Moving several tons of rocks and boulders by hand and dolly at Kukutali Preserve on Swinomish Reservation last week inched the local tribal community ever closer to a significant milestone.

A large work party did the heavy lifting to extend rock walls that create terraces in tidal flats to optimize clam production and increase species diversity at the site of the nation's first developing modern clam garden.

The assembly line was comprised of Swinomish members and staff plus representatives of nearly three dozen Pacific region tribes here to attend the multi-day Salish Summit.

Participants also spent time exploring area waters, learning about other stewardship efforts led by neighboring tribes and organizations and enjoying traditional meals prepared by Swinomish cooks.

The June 5 gathering in warm, sunny conditions at Kukutali – privately owned for eight decades before a landmark 2010 agreement allowed Swinomish and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to co-own and co-manage the pristine 84 acres for public use – was the summit's highlight.

Sought at various times as location of a commercial summer resort or nuclear power plant, Kukutali enjoys revered status with the Swinomish.

Generations ago, seasonal villages were established there to harvest plants and food. Clams were a key item on the natural menu, noted Joe Williams, a former Swinomish Tribal Senator now serving as the community's shellfish liaison through the tribe's fisheries department.

"This project goes back to the original stories of how these clam gardens work," he said. "It's important that we have to be good stewards here. To be in this place today, I feel full. I feel awesome."

Williams paid tribute to the late Lorraine Loomis, of Swinomish, who chaired the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission prior to her death in 2021. Williams credited Loomis with envisioning the rebirth of a clam garden at Kukutali.

"She lived for this," Williams said. "She wanted to make sure the next seven generations would be able to carry on our way of life.

"If you saw her in her free time," he added, "she was at the beach. It was her way of life. Lorraine didn't get to witness the start of our garden here, but we know she's with us in spirit."

Williams praised the foresight of former Swinomish Senate Chair Brian Cladoosby and his leadership team for partnering with the state to return Kukutali to public access. When the park was dedicated in 2010 the honored dignitaries included then-Gov. Christine Gregoire.

Swinomish Tribal Senate Vice-Chair Alana Quintasket likewise stressed the importance of tribal and public access at Kukutali.

"Welcome to our beautiful homelands," Quintasket said in remarks to Salish Summit participants. "I'm obsessed with them.

"But," she added, "I didn't get to come here until I was 18-years-old. We weren't allowed to come here because it was owned privately. I'm so uplifted, so happy to be able to come back to this place.

Quintasket offered a bilingual invocation in Lushootseed and English before dismissing the work party to the beach.

The Salish Summit was a key gathering of the Cross-Pacific Indigenous Aquaculture Collaborative, a project co-developed by Swinomish, Washington Sea Grant and other tribes, nations and organizations in Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Palau and Guam.

"The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community is excited to bring together indigenous communities across the Pacific and Coast Salish waters and celebrate indigenous marine management," Swinomish Environmental Policy Director Amy Trainer said in a release issued prior to the Summit.

She said the gathering was designed to share teachings about caretaking tidelands and the relationships that are central to indigenous aquaculture and food sovereignty.

Quintasket focused on the camaraderie evident as the assembly line formed and volunteers began tilling the clam garden's bed.

"These are my favorite kinds of days," she said, "where we can all work together."