In July 1971, the Swinomish tribal council voted to close 15 miles of beachland on their reservation to non-Indians. At issue were the general despoliation of the land and the depletion of marine life. The Swinomish were attempting to rebuild and preserve the diminishing butter clam population. Though outsiders were required to obtain a permit and observe state shellfish restrictions to dig on the tribe's tidelands, many ignored the limits, taking away far more than the allotted 10 pounds of clams.

In a small ceremony, tribal council vice-president Ray Charles, shown here, hung a No Trespassing sign on the beach which read, in part, "Picking oysters and digging clams is prohibited by law on tribal lands except by permission of Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. " The Swinomosh beach closure followed similar recent restrictions by the Quinault and Lummi tribes to protect property and prevent the depletion of sea life.

Caption information source: "Swinomish bar beaches to outsiders" by Rick Anderson, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, July 13, 1971, p. A35
Caption information also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.