Introduction

The Squaxin Island Tribe, in partnership with EPA Region 10, would like to extend an invitation to Tribal Leaders from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to come together April 21 -24, 2008 in Shelton, Washington for the next Tribal Leaders Summit.  Following-up on discussions from the 2006 Summit at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, dialog will focus on emerging priority policy and strategic planning issues.

The theme of this year’s summit is Sustaining Tribal Cultures—tailoring programs to fit places. Charles Wilkinson, Moses Lasky Professor of Law at the University of Colorado, will be the keynote speaker and moderator on April 22nd.  He will provide an introduction to Indian trust doctrine and lead a policy discussion on innovation in government-to-government relations.  Wednesday afternoon, April 23rd will focus on climate change and Thursday, April 24th will include several technical sessions.

Agenda:
The agenda will be modified and updated as we get closer to the summit.
Click here for the current draft.

Registration:
Click here

Location
This year’s summit will take place at Kamilche, Washington located midway between Olympia and Shelton near the shores of South Puget Sound. Kamilche is located approximately 70 miles southwest of Seattle, on the Olympic Peninsula.  It is home to the Little Creek Casino Resort. The convergence of the Olympic Mountains, the waters of Puget Sound, and the Squaxin conference facilities provide an ideal setting for the summit. We hope you will attend!

Cultural & educational tours:

• Boat tours of South Puget Sound and Squaxin Island
• Squaxin Museum exhibits on fossil salmon and the Mud Bay Village archeological excavation
• Field trips to nearby watershed restoration projects
• Tours of Squaxin reclaimed water facility

Transportation:
Conference organizers are working with local transportation companies to arrange transport.  There will be scheduled airport pick-ups and transportation between the Red Lion Hotel and Little Creek Casino Resort. Stay tuned for updates, which will be posted to this website!

Lodging:
A block of rooms is reserved for Tribal Leaders Summit participants at both the Little Creek Casino Resort and the Red Lion Inn.  For both hotels, mention the Tribal Leaders Summit when booking rooms.

AT THE SUMMIT:

Little Creek Casino Resort
West 91 – State Route 108 Shelton, WA 98584
1-800-667-7711

$70.00 + 10% tribal tax until 3/30/2008. Rooms become unblocked after this date.

IN OLYMPIA:

Red Lion Inn
2300 Evergreen Park Dr SW
Olympia, WA 98502
1-800-325-4000
(360) 943-4000

Booking number: 0000372900
$80.00/night for single or double
$113.00/night for triple or quad

For more information, contact:
Conference organizer: Brenda Nipp
Phone: 360-754-7644

Email:
tls@squaxin.nsn.us

Links to Local Information
Click here