the federal archives building in Seattle, following months of opposition from people across the Pacific Northwest and a lawsuit by the Washington Attorney General's Office. Part of the land, northeast of Seattle, is city of Seattle property which includes the Gorge Inn, a dining hall and historical site in Newhalem. While the city of Seattle contends that they are the greenest utility in the country and prioritize fish safety over power production, scientists involved in the federal relicensing process agree with Schuyler and his tribe that the dams are damaging the river. The Skagit (/skdt/ SKAJ-it) Lushootseed: sqatab (SKAH-juh-tahbsh) (People Who Hide or People Who Run and Hide Upriver [the Skagit River]) refers to either of two modern-day tribes of Lushootseed-speaking Native American people living in the state of Washington: the Upper Skagit tribe, and the Lower Skagit band of the Swinomish tribe. We live in an era of social justice and thats the mantra of the city of Seattle, says Schuyler. Salmon are sliding toward extinction on the Skagit, the only river thats home to all five species of Puget Sound salmon. The Upper Skagit Tribe is part of the Northwest Washington Service Unit Health Board (NWSUHB) that also includes Lummi, Nooksack and Swinomish. This glacier advanced down the Skagit Valley from British Columbia, widening the valley and smoothing and rounding the formerly sharp-edged ridges (with your eye, follow these smooth ridge lines from the bottoms to the tops of the mountains: where these ridge profiles change to jagged and uneven marks the upper limit of the ice sheet). Indian crafts Today, the tribe's population is scattered among different towns, including Sedro-Woolley, Mount Vernon, and Newhalem. It is really hard for our people to survive.. Thats where their sacred village of Daylib was located. At least 10,000 years ago, indigenous Northwest peoples began to visit the valley and the surrounding mountains. But it also created painful consequences for the tribe: RELATED: Seattles Skagit River dams hurt salmon, orcas and Native American culture, agencies say, We have our elders that lived up in those areas and now that we have the bridges, the culverts, the dams, theyre blocking the traditional ways of life. You need to look in the mirror Seattle, Schuyler said. Jurisdiction-Specific Tribal Requirements, Vulnerability Assessment, and Mitigation Initiatives. OPBs critical reporting and inspiring programs are made possible by the power of member support. //-->. The riverbed below him, once home to one of Washingtons greatest rivers, sits eerily quiet and nearly empty of water, even in the middle of the states famously wet winters. Expect a hot, smoky summer in much of America. Sometime afterward, the first humans to see the newly exposed land came into the valley and began to use it for subsistence purposes. Coast Salish Villages of Puget Sound: Detailed maps of the Indian tribes and bands of Puget Sound in the early 1800's, including the Skagit. Sah-ku-mehu homelands were the entire drainage area of the Sauk, Suiattle and Cascade Rivers. OLAC resources in and about the Skagit language, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Skagit_peoples&oldid=1140042592, Native American tribes in Washington (state), Indigenous peoples of North America stubs, Indigenous languages of the Americas stubs, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Articles containing Lushootseed-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from before 1990, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 18 February 2023, at 03:46. The Puget Sound Tribes: Curtis' early 20th-century ethnography of the Skagit and other Puget Sound Indians. Scott Schuyler, Cultural, Natural Resources & Emergency Management 360-854-7009 ScottS@upperskagit.com. The Institute, Environmental Learning Center & Ecosystem, https://ncascades.org/discover/north-cascades-ecosystem/cultural-history, North Cascades Institute is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 91-1327775, North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, "Archaeology of the Little Beaver Watershed,", Toolstone Geography in the Northern Cascades of Washington, Bibliography of Indigenous History and Archeaology of the Upper Skagit. All of these bands either had villages and/or summer fishing and shellfishing locations and camps on the saltwater and the Bsigwigwilts also had villages on the saltwater. In 1870, Northern Pacific Railroad surveyors traversed Upper Skagit land. What's new on our site today! By ca. Its a federally-protected treaty right that dates back to 1855 when U.S. representatives and Puget Sound Indian chiefs signed the Treaty of Point Elliott, in what is now the town of Mukilteo. Seattles Skagit River dams hurt salmon, orcas and Native American culture, agencies say, Seattle City Light agrees to study fish passage over dams on Skagit River, Tribes and government agencies accuse Seattle City Light of using 'flawed' science on Skagit River dams, Seattle City Light told public their dam operations increased salmon runs as fish numbers declined. By comparison, the Navajo reservation is bigger than all the northeastern states, and it supports their population of 70,000. Upper Skagit Tribal Historical Overview The Upper Skagit Indian Tribe is a federally recognized Indian tribe composed of eleven predecessor bands, including the Nuwha'ha, Nookachamps, Bsigwigwilts, Bsxwexwehwa'1, Chobahahbish, Sabelxu, Saylayotsid, Shayayotsid, Kwabatsabsh, Sahkumehu, and Skaywih. Our ancestors are driving the effort to assess the removal of this dam and return the river to its natural state if possible, Schuyler said. Runs of chum, pink and coho are declining in abundance as well on the Skagit, according to data from the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Swinomish climate adaptation actions taken since 2010 address the following: Between Two Worlds - "Between Two Worlds Indigenous Science Program was developed to fulfill a need for our tribal youth. Weve protected and fought for the Skagit, and thats continuing to this day., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. sponsor our work on the Lushootseed language. Upper Skagit Indian Tribe . We pay respect to the elders, tribal leaders, and members of each sovereign nation who continue to honor these lands through traditions that have been passed down through the generations. In January, the fisheries service wrote a letter to FERC claiming the citys public utility was disputing foundational scientific information needed to inform the relicensing process. The Skagit River's residents practiced basketweaving for untold generations. However, after colonization, the word Skagit was used to refer to both groups. The dam is located on what the tribe considers its spirit boundary. As of April 6, 43,760 people had signed the petition. Seattle City Light's hydroelectric dams on the Skagit River were built on the Upper Skagit's ancestral lands, but the tribe was never consulted about the project. But in January, SCL removed any reference to natural barriers just as the FERC relicensing process was growing increasingly contentious. Fishing for salmon on the Skagit River isnt just a family tradition for the tribe. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is responsible for regulating the countys utility companies, is unlikely to force the city to remove any of its dams. years old. Traditionally, Skagit referred only to the Lower Skagit on Whidbey Island. Address: 25944 Community Plaza Way, Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284 (Driving Directions), Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 AM 4:30 PM.