Kiket Island, is now open to all of us, at any time of the day.
After four years of planning how to best protect this special place, and fundraising for a parking lot, we are proud to announce that your newest Washington State Park is available to everyone.
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Commissioner Lucinda (Cindy) Whaley and Swinomish Tribal Chairman Brian Cladoosby plant a maple tree near the parking lot of the Kukutali Preserve. Rather than just put in a ceremonial shovel full of dirt, the two dignitaries filled in the entire base of the tree!
The parking lot is located on Snee-Oosh Road, on the west side of the Swinomish Reservation. It only holds seven cars, so come before the crowds discover the island’s delights.
It is open during daylight hours, seven days a week. Some special rules apply, such as walking access only, no shell-fish harvesting, and pack out what you pack in. Come enjoy!
At a special ceremony Monday, the Kukutali Management Board, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission members celebrated the many years of joint planning and negotiations to create a preserve that preserves the beauty and natural environments of the island while allowing no-impact public use.
Chairman Cladoosby of the Swinomish Tribe and Washington State Parks Director Don Hoch gave keynote speeches honoring the work that went into the process of acquiring the island with grants and donations, and the work of crafting a management plan that follows the vision of protection for this remarkable place.
Kukutali Preserve is the first park in the United States to be co-owned and co-managed by a tribe and another government such as a state.
The island was always within the reservation created by the United States in their treaty with the Swinomish tribe. But it had been lost to the tribe when those lands were made vulnerable to sale by the Dawes Act in the 1880s, and consequently sold to a private citizen in the early twentieth century. It is a remarkable story of return and rebirth to have it restored to its rightful owners.
And adding it to the Deception Pass State Park area makes the island available to all citizens of Washington, with the responsibility now for all of us to give it the protection and honor that it deserves as a place that can be cherished.