State Rep. Joel Kretz, R-7th (center) receives a ceremonial blanket from representatives of the Colville Confederated Tribes, 3-26-2024

State Rep. Joel Kretz, R-7th (center) receives a ceremonial blanket from representatives of the Colville Confederated Tribes on Tuesday. From left, Colville Councilmembers Steve Carson and Mel Tonasket, Kretz, unknown, Colville Tribes Chair Jarred-Michael Erickson and Councilmember Andy Joseph Jr.

 Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

OLYMPIA — 7th District State Rep. Joel Kretz and leaders of the Colville Confederated Tribes joined Gov. Jay Inslee in Olympia Tuesday for the signing of Kretz’s final bill as a state legislator.

Colville Tribes Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson and fellow tribal executives were on hand as Inslee signed Kretz’s House Bill 2424, which directs state wildlife agencies to collaborate closely with the tribes on wolf managements in the tribally-managed lands north of the Colville Reservation. 

The area is also known as the North Half, which the confederated tribes ceded to the U.S. government in 1892 while retaining traditional hunting and fishing rights there. The state and the tribes hold a cooperative agreement dating to 1998 that informs fish and wildlife practices on the North Half.

But management needs have changed since the 2008 return of the gray wolf, whose population now numbers an estimated 216 wolves in 37 packs. Kretz's bill requires the state to collaborate with the Colville tribes to update its 1998 agreement on management practices.

After the signing, the tribes gifted both Inslee and Kretz with ceremonial blankets. Kretz, a Republican from Wauconda, finished his final session in the state House of Representatives this month after 18 years holding the seat.