The sign at Madrona Point on Orcas Island, stating the area is closed by authority of the Lummi Nation until further notice, has recently disappeared.
According to County Councilman Rick Hughes, who has been speaking with Lummi tribal members, no one from the tribe has removed the sign. Hughes, who reported the missing sign on March 28 to the sheriff’s office, called the act of vandalism “offensive.”
“It’s really important to be respectful and work together to be good neighbors and good friends,” said Hughes.
There are no vandalism suspects at this time, but this is an ongoing investigation, said Undersheriff Bruce Distler.
In 2007, after 17 years of public access, the Lummis closed off the point to visitors, citing disrespect to the land. According to reports at the time there were beer bottles and trash dotting the landscape, illegal campfires were left burning, and dog walkers did not obey the “no dogs allowed” signs.
Although the story really begins earlier in 1887, when a dispute over ownership of the burial ground resulted in a lawsuit brought by a group of Native Americans who argued that the Trustees of the Cemetery Association had no right to sell the land. They won the initial case, but the State Supreme Court later ruled in favor of the trustees.
The 30-acre land was sold to the Harrison family in 1890. In 1967, Seattle businessman Norton Clapp purchased the property, and in the mid-1980s he announced his plan to build a condo development. Clapp also owned most of Turtleback Mountain.
When word reached the Orcas community, a grassroots effort to save the point was quickly launched. The project took on a life of its own, with support from the county, the Church Council of Greater Seattle, and eventually Congress, which negotiated with Clapp to purchase the property for $2.2 million. It was then turned over to the Lummi Nation.
In a memorandum of understanding signed by the Lummi Nation and San Juan County in 1989, the Lummis agreed to “manage the property as an open space, natural area and forest, open to individuals and groups for walking and educational purposes” with permission of the tribe.
But when islanders misused the area, the Lummi installed the “keep out” sign.
“My goal is to preserve and protect the Lummi and this sacred site,” said Hughes. “I hope we can work together government to government for protection of their spiritual and religious area and work out some kind of controlled limited use.”
Although there are no solid plans to address the situation, Hughes is meeting with Lummi Tribe members on April 19 to discuss the future of Madrona Point. Watch the Sounder for updates on this story.
