The Battle of the Species
Nature has established a rhythm through the millennia of our planet's existence. It's a rhythm that, for the sake of our children's children, society cannot continue to ignore. The result…
Being Frank: A Tribute To Kenny Braget
Kenny Braget's voice will always be with us. A cattle rancher and a neighbor of mine in the Nisqually Watershed, Kenny lived the life of a steward. He proved the belief that actions speak louder than words. No one's actions spoke louder than Kenny's. My lifelong friend passed away this summer, but his legacy will live on.
Being Frank: Help Save Turtle Island
The defeat of Initiative 933 and other results of the recent election instilled some new hope in me. Hope that there might be some public inclination, after all, to turn the tide of apathy. Hope that more of us might finally realize the most important things we can pass along to their children are pure water, clean air and abundant fish and wildlife. Now I know that much hope is a bit of pie in the sky. I don’t expect a raging fire of public discontent to suddenly flare up and demand that actions be taken to save the planet from degradation and pollution. I don’t expect to suddenly see all the dams removed, solar panels sprout on every house, and urban sprawl to stop dead in its tracks. But maybe, just maybe, the election results will fan an ember—a spark of understanding that could generate momentum toward our goal to sustain Turtle Island in a way our descendants will be able to continue.
Salmon Are Killed By More Than Just Fishing
OLYMPIA (April 5, 2005) – Did you take a shower this morning? Eat a bowl of cereal? Drive to work? If you did any of those things, you killed wild salmon.
You see, millions of other folks did the same thing. Together, these and other everyday activities take a toll on salmon and the habitat they need to survive.
No one is telling you to stop showering, eating, driving to work or any of the other things you do each day. So why do some people keep saying that the tribes should stop fishing?
Strong Laws Will Protect Salmon
November 1, 2004
We need good, strong laws to protect salmon.
King, Pierce and other counties surrounding Puget Sound are strengthening habitat protection rules by updating their Critical Area Ordinances. These rules are required under the Growth Management Act. They protect water quality, prevent flood damage and make sure new development doesn’t harm salmon.
Making these rules stronger is a great idea. They will prevent trees from being cut down along salmon streams and keep oily water from running off our roads and into Puget Sound. They will protect what salmon need most, good habitat and cool clean water.
Tribes Won’t Stop Fishing, Recovery Efforts
October 18, 2002
Treaty Indian salmon fishermen are struggling. There’s no market for our product.
We can’t compete with cheaper farmed Atlantic salmon, even though everyone knows that our Pacific salmon is better – better tasting and better for you.
All of our salmon comes onto the market in about a six-month period. Then it’s gone. Farmed salmon – from Chile and Norway and elsewhere – is heavily subsidized by those countries and is available year round. Restaurants and grocery stores like farmed salmon because it’s uniform in size and color. It can be sent almost anywhere in the world overnight. And it’s cheap.
Being Frank: At The Confluence Of The Centuries
The confluence of the centuries should be like the joining of two rivers. As they merge, the memories of countless moments and places should fold one unto another, and form a deeper, broader flow of knowledge. As the 19th Century merged into the 20th, my father was a young man. He lived his whole life on the Nisqually River. He was born in a wooden longhouse to parents who had lived on the same river throughout their lives. The heritage of the Nisqually has been passed from generation to generation for thousands of years. As my father grew, he learned to fish, hunt and gather everything from cedar bark to a multitude of wild fruits and vegetables. He learned the legacies of stewardship.