SEATTLE – On Thursday, April 24, 2014, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell will provide keynote remarks at a tribal summit organized by U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-6) and hosted by the Suquamish Tribe at the Fort Madison Indian Reservation on Bainbridge Island. The Secretary will also meet with individual tribal leaders and tour the Suquamish hatchery and seafood plant with Tribe Chairman Leonard Forsman.
Secretary Jewell will be joined by Larry Roberts, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs and Stanley Speaks, Northwest Regional Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs.
As Chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, Jewell leads a comprehensive effort to enable Federal agencies to work more collaboratively and effectively with Tribes to advance their economic and social priorities and improve conditions for American Indians and Alaska Natives throughout Indian Country. Informed by consultation with the Tribes and reflective of tribal priorities, the President’s fiscal year 2015 budget request for Indian Affairs is $2.6 billion – a $33.6 million increase above the FY 2014 enacted level.
The April 24 summit, which will include panel discussions on economic development, tribal sovereignty and the impact of climate change on American Indian communities, will be held in the Suquamish Community House (House of Awakened Culture), located in the town of Suquamish on Bainbridge Island. The hosts have invited representatives from the nine tribes within the 6th Congressional District, including the Hoh, Lower Elwha, Makah, Quinault, Quileute, Jamestown S’Klallam, Port Gamble S’Klallam, and Skokomish.