Their removal follows years of work by northern California tribes for whom salmon are more than a source of food. They are cultural and spiritual icons whose annual return is celebrated in song, dance and feasting. Key to the salmon’s return is the 2010 Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement signed in 2010 by the states of California and Oregon, many local gov- ernments, PacificCorp, irrigators, conser- vation and fishing groups and tribes. See QR codes at the end of the story. Five tribes in Eastern Washing- ton – the Colville, Kalispel, Kootenai, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene – launched a similar effort in 1982. UCUT [the Upper Columbia United Tribes] has taken what it calls a “proactive, collaborative, science-based approach to promoting fish, water, wildlife, diverse habitats and Indian culture” that has been signifi- cantly altered by nearly a century of hydroelectric developments along the Columbia River. The project’s reach spans some 14 million acres of aboriginal territory that holds 500 miles of waterways, 40 interi- or lakes and 30 dams and reservoirs that have blocked the upriver migration of spawning salmon. Together, the spon- soring tribes manage about two million acres. UCUT’s initial focus is on moving Chinook and Sockeye salmon over or around Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams. You can learn more on their website but initial study results are very positive. See QR code. Tribal outreach and entrepreneur- ship in action. There is much more work to be done on the fish and wildlife front, but first Congress needs to address its Trust Responsibility to tribes. The annual $100 million shortfall in funding needs to be honored when the 118th Congress convenes in January, 2024.
Methow River, logs providing hiding cover for fish, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, northeast Washington.
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Traditional Knowledge
Salmon 1
California bighorn sheep reintroduction, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, northeast Washington.
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Evergreen
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