Heron's Nest returned to the Duwamish Tribe

What happened

The Duwamish Tribe, which lacks federal recognition and has no reservation, now manages Heron's Nest, a 3.56-acre parcel on a ridge less than a mile west of Seattle's industrial district. Underscore Native News, republished by Next City, reports the land was under the complete management of the Tribe as of June 13, 2026, according to Shared Spaces Foundation and a Duwamish Tribe press release.

Here is how it happened, per the same report. In 2020, Shared Spaces Foundation's founders were shown the land and spent a year paying property tax out of pocket while they cleared vehicles and litter. According to the foundation, the previous owners had dumped lead, arsenic and other materials there; the site is no longer on the state's list of contaminated sites. In 2021 Seattle awarded the foundation a $900,000 grant from its Strategic Investment Fund to buy the land, with the promise that it would be given to the Tribe. The arrangement gave the Tribe time to raise funds and build capacity to manage the land.

Duwamish leaders describe what they intend. Tribal Council Chairwoman Cecile Hansen said, as quoted by Buffalo's Fire, that the Tribe will continue to heal and nourish the land using its traditional cultural practices to benefit members, the larger community and future generations. Vice Chair Nancy Sackman said any land the Tribe gets is a huge event because it does not have a reservation.

Good to know. The Tribe now manages the land, but reports do not say whether title went to the Tribe or to its nonprofit, Duwamish Tribal Services. The Duwamish Tribe is not federally recognized.

Summarized with AI assistance from 4 sources and checked against their words; not yet reviewed by historians or by the nations. Report an error