1,083 Acres of Olympic National Park Land Transferred to Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Permanently Banning Gaming

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Project Lands Restoration Act is straightforward: it takes approximately 1,082.63 acres of specific federal land—currently part of the Olympic National Park—and places it into trust for the benefit of the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. This land immediately becomes part of the Tribe’s Reservation.

The Land Transfer: What’s Different?

Typically, when federal land is transferred, there are long, complex processes involving valuation, appraisal, and equalization requirements to ensure the government is getting fair market value or an equal exchange. Section 2 of this Act explicitly skips all that bureaucratic red tape for this transfer. This means the 1,083 acres are transferred directly and quickly into trust status, streamlining the restoration of this land base to the Tribe. For the Tribe, this means faster access and control over land management decisions.

River Management and the Environmental Lock-In

One of the most important provisions for the environment—and anyone who enjoys the outdoors—concerns the Elwha River. The portion of the river that runs through this newly transferred land must be managed according to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. This is a powerful designation that protects the river’s free-flowing condition, water quality, and scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural, or other similar values. This essentially locks in a high level of environmental protection for that segment of the river, ensuring that the ecological restoration efforts already underway in the Elwha River ecosystem remain protected.

The Catch: No Casinos Allowed

While this transfer expands the Tribe’s land base, the bill includes a very specific restriction under Section 2(e): the land cannot be considered “Indian lands” for the purposes of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. This is a clear, non-negotiable prohibition on using these specific 1,083 acres for any gaming or casino development under federal law. This provision ensures that, while the land is returned to tribal control, it is strictly earmarked for non-gaming uses.

What This Means for the Rest of Us

For the average person, this bill has two main takeaways. First, it’s a clear move toward restoring a specific land base to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, which is an exercise in tribal sovereignty and land restoration. Second, by immediately subjecting the river segment to Wild and Scenic River protections, it ensures that a key piece of the Elwha ecosystem—a major focus of environmental restoration in recent years—is permanently safeguarded. This clarity is a win for conservationists. Finally, the bill confirms that this transfer doesn’t touch any existing rights secured by the 1855 Treaty, meaning the Tribe’s foundational legal relationship with the U.S. remains unchanged, even as their land base grows.