Open Rattlesnake Mountain to all. Tribal rights, limited public access can coexist | Opinion

The Biden administration wants to collaborate with local tribes on management of Rattlesnake Mountain. The partnership will bring overdue respect for the cultural and spiritual importance of the mountain. But any partnership also must ensure that the general public can enjoy the mountain, too.

Long-promised public access and tribal rights can coexist.

From the Tri-Cities, Rattlesnake Mountain looms on the horizon, an unreachable natural wonder that touches the sky. If one could reach the 3,600-foot summit on a calm, clear day, the vistas would be unparalleled. An entire region would come into view, from Mount Hood in Oregon to the White Bluffs of the Columbia River.

The mountain has been mostly off-limits for decades. In the 1940s, the federal government took over the land as part of the security buffer around the Hanford nuclear reservation. That was a necessary step to protect the facilities that produced two-thirds of America’s plutonium from World War II through the Cold War.

Eventually, Hanford stopped producing plutonium. In 2000, Rattlesnake Mountain and some surrounding lands were incorporated into the Hanford Reach National Monument.

The mountain, called Laliik in the native Saphatin language, is a sacred site for the Yakama Nation and other Northwest tribes. Treaty rights guarantee their access to the mountain for religious activities, but that has often been limited.

The federal government’s engaging with the Yakama, Umatilla, Nez Perce and Wanapum promises a new approach in which native culture is not sidelined, and the tribes have an active hand in managing the land.

“We heard tribal perspectives and we agree on the importance of continued collaboration to incorporate tribal knowledge and expertise in future stewardship of this important area of the Hanford Site,” Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said.

Even as the region celebrates greater tribal involvement, caution is warranted. In the past, the tribes have sought to keep everyone else off the mountain. Indeed, the memorandum of understanding that spells out the new cooperation nowhere mentions allowing anyone but the tribes to visit.

The Biden Administration must remember that this is public land and a national monument held in stewardship for all Americans. The administration has a legal mandate to ensure public access to the mountain. In 2014, Congress, at the urging of Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., passed a law that requires public access, including motorized access, to the summit. President Barack Obama signed the bill.

Legal public visits have been vanishingly rare, thanks in no small part to tribal objections. In 2015, when the federal government proposed allowing a handful of wildflower tours, the Yakama Nation filed a lawsuit to stop it. The tribes also successfully sought the removal of an observatory from the summit. At the time, it held the largest research telescope in Washington state.

Fear and distrust should not stand in the way of a shared future on the mountain. Tribes, the federal government, hikers and community leaders ought to be able to reach an accord that accommodates access for all.

Reserve part of the mountain and the summit for tribal use, especially at times of sacred gatherings and other cultural events. Then allow trail-restricted and road access to other parts of the mountain for the public. Punish anyone who refuses to follow the rules.

More than a lucky few selected by the tribes should be able to visit Rattlesnake Mountain on more than one or two days each year. Public access needn’t be all hours every day, but it should be at least as robust as the access that exists for the Hanford B Reactor which is open for tours about half of the days each month April to November.

Closing off the mountain would waste an educational opportunity, too. Visitors to Rattlesnake Mountain should learn about the cultural and spiritual heritage that connects it to the tribes. Interpretive signs and guides could transform a simple hike into so much more.

There’s a lot of land on Rattlesnake Mountain, enough for everyone to enjoy responsibly.

This story was originally published December 16, 2023 at 5:00 AM.