Tribes. Treaty Rights. That’s what we’re all about. This week, the treaty tribes in western Washington are launching a new communications effort called Northwest Treaty Tribes: Protecting Natural Resources for Everyone. At first blush, the only change you’ll notice is that instead of getting tribal natural resources news from social media and web platforms of […]
Will a wall of warm water prevent salmon from migrating into the Puyallup River watershed this year? High temperatures and low river flows are combining for what might be a remarkably bad salmon return. To better understand the conditions, the Puyallup Tribe has more than doubled the number of temperature monitors in the watershed to […]
SHELTON – A combination of dam removal and aggressive habitat restoration has meant record runs of juvenile coho salmon in Goldsborough Creek for 2015. This year’s run of 113,000 juveniles counted by the Squaxin Island Tribe continues a strong trend of increasing the number of juvenile coho leaving the Goldsborough watershed. The previous record was […]
The Nisqually Indian Tribe regularly samples juvenile salmon as they head out to the open ocean. This is how they get a better understanding of how salmon habitat helps salmon grow and survive. Watch as tribal researchers deploy a beach seine to sample some salmon in Puget Sound: Watch the Nisqually Tribe sample juvenile salmon […]
From the Seattle Times: Washington state is under a federal court order to fix hundreds of barriers built under state roads and highways that block access for migrating salmon and thus interfere with Washington tribes’ treaty-backed right to catch fish. But it’s not clear how the state is going to come up with the estimated […]
From the Seattle Times this morning: Three conservation groups on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to change how it regulates seawalls, bulkheads or other barriers to increase habitat protections along Puget Sound shorelines. Such concrete or rock structures prevent erosion and protect waterfront homes, but they also alter beaches and disrupt habitat […]
From the Bellingham Herald yesterday on an effort underway to honor Billy Frank Jr.: “It comes with a bit of heartache that we have a street named Indian Street, because that means so many different things to so many different people,” Murphy said during an afternoon council meeting June 15. “So many people identify with […]
Thanks to a concerted effort by staff at the Nisqually Tribe’s community garden, tribal members can have regular access to nettles, an important traditional food. Nettles – despite their stinging reputation – are a highly nutritious and seasonally important plant to the tribe’s culture. Nettles begin growing in early spring. Until then, tribal members would […]
Coho in the Deschutes River are in trouble. In fact, every three years, no coho at all return to the river. The results of a study recently completed by the Squaxin Island Tribe point to a deadly combination of a lack of trees making their way into the river and high concentrations of sediment. Each […]
The Squaxin Island Tribe recently constructed a floating upwelling system (FLUPSY) to help maintain a growing shellfish enhancement program. “This gives us much more flexibility in our shellfish growing operation,” said Eric Sparkman, the tribe’s shellfish management biologist. “By buying seed, raising and holding it until we’re ready to plant, we are much more efficient.” […]
