Hoh Indian Tribe

The Hoh River (chalak'At'sit, or "the southern river") is central to the history, economy and culture of the tribe. Established in September of 1893, the Hoh Indian Reservation covers 443 acres of land on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula. The tribe shares a language with the Quileute. In 2010, additional land was transferred to the tribe under the Hoh Indian Tribe Safe Homelands Act, in order to allow the tribe to move to land outside the tsunami zone if necessary.

Hoh Tribe Area of Concern:

The tribe monitors and manages land in WRIA 20 and 21, including the Hoh River and several tributaries draining into the Pacific. About 20% of the Hoh River basin lies within Olympic National Park, and another 60% is forest owned and managed by private companies and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Commercial logging occurs in all watersheds within the basin, impacting water quality and flow regimes. Major concerns include land degradation from commercial use and development, reinforcement of river banks, and invasive knotweed. Since 2002, the Hoh tribe has worked to eradicate knotweed from the watershed.

Natural Resource Management:

• In 2008, the Hoh tribe conducted a genetic study to determine the extent to which hatchery-raised steelhead, released annually near the reservation, have contributed to the genetic structure of native steelhead.
• In 2005, tribal biologists dove into several streams with wetsuits and snorkel masks to count young coho. They also measured water temperature, dissolved oxygen, woody debris, and gravel size. The stream and fish surveys, conducted in Owl, Anderson, and Winfield creeks, were used to inform fisheries decisions and monitor habitat quality and changes in stream habitat.
• In 2004, the tribe began using a new tracking method to discover where coho prefer to spend the winter. Fisheries crews trapped young coho and implanted a fluorescent marker in the anal fin of each fish. Information on winter habitat can help predict adult returns and help correlate fish activity to weather patterns and water levels.

Map of Tribal Lands

Hoh Indian Tribe
PO Box 2196
Forks,WA 98331

Phone: (360) 374-6582
Fax: (360) 374-6549

Chairperson: Maria Lopez
Fisheries Contact: Joe Gilbertson
Website: hohtribe-nsn.org

(Source: http://www.goia.wa.gov/tribal-information/Tribes/hoh.htm and NWIFC)