Recently I noted that a trail in Olympic National Park, the one to Second Beach, had been closed by park officials because the Quileute Tribe had decided to close access to the trailhead and the parking lot, which are on tribal land.
    Now we know why. The tribe has been trying to negotiate a land swap with the National Park Service since the beginning of the year. Tribal leaders say the swap is necessary to move the tribe's village at LaPush out of the tsunami zone. Recently, though, park officials said the land that the tribe wanted was located in a wilderness area and couldn't be swapped. That's when the tribe shut off access to the trailhead and parking lot.
    Now U.S. Representative Norm Dicks is getting involved in the negotiations. Let's hope he can break the stalemate.