Northwest Indian College Acquires Legoe Bay Property, Reconnecting College to Its Origins
Northwest Indian College has acquired a Legoe Bay property on Lummi Island to serve as an educational center supporting teaching, learning, research and community gatherings. Located adjacent to the original site of the Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture (LISA), the property represents far more than a new facility – it is a renewed commitment to place, history, and future generations.
For NWIC, this property acquisition is both symbolic and practical. It creates a permanent gathering place where students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members can learn together while reconnecting with one of the most significant places in the College’s history.
Northwest Indian College traces its origins to LISA, a single-purpose training program founded in 1973 to prepare Tribal members to operate fish and shellfish hatcheries throughout Indian Country. LISA was established at Legoe Bay (Meltona), on the western shore of Lummi Island, where students learned through direct engagement with the marine environment. The location itself holds deep significance. Legoe Bay has long been an important place for the Lhaq’temish (Lummi) community, and is closely connected to traditional fishing practices, including reef net fishing. It was here that education and community came together in ways that continue to shape NWIC today.
Following the Lummi Indian Business Council’s recognition of the need for a more comprehensive post-secondary institution for Tribal members, LISA evolved into Lummi Community College in 1983. It then became Northwest Indian College in 1989, and has grown into an accredited four-year and distance-learning institution.
“The acquisition of this property in Legoe Bay, Lummi Island, is one way for Northwest Indian College to honor our past. Our past leaders dared to dream of economic prosperity at a time when many of our people didn’t have hope for the future. That dream resulted in the Lummi Aquaculture project and Lummi Indian School of Aquaculture. This history has lessons about Self-Determination, Tribal Leadership, Tribal Economic Development, Strategic Planning/Thinking, Culturally Rooted Programming, and many more. These lessons will all continue to be taught at Northwest Indian College, in the place where these lessons happened, for generations to come,” said Northwest Indian College President Dr. Lexie Tom (Lummi Nation). “I want to thank everyone at Northwest Indian College and LIBC who participated in this acquisition,” she continued.
Although NWIC’s main campus relocated years ago, the College has continued to bring students, faculty, staff and community members back to the original LISA site through field experiences and educational visits. These gatherings have helped preserve the history of NWIC, while strengthening relationships among generations of students, alumni, and community members. It became clear that there was a growing need for a permanent educational space where NWIC and the community could continue gathering in the future.
After the Legoe Bay cottage became available for purchase in August 2025, a vision began to take shape for a permanent educational center located adjacent to the original LISA site. The goal was to create a place where classes, program retreats, strategic planning sessions, student gatherings, research activities and community events could all take place in a setting deeply connected to NWIC’s history and mission.
Having lovingly cared for the property for eight years, Richard and Julia Lowe shared NWIC’s excitement about seeing the home become part of the College’s future and reconnection with its historical roots.
“The LISA project touched many Lummi families. My father, Jimmy Wilson, was employed at the school and was involved at many levels as LISA evolved into NWIC. Our family conversations were filled with excitement about what was happening there. Seeing the relationship between Northwest Indian College and the site continue to grow feels natural and organic. It is exciting to see this place continue serving future generations,” said NWIC Wellness Coordinator Heather Jefferson (Lummi Nation).
The Legoe Bay Educational Center will provide accessible indoor and outdoor space for teaching, meetings, retreats and community gatherings. The ADA-accessible property includes multiple meeting spaces, two kitchens, two bathrooms, classrooms, outdoor gathering areas, and gardens overlooking the water. Its proximity to the original LISA site makes it uniquely suited for place-based education and experiential learning.
The property’s boathouse also creates future opportunities to support NWIC’s expanding fleet of traditional canoes and teaching vessels, including the College’s new 42-foot teaching vessel. Designed as a shore-landing vessel capable of accessing locations without docks, the boat was envisioned from the beginning as a way to bring students back to places like Legoe Bay.
“Collaborating on this project with Heather Jefferson – NWIC’s Wellness Coordinator, NWIC alumna, and Lummi community member – has been incredibly meaningful to me. Her father, Jimmy Wilson, was one of the first people who taught me about the significance of the LISA site and Legoe Bay when I first came to Northwest Indian College nearly 25 years ago,” said Dr. Emma Norman, NWIC’s Native Environmental Science Department Chair. “This project honors those teachings and the many families whose lives have been intertwined with this place.”
Together, the vessel and educational center expand opportunities for field-based education, environmental research, cultural learning, and community engagement throughout Lummi homelands and the Salish Sea.
The acquisition of the Legoe Bay property reflects Northwest Indian College’s enduring commitment to Indigenous education that is grounded in place, relationships, and community. As the College continues expanding opportunities for students, Legoe Bay once again becomes a place of learning – a place where history, education, community, environmental protection and future generations come together.
**Photos shared with permission/courtesy of “Photography by Grant Parker for Evergreen Lens”
