Possible expansion of Quileute Tribe's reservation
Tucked into a one-square mile reservation along a stretch of northwest Washington's rugged coastline, the Quileute Tribe holds several distinctions. It is among Washington's smallest. It is arguably one of its most famous. It is also among its most endangered. Congress could soon expand the reservation, transferring about 1,300 acres from the Olympic National Park to the tribe. With it, the tribe would move many of the houses and its school, which has 80 children in grades kindergarten through high school, out of a tsunami zone.
Section:Picture story
Cars travel through the morning fog along Highway 101 on the Olympic Peninsula Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011.
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Wind and waves push debris onto the beach on the Quileute reservation at La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011. Tribal leaders worry about the history of high water events that have caused damage over the years and are trying to reclaim reservation lands lost in a border issue with the adjoining Olympic National Forest.
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Waves crash onto the beach on the Quileute reservation at La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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Debris covers the beach on the Quileute reservation at La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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Wind blown grass borders the beach on the Quileute reservation at La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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Tribal Chairwoman, Bonita Cleveland, watches a storm move through La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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Waves crash on the breakwater protecting the Quileute River on the reservation in La Push Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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A seagull takes a break from riding the winds above La Push Wash. on the Quileute Reservation, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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The Quileute Nation is working with federal agencies to revise the boundary of the one square mile reservation located on the Olympic Peninsula adjoining the Olympic National Park. They are living right on the beach and fear a Tsunami would wipe out their people before they could get to higher ground.
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School children play outside the Quileute School that sits just off the beach in La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011. Tribal leaders worry about the history of high water events that have caused damage over the years.
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Wind and waves push debris onto the breakwater on the Quileute reservation in La Push, Wash., Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011.
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A weathered window on a tribal building on the Quileute reservation shows the ravages of the harsh weather along the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula.
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Quileute tribal councilmember, DeAnna Hobson, sits in the Senior Center on the reservation in La Push, Wash. on the Olympic Peninsula and talks about the history of high water events that have caused damage over the years.
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