Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Indian Country Today has a story about the 157th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Point Elliott. The article highlights the importance of the rights reserved by the tribes in 1855.

At the annual Treaty Days commemoration in the Swinomish Smokehouse January 21, one leader talked of how, as a child, he saw his parents get arrested for fishing without a state license, even

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The Tulalip Tribes have been working with Werkhoven Dairy farm to turn cow manure into sustainable energy.

The Seattle Times:

Like so many dairy farmers, the Werkhovens felt the pinch in 2008 when milk prices plunged, hay prices rose and there was the ever-present issue of finding appropriate ways to dispose of waste. Right and left, dairies were going under — even those like the

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Years of agriculture, development and other human activity have led to declines in salmon runs throughout Puget Sound. One reason is that these activities lead to a reduction in the stream flows needed for salmon to spawn and migrate.

In the lower 48 states, only the Skagit River is home to all five species of Pacific salmon.

“The Swinomish Tribe is committed to protecting salmon and …

The Tulalip Tribes recently honored retiring regional Forest Service Supervisor Rob Iwamoto for his work to protect tribal treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather on the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

From the Marysville Globe:

“Rob is a great listener,” said Libby Halpin Nelson, environmental policy analyst for the Treaty Rights Office of the Natural Resources Department of the Tulalip Tribes, who serves as a liaison

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Lummi Nation Natural Resources Director Merle Jefferson has a column in the Bellingham Herald expressing the tribe’s concerns about a proposed deep-water port terminal at Cherry Point:

What we know now is that this proposed development would be the largest to date at Cherry Point, and would substantially impact the ability of Lummi fishermen to exercise their treaty rights.

The Gateway Pacific pier, planned to be

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The Huffington Post has a story about Washington state’s fish consumption rate, which is used to set water quality standards. The state is using an outdated rate that doesn’t reflect how much seafood is eaten by residents of the Pacific Northwest, especially among treaty Indian tribes.

From the story:

For many communities, the consequences also go beyond just health concerns.

“Traditional families are still very

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Skagit County recently sent a letter to landowners and has held meetings blaming tribes and the salmon recovery effort for development closures in the Fisher, Carpenter and Nookachamps basins.

In response, the Swinomish Tribe has put together a fact sheet to clarify some points:

• Skagit County specifically agreed to stop issuing building permits if new wells would be harmful to salmon. Both the Department of Fish

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State environmental regulators have proposed increasing the fish consumption rate used to determine water quality safety standards.

The state’s current rate of 6.5 grams a day was set in the mid-1980s, but officials believe Washington residents eat much more than that.

And members of fishing tribes in western Washington eat even more fish and shellfish than the average person.

The Associated Press reports:

Several tribes

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The Tulalip Tribes held a workshop about gathering traditional plants on public lands.

Press release:

Representatives from numerous Washington Tribes, and Officials from the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the State of Washington Department of Natural Resources and other agencies wrapped up two days of initial discussions that the Tribes hope will lead to greater focus on the management of plants vital to

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