Northwest Treaty Tribes

Northwest Treaty Tribes

@nwtreatytribes.org

Protecting Natural Resources for Everyone nwtreatytribes.org A news service of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission nwifc.org

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Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

Data centers and dams are among emerging and legacy threats to Northwest salmon populations. “Real, big monsters in the world threaten to eat and consume all of us,” said renowned actress Lily Gladstone. nwtt.co/ps

nwtreatytribes.orgDams, data centers, climate change: Northwest tribes confront major threats to salmon - Northwest Treaty TribesAs tribes in the Northwest work against the current to restore habitat and rebuild salmon populations, more threats to the…
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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Alpine meadows, huckleberries and other natural resources are increasingly threatened by the effects of climate change. “We need our youth to steward these resources into the future so we don’t lose them,” said Melissa Gobin of the Tulalip Tribes. nwtreatytribes.org/future-stewa...

nwtreatytribes.orgFuture stewards explore mountain meadows - Northwest Treaty TribesThe red leaves of huckleberry plants. The cotton-like formation around the seed pods of fireweed. The white clusters of flowers…
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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The fourth Rise Up Northwest (RUN) conference was an inspiring affair last week, with a speech from Lily Gladstone capping off discussions about how dams, data centers and other development proposals impede and threaten salmon recovery efforts in the Northwest.

Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is waiting for the federal administration to approve the transfer of 1,100 acres of federal lands back to the tribe, lands that include the tribe's creation site, plus old fishing grounds and village sites. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

seattletimes.comElwha River dam removal project nears capstone with land transfer to tribeThe return of more than 1,000 acres of federal land to the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe is a major milestone in the Elwha River's restoration.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

Quinault Indian Nation and Hoh Tribe fisheries staff liquefy portions of sand on Kalaloch Beach for Quinault's annual razor clam survey this year. Staff count and measure any clams that float to the surface, the process used to calculate the clam season's total allowable catch.

Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

The Swinomish and Squaxin Island tribes are among those fighting a new federal interpretation of the word “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. The change limits habitat protection and will have devastating impacts on the recovery of imperiled species like Pacific Northwest salmon. nwtt.co/pq

hcn.orgNative nations sue over Endangered Species Act changes - High Country NewsThe Trump administration’s interpretation of “harm” under the ESA could devastate the recovery of imperiled species, many which have cultural,spiritual and relational meaning and importance for tribal citizens.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

The Stillaguamish Tribe last week breached a section of river to open habitat for salmon and restore natural floodplain processes for the long-term health of the ecosystem. www.kiro7.com/news/local/l...

kiro7.comLargest restoration project on Stillaguamish River completed to help endangered salmonThe Stillaguamish Tribe completed its largest restoration project on the Stillaguamish River on Friday, when water from the North Fork rushed into a side channel for the first time in more than 150 years.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

The tribes are grateful for the legislators and agencies supporting efforts to better manage seal and sea lion populations that threaten salmon recovery. www.eopugetsound.org/article/cong...

eopugetsound.orgCongress debates lethal removal of seals and sea lions in Puget Sound | Encyclopedia of Puget SoundA proposed amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act has renewed a debate over the merits of killing seals and sea lions to protect salmon. