Our Work in Action
Projects That Serve Our People and Land
Explore our current efforts and the many projects we’ve completed to create jobs, improve infrastructure, and protect the Makah community for generations to come.
Current Focus
Testing Mercury Levels to Protect Our Community
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We have reason to believe that we will find significant amounts of mercury at the targeted mining sites as represented in a map of Washington mining districts. At Lake Ozette in Olympic National Park, there is currently a Washington State Department of Health advisory that no one should eat largemouth bass or northern pikeminnow from Lake Ozette due to high mercury levels. However, details on the exact levels of Hg in the lake are not publicly available. RDSA has been working towards acquiring funding to conduct our own testing of soil and biological material to determine the mercury contamination levels affecting our community.
RDSA would like to test fish and crab for mercury contamination to justify collecting soil samples. We will gather samples of subsistence fish and crab from local fishermen to send to the lab in Calgary. This will allow us to measure the amount of mercury in the fish that are currently being sold to tribal members for their everyday diets.
Past Projects
Where We’ve Made a Difference
Browse our completed projects and see how we’ve turned ideas into lasting impact.
2025
Testing for Mercury Contamination in Tribal Land and Subsistence Fish
This grant from Philanthropy Northwest will allow the RDSA team to collect data on the mercury levels in the soil and subsistence fish to determine if Makah tribal members have been consuming unnecessary amounts of mercury (Hg) as a result of the previous mining activities conducted in the area that exposed mercury to the land and water contaminating local fish. Lack of knowledge around Hg contamination in the region is a big problem, and the RDSA team will be addressing that problem by creating a dataset of Hg concentrations in the area.
Funder
Philanthropy Northwest Thriving Communities Grant Program
Amount
$150,000
Building Capacity of the Local Fishing Industry
This grant from the USDA is for an in-progress project rehabilitating two commercial fishing vessels, a 1974 Caterpillar Snowball 40’ fishing boat (‘Mariah Mae’) and a 1990 2-engine Cummins 32’ fishing boat (‘Phoenix’). The repair of the fishing vessels will create several jobs for local fishermen. The lack of operating fishing vessels has forced multiple community members to seek work outside of the tribal community and local area.
Funder
USDA Rural Business Development Project
Amount
$99,818.00
Expanding Industrial Freezer Capacity
This grant from the OWDC complemented the which provided us with additional freezer crates to increase our capacity to store local bait and fish for distribution.
Funder
Olympic Workforce Development Council
Amount
$9,910.45
2024
Rural Business Development Project
RDSA was awarded the USDA Rural Business Development grant to purchase an industrial freezer and necessary supplies to accompany it. The project will create four new jobs in the community and support three existing jobs in the community. The fridge has been installed and will soon be used by local fishermen, the local fishing cooperative, and the local food bank.
Funder
United States Department of Agriculture
Amount
$37,620.00
2020
WA Equity Relief Fund for Nonprofits
This grant was allocated for the purchase of a new engine and installation, which provided employment opportunities for both handicapped tribal fishermen and their counterparts on commercial fishing vessels engaged in treaty fisheries. These individuals would have otherwise faced a significant disadvantage in a highly competitive, time-sensitive fishery that offered no respite or accommodation for those with disabilities.
Funder
Philanthropy Northwest and the Washington State Department of Commerce
Amount
$50,000.00
2017
Derelict Vessel Removal
RDSA provided in-kind services to the Makah Tribe in the removal and transport of twelve derelict vessels ranging from 32’ to 46’ in length from the Makah Marina to the Makah Rock Quarry in the summer of 2017. This work by RDSA resulted in tremendous cost savings to the Makah Tribe.
Funder
Makah Forestry
Amount
N/A (in-kind services)
2014
Emergency Dock Construction
​RDSA was contracted by Cape Flattery Fishermen’s Cooperative to contract an emergency fish off load dock. RDSA was contracted for $37,5000 to build a new dock between January and March 2014 and the project was completed in time for the Halibut fishing season and employed six local tribal members. The Makah Dock constructed by RDSA continues to be used in 2025.
Funder
Cape Flattery Fishermen’s Cooperative
Amount
$37,500.00
