The Quileute Tribe of Washington is meeting with Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Washington) on Thursday to discuss a dispute over the boundaries of the Olympic National Park.

The park was drawn around the tribe's reservation. Visitors must cross tribal land to get to popular beaches.

For the last 40 years, the tribe has been freely providing access amid talks to swap some land with the National Park Service. But earlier this year the tribe found out that the park has no power to transfer the land at issue because it falls within a wilderness area. Only Congress has the power in that case.

The tribe responded by closing access to Second Beach and Rialto Beach, two popular attractions within the park.

Dicks is the ranking Democrat on the House Interior Appropriations subcommittee.

Get the Story:
Quileute tribe, Dicks to meet regarding land disputes with Olympic National Park (The Peninsula Daily News 10/12)

Relevant Links:
Quileute Tribe, National Resources - http://www.quileutetribe.org
Olympic National Park - http://www.nps.gov/olym

Related Stories:
Quileute Tribe, National Park Service in dispute (10/5)