A Nation Underwater
The Quinault Indian Nation is moving to higher ground to avoid the consequences of sea level rise and coastal erosion.
With the Quinault Village relocation project in its initial stages of construction, the Generations Building is the first completed project. Set to open in May 2021, this building provides important community resources including the senior program, daycare, early learning, and more. // Leah Henry
Story by Autumn Rifenbury
Photos by Leah Henry
March 10, 2023
Four hours southwest of Bellingham lies Taholah, Washington, home of the Quinault Indian Nation [QIN]. Taholah is a land of bending rock formations, roaring waters, spruce trees that tower stories tall and coasts abundant with life.
The QIN has endured the effects of climate change for many years and while they don’t want to leave their ancestral land, life in this location is no longer sustainable. An increase in warming water, flooding and coastal erosion has prompted the need for relocation to higher grounds.
With $25 million granted by the Biden administration and the Department of the Interior, the community has begun relocating resources to their upper village. This decision was not an easy one, but a choice that needed to be made for their safety.
Taholah, Washington sits only seven feet above sea level. A large portion of the QIN’s homes and resources are located within the flood and tsunami zones. With each year, king tides are pushing farther inland, posing risks to many residents — eroding the coasts at a significant rate.
The coastal beaches along the shore of Quinault sit seven feet above sea level. This shoreline faces erosion at a significant rate as tides push further inland. // Leah Henry
The Taholah school district is also in danger. Many of these students are eager to relocate to a school that does not run the risk of flooding, said Kristeen Mowitch, Seventh Councilwoman of the Quinault Tribal Council. Mowitch is also a resident located in the lower village.
“Everything in the lower village will shut down for the day so that means people will have time to get out of the area,” Mowitch said. “But they are looking forward to moving up to higher ground for safety.”
Roughly every 500 years, the Cascadia Subduction Zone is due for a roughly 8.0 magnitude earthquake. An earthquake of that size could drown the entire reservation, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. With a roughly 20-minute escape time, residents would struggle to evacuate safely.
“We also see sea level rise, in a very broad sense, from warming of the oceans. Because hotter water is less dense and it expands,” said Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a marine geophysicist at Western Washington University.
The cemetery of many Quinault relatives was once near the mouth of the Quinault River.
“Due to climate change, we had to relocate all of the graves out of the flood zone,” Mowitch said.
Kristeen Mowitch, Seventh Councilwoman of the Quinault Tribal Council, and resident of the lower village in Taholah, stands proud as she shares her connection to the coastal waters. For many generations, these waters have brought core resources like steelhead salmon and Dungeness crab to the shores of the Quinault Indian Nation. // Leah Henry
Impacts on Ecosystems
Flooding is not their only concern. Warming waters have impacted the health and life cycle of many keystone salmon species, specifically steelhead salmon. This keystone species isn’t showing up in Taholah’s river until weeks later than anticipated, causing a disruption in the income and input of resources for dozens of families, Mowitch said.
“We’ve come to a point where the waters are too warm and it doesn't get cold enough for steelhead to come back upriver until late December,” Mowitch said.
Water conditions rise and fall relative to atmospheric temperatures. The global annual temperature has increased 0.32 degrees Fahrenheit every decade since 1981, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2021 analysis. While it may seem small, this rate of change will cause drastic effects, as seen in the last few decades.
The Quinault River that runs through the village shows high banks from recent rain. // Leah Henry
“Steelhead salmon love cold water, so when we start getting snow, we start getting freezing weather and such, that's when we know the steelhead will start coming upriver,” Mowitch said.
Those ideal weather patterns have not been as common in recent years.
Steelhead salmon are a symbol of culture and ancestral history, which the tribe depends on to be a core resource in their daily lives. Dungeness crab are equally important, according to Mowitch.
Roughly three dozen families rely heavily on crabbing, which has also been impacted. Just this year alone, the crabbing season was delayed by three whole weeks, Mowitch said. This nearly month-long setback has left families with an unreliable source of income and food.
Relocation
Newtok Village and the Village of Napakiak, both located in Alaska, are among those who also received the split grant of $75 million from the Biden administration.
