KENNEWICK, Wash. – The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) was awarded the Governor’s Smart Communities Award on Tue., March 12 for its collaboration in restoring Clover Island.
The awards were presented at the Clover Island Lighthouse Plaza to the CTUIR, Port of Kennewick, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Walla Walla District, Washington Recreation and Conservation Office, Benton County and the City of Kennewick.
The project started in 2008 when port officials started a search for partners to help revitalize the island’s eroding and concrete-covered shoreline into a stable habitat with upland development, artwork and recreational amenities.
Additions to the island include a lighthouse, the Clover Island Riverwalk, public art installations, a renovated boat launch, scenic viewpoints and more.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, I’d like to congratulate the Port of Kennewick and its partners for outstanding work done for the Clover Island Shoreline Restoration Project and Wiyákuktpa (The Gathering Place),” said CTUIR Chairman Gary I. Burke. “These projects were done in support and partnership with the CTUIR to enhance aquatic and wildlife habitat, improve public access to the Clover Island shoreline and education and outreach on the tribal history of the island.”
The CTUIR and other restoration project partners were selected for the award for their multiyear, multiphase and collaborative effort to restore Clover Island.
