(The Center Square) – County officials say the Coeur d’Alene Tribe may build a fish hatchery in Spokane, but approval would also give the out-of-state group a seat on the health board and input on spending.
Jim Emacio, a special deputy prosecuting attorney, told the Spokane Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday that the tribe has requested to transfer nearby property it owns to a federal trust.
The tribe purchased the nearly 48-acre plot located within the city of Spokane a few years ago, but now wants to transfer it from a “fee” to “trust” status. Fee land is run-of-the-mill real estate under state law, but when transferred to a trust, the federal government holds the title for recognized tribes.
Upon transfer, the tribe would no longer have to pay property taxes, saving a modest $617 annually; however, recent changes in state law would also give the tribe representation with the health district.
“[The tribe is] going to use this property necessary to meet mitigation measures with regard to other properties they develop,” Emacio said. “Their long-term use may be a fish hatchery because this property is located near Latah Creek, and they’d like to connect to Latah Creek to the Spokane River.”
The Legislature passed a law in 2022 that required local health boards to include federally recognized tribes in that jurisdiction. There aren’t any tribal reservations in the county, but the law also extends to land trusts, which the Kalispell Tribe of Indians and the Spokane Tribe of Indians already hold there.
To initiate a transfer, the owner must submit a request to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, or BIA. The property must comply with environmental regulations for approval, but before that, BIA must notify the local government and gather local feedback before signing off on it.
The county commissioners drafted a letter to BIA making its case against the CDA land transfer, which they will vote on next week before sending it ahead of an Aug 30 deadline. Emacio said BIA gives a lot of weight to the land transfer requests, regardless of the distance from the tribe’s reservation.
The Center Square contacted the Coeur d’Alene, Spokane and Kalispell tribes over whether they plan to request seats on the Spokane Regional Health District’s Board of Health, but didn’t receive an immediate reply.
“This is just another example of [Sen. Marcus] Riccelli, [D-Spokane], pushing an agenda without fully understanding the consequences,” Commissioner Al French told The Center Square on Wednesday.
French raised concerns last month over the health board potentially doubling in membership because of the changes to state law. The CDA tribe’s ancestral lands stretch into eastern Washington, but its reservation is in Idaho. He worries that other out-of-state groups may also seize the opportunity.
There are 574 federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native Villages in the country, and according to the Native Project, a community health center, over 300 tribes have people living in Spokane County.
French said each of those tribes could potentially buy land in Spokane and transfer it to a trust status, awarding them seats on SRHD’s board and a say in local health decisions and the district’s spending.
He wants the Legislature to address the issue again next year, particularly around out-of-state tribes.
“As we know with other properties, the tribes are doing this,” Commissioner Mary Kuney said Tuesday regarding the transfer. “They buy with the intent, I think, with the fish hatchery, to try to help there at Latah Creek.”
