A hundred years ago, the property that encompassed Old Man
House State Park was transferred from the Suquamish Tribe to
the federal government.
Once the site of a longhouse occupied by Chief Sealth, the
land was acquired for a military reservation that never
materialized. Eventually, 1 acre was passed to the Washington
State Parks system, where it remains today.
That could change next month if the State Parks and
Recreation Commission decides to transfer park ownership to
the tribe. Or it could choose one of four other options,
including the state retaining ownership, leasing the park to
the tribe, transferring it to another government or entity, or
selling it.
The decision will culminate years of debate and have a
resounding impact in the North Kitsap community.
The Suquamish Tribe has long tried to reacquire the park.
Its first formal efforts were made in the 1980s. Most
recently, it approached the commission in 2002, giving rise to
a contentious public debate over the waterfront park. The
tribe's park management plan allots $50,000 over five years to
develop and maintain the park, double what the state
budgeted.
The park controversy has drawn interest from all over the
county, the region, the state and the country. In all, 850
comments were received by parks staff.
After two years of research and public input, the parks
department was expected to make a recommendation to the
seven-member parks commission this week, but instead released
a report restating the options and positions of interested
parties, with no direction.
"As we evaluated Old Man House, we found there are some
significant subjective judgments that need to be made by the
board," said Rex Derr, director of the State Parks Commission.
"It's a decision of such magnitude and consideration that the
commission will simply decide."
The commission is expected to make that decision during its
Aug. 12 meeting in Port Angeles.
Both sides agree the issue comes down to trust.
"This is the groundbreaking for building a relationship of
trust for tribe members and state government and the
community," said Rob Purser, a Suquamish advocate of tribal
park ownership. "That hasn't really been established in the
past."
There are some in the community not willing to trust the
tribe, citing past broken promises and pointing out that the
tribe has a responsibility to its members, not the larger
community.
"One problem we see in previous patterns of behavior is
they have made promises and commitments that have not been
kept," said Matthew Cleverley, Suquamish resident and member
of Friends of Old Man House State Park, a group opposing
tribal ownership.
Purser disagrees and said there is a problem with lack of
communication in the community that the tribe is working
on.
A silver lining for the tribe has been to break down some
of those communication barriers and build relationships with
the community, Purser said. He hopes the parks commission
takes into account community input on the tribe's park plan.
"It was a community effort, not just a tribal effort," he
said.
Members of the Friends group submitted its own proposal to
the parks commission. Cleverley said while he and other
members would prefer that the park remain in state hands, they
would be open to leasing because it would allow the tribe to
build a reputation and would keep the state involved as an
overseer.
"If they were to manage the park for a number of years and
do a very good job of it ... other things in the past become
less significant," he said.
The tribe is interested only in obtaining ownership, said
Purser. It would see any of the other options as a defeat,
including leasing the park from the state.
There will be one more opportunity for both sides to plead
their cases at the parks meeting. Tribe members say they
intend to stress their spiritual connection to the park.
"It's hard to explain how important that location is to
someone on the outside," Purser said.
Should the commission decide to transfer the park to the
tribe, opposition members say they will look at filing a
lawsuit to challenge the legality, though Cleverley said that
is the last resort.
Purser said that even if the decision doesn't go the
tribe's way, members and their supporters say they won't give
up.
During its meeting, the parks commission will address Old
Man House State Park no earlier than 11 a.m. The meeting will
be at Vern Burton Center, 308 East Fourth St. in Port
Angeles.
Reach reporter Susie L. Oh (360) 792-9205 or at
soh@thesunlink.com.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Options considered by the State Parks Commission:
• Retain ownership and continue to manage with available
resources, including volunteer groups.
• Transfer in fee to the tribe.
• Lease to the tribe for up to 50 years.
• Transfer to a local government or another entity.
• Sell the park.
For more information, go to www.parks.wa.gov/public.asp
OPPOSING VOICES
What supporters of tribal ownership say:
• The site is sacred to the tribe as the home of their
ancestors.
• Returning the park to the tribe would right a historic
wrong.
• The tribe has committed to keep the park open to all.
For information on the tribe's park management plan, go to
www.soneighbors.org.
What opponents of tribal ownership say:
• The tribe does a poor job maintaining other tribal sites.
• The tribe has the same access to the site as other area
residents. It doesn't need to own it to use it.
• Once the tribe has control, it will close off park access
to non-tribal members.
-- From the Washington State Parks and Recreation
Commission
