It is time for Seattle City Light to address the damage its three hydroelectric dams have caused over the past 100 years to the Skagit River, the tribes who have always lived here and their treaty-reserved fishing rights.
Treaty tribes and our state salmon co-managers are looking ahead to another grim year of fishing because of poor ocean conditions that reduce marine survival, and the ongoing loss of freshwater habitat.
Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington strongly support proposed state legislation to place a statue of the late natural resources and civil rights champion Billy Frank Jr. to replace Marcus Whitman in our nation’s capital. We think Washington should join 10 other states that since 2000 …
Already robust levels of hiking, camping, boating and every other kind of outdoor recreation in our region has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic as many try to cure the effects of cabin fever.
Habitat loss and damage is the driving factor for the decline of salmon in our region. It doesn’t discriminate and never stops. Every hour of every day it kills salmon, including salmon listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).
This fall marks the 50th anniversary of an event that sparked the landmark ruling by federal Judge George Boldt in U.S. v. Washington that upheld our treaty-reserved rights to hunt, fish and gather.
I wish there were better news in our 2020 State of Our Watersheds Report that will be released later this month, but at best we are treading water on a few indicators of the overall health of our region’s environment, while losing ground on most others.
What we don’t know about populations of harbor seals and California sea lions in western Washington could be hurting salmon, orcas and other marine species — as well as fishing communities and economies — far more than we think.
Like communities across Washington, treaty Indian tribes are coping with what we all hope are the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic that has disrupted every part of our daily lives, economies and traditions.
The greatest obstacle to salmon recovery in western Washington is that we continue to lose salmon habitat faster than it can be fixed and protected. Until that changes, salmon populations will continue to decline.
Treaty tribes are encouraged by cooperative efforts with federal and state natural resources managers and others to monitor and stem the invasion of European green crab across western Washington.
Treaty tribes are encouraged that the Washington State Legislature may finally put an end to the destructive practice of suction dredge mining, for the protection of threatened salmon and their habitat as well as southern resident orcas that depend on salmon.
Twenty years ago, West Coast groundfish stocks such as sole and rockfish were in serious trouble. Decades of overfishing had brought their populations to the cliff edge of collapse. In 2000 federal managers declared a fishery disaster and closed huge sections of the ocean to further harvest.
Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are greatly encouraged by Gov. Jay Inslee’s recent commitment to challenge the status quo and take steps needed for salmon recovery.
The Billy Frank Jr. Salmon Coalition is looking forward to another year of working together to accomplish responsible management through responsible leadership.
The “P” in EPA stands for Protection, but the federal Environmental Protection Agency is failing to protect our water and our health. Instead, EPA plans to allow more known toxic cancer-causing chemicals to enter our water supply.
Treaty tribes are encouraged by fish passage improvement projects in the Puget Sound region and other projects that will open access to many miles of good salmon spawning and rearing habitat. They are clear examples of the kinds of action we need to take to recover salmon populations.
Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are outraged that the Environmental Protection Agency is advancing the agenda of a small group of industrial polluters to undermine public health, science and decades of hard work by rolling back the water quality standards that we have been impleme…
Outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer Patagonia recently released “Artifishal,” a misguided documentary full of misinformation about the role hatcheries play in salmon recovery.
Each April for the past 35 years I’ve said the same thing: This was the most challenging North of Falcon process we’ve ever had. Every year that’s true as the tribal and state salmon co-managers’ job of sharing and rebuilding a steadily shrinking resource becomes more difficult.
We must stop treating Puget Sound like a sewer if we are going to restore the fish, shellfish, wildlife and other natural resources it supports. That’s why we are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stand strong in the face of challenges to water quality improvements.
Treaty tribes in western Washington are concerned that Gov. Jay Inslee’s two-year $54 billion budget now before the state Legislature will not adequately fund culvert replacement. We are thankful, however, that the governor’s proposal fixes a $2.5 million shortfall that threatens the region’…
A recent Washington Supreme Court ruling has strengthened a state law aimed at protecting the waters, shorelines and streambanks essential to salmon recovery. The ruling also reflects the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the culvert case that the state has a duty to protect habitat so that salmo…
In an unfortunate reversal, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has decided to reconsider our state’s new water quality standards – the most protective in the nation – based on an industry trade group petition that argues the rules will increase their cost of doing business.