The Herald: Tribes, state will return to court over salmon
The Daily Herald of Everett reports on a future court date between the tribes and state to settle the Culvert Case
Billy Frank Jr. in the PI: Hands off the roadless areas
Billy Frank Jr, chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, wrote a piece about the importance of roadless areas in the Seattle PI:
There seems to be an excess of optimism around these days. People feel like we’ve turned a page, that things we considered not possible are now possible.
One of the previously hopeless fights I hope ends soon is the long legal battle over the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which has the potential to protect more than two million acres of pristine forests in Washington.
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The Olympian “thumbs down” on racist graffiti
For years there have been people in this community who have held on to their hate-filled beliefs that tribal fishers should not be allowed to harvest fish from the Nisqually. Courts have ruled otherwise, noting that treaties from the mid 1800s clearly give American Indians rights to fish and harvest other natural resources “in common” with settlers.
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Treaties
Introduction Indian people have always relied on the natural resources of this land. Their personal, cultural and spiritual survival depended on the ability to fish, hunt and gather the bountiful…
About Us
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is a natural resources management support service organization for 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington. Headquartered in Olympia, the NWIFC employs approximately 80…
Meat salvage returns traditional food to tribal tables
SKAGIT COUNTY (Feb. 8, 2008) – Many North Sound tribes traditionally relied on elk meat for sustenance. But these days there are fewer hunting opportunities because of diminishing quality habitat and declining elk populations.
Without sufficient harvest opportunities to feed their members, tribes turn to meat salvage. The proximity of the Upper Skagit Tribe’s reservation to Highway 20 puts the tribe in a prime location to retrieve animals that have been struck by vehicles. Each year, the tribe recovers three to five elk that have been killed on the road or illegally hunted.
In September, members of the Upper Skagit Tribe recovered a seven-point elk that was struck by a vehicle along Highway 20. The animal was towed from the bank of the Skagit River and shared with the Swinomish Tribe.
Culverts add obstacles to salmon, state, politics
The Seattle Times today reports on the culvert case ruling and the challenges of replacing fish-blocking culverts:
More than 1,676 culverts from Neah Bay to Walla Walla block more than 2,377 miles of potential salmon habitat. And those are just the culverts owned by the state Department of Transportation. Pipes owned and maintained by other state and local agencies add to the problem.
It’s been a well-known problem for years. But culverts recently became a big, costly liability for the state.
Last summer, U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo S. Martinez agreed with 20 of the state’s Indian tribes that the state has a duty to fix problem culverts because they diminish salmon runs, and that violates the tribes’ fishing rights guaranteed by treaties signed in the 19th century.
Being Frank: Support the Makah Nation
When five Makah tribal members conducted an unauthorized hunt for a gray whale off the coast of Washington last month, some people jumped to conclusions that just weren’t accurate. In no time, misinformation and baseless rumors about the incident were splattered around the world. Some reports even said the hunters used a machine gun to kill the whale. While untrue and later corrected by the media, many people were left with this false impression.
Court decides in favor of tribes in culvert case
The Seattle federal court decided in favor of treaty tribes in Western Washington in the so-called "Culvert Case." From the decision: The Court hereby declares that the right of taking…
Being Frank: Time Moves On, But Treaties Remain
One hundred and fifty-three years ago, tribes from throughout the South Puget Sound region gathered near a grove of trees at the mouth of the Nisqually River near what is now Olympia. These were powerful men and women — chiefs and other cultural leaders — who waited in a driving rain to hear the words of Isaac Stevens, Washington’s first Territorial Governor.