Herald reports on EPA grants to tribes
The Daily Herald of Everett reported on the $2 million in grants awarded to tribes by the EPA, describing how the Stillaguamish and Tulalip tribes plan to use the money:…
State of Our Watersheds
NWIFC's 2025 State of Our Watersheds Report is now available as a PDF to download in its entirety (218 MB). A compressed file (25 MB) is available here. Individual chapters…
Message from Chairperson
Welcome to our web site. Webs, nets, networks -- these are not new tools to us. The 20 treaty tribes of western Washington have used these tools for thousands of…
Framework
The SSHIAP approach to characterizing freshwater salmon and steelhead habitat conditions relies on information derived from 1:24,000-scale maps and GIS coverages, aerial photographs, field surveys, existing databases, historical records, and…
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…
Coast Salish leaders commit to environmental action
Indian Country Today reports on the Coast Salish Gathering: TULALIP, Wash. - ''Enough talk, it's time for action.'' Billy Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, summed up…
Opinions from over the weekend on culvert case
Both the Seattle Times and PI ran editorials praising the culvert case decision from last week. From the Seattle Times: A federal judge articulated and reinforced a long-standing deal with…
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.
How Important Is Water?
OLYMPIA (August 2, 2005) ─ Think about it. Nothing is more important than water. You drink it every day. You bathe your children in it. Water quality is the foundation of salmon recovery efforts. Yet, nothing is so neglected.
The state’s water quality standards should be updated to fit the needs of society and the environment—at least annually. They’re just too important to disregard. But it has been a decade and a half since the standards have been comprehensively updated, and that is a tragedy in the making.
Diminished water quality is more than a nuisance; it’s a killer. Worldwide, millions of people and untold numbers of fish and wildlife die from water-borne diseases and impure water every year. Whether you’re talking viruses, bacteria, complex chemicals or heavy metals, we have many of the killer poisons in our own fresh and salt water back yards. And, sure enough, Pacific Northwest fish, wildlife and people do die as a result.