The anticipated cost of relocation was well over the $25 million granted by the Department of Interior, said Mowitch. While $25 million may seem like a large sum, it is nowhere near enough to sustain the entire process.
The Quinault Indian Nation, with the help of federal agency partners, created a Master Plan Document to establish the goals of this relocation. It consists of a set timeline and budget for the extensive process. Discussions around risk identification and community needs also play a large role in the Master Plan.
The first building to be completed in the upper village was the Generations Building, better known as The WenɑsɡwəllɑʔɑW (Nuh-squall-i-ow) which translates to “The Coming Generations”. The building opened in May 2021.
This is one of the tribe’s most significant structures due to its abundance of resources for elders and children including the senior program, early learning, head start, daycare and more. This building alone cost roughly $20 million to construct and was entirely funded by the QIN, said Mowitch.
Another Generations building is in the works for the Queets Village, also in the QIN. This building will be a third of the size of Taholah’s but is just as necessary.
The QIN medical center was relocated as well. This ensures guaranteed health services for Quinault residents and assurance that resources are out of the flood zone.
As of Feb. 2023, waterlines have been placed throughout the community, providing access to water for all residents utilizing the new Generations building and health clinic. Further housing and infrastructure construction is scheduled to begin summer of 2023, said Michael Cardwell, Land Use Planner for the QIN.
Construction equipment sits on the land where the upper village is currently being built. // Leah Henry
“Several roads have been busted in. The water line runs right through the center of the property,” said Cardwell. Taking into account the several dozen other projects needed, the community is relying on lobbying and additional grants to complete the relocation.
On Feb. 1 and 2, members of the QIN went to the capitol in Olympia, Washington for Lobby day. For hours, they lobbied for additional grants from the Federal Government, including “to have the Quinault Indian Nation be placed first in line for qualifications to be awarded a portion of the $50 million,” said Mowitch. “Or, to be granted the flat $12.1 million we were lobbying for.”
An additional $2.6 million was lobbied for in order to set up water, sewage and electricity for the new northeast neighborhood. All of these grants would be provided by the Climate Commitment Act, which places caps on the amount of greenhouse gases allowed in a given area.
The new reservation has allotted space for homes to be built on any of the 59 lots, which could be anywhere from two to four bedrooms. An apartment building has also entered the discussion, according to Mowitch.
But relocation is not the first thing these tribal members want for their community. In fact, many of the elders located on the reservation are refusing to transfer.
“Why leave something I’ve built and worked so hard to have,” said Mowitch, relaying many of the elder’s thoughts. “Climate change is gonna come whether we like it or not, and if I have to go to heaven while I'm here in this home because of it, they said, well, we’re gonna stay put.”
Communities at risk of these environmental changes must make do with what is currently provided. Priority structures for relocation include housing, education buildings, the justice building, grocery stores, a fire station and more, according to the Master Plan.
“The most important thing I think we need to do is hold to account people who have the most power over this issue and individuals are not those people,” said Caplan-Auerbach. “So it is corporations, it is our representatives on the state and national levels, it is the power of our dollar. It is the power of our voices when we vote.”
Kristeen explores the tide pools along the shoreline. // Leah Henry
Quinault Art
It is important to the Quinault Tribe that cultural symbols are visible throughout the new village. New structures will illustrate the identity Taholah holds. Cultural heritage displayed throughout may not only bring residents a sense of community, but open many opportunities for Quinault artists. Walls should not remain blank, and the overall atmosphere should be embellished with Quinault culture, according to the Master Plan.
The children’s playground in the Generations building has already set the bar high. It resembles a full wrap-around river, with salmon structures and plenty of Quinault art.
Without critical aid, this vision may take longer than anticipated, and coastal homes could soon be under the water that once provided for them.
“We need to decide what’s more important to us, our environment, our future, our childrens’ future, our planet or our economy,” said Caplan-Auerbach.
Autumn Rifenbury is a junior at Western who is majoring in environmental studies. She enjoys advocating for climate protection and learning how humans have adapted to changing environments.
Leah Henry is a student designing her own interdisciplinary program through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She enjoys using her photography to inspire wildlife conservation and environmental compassion.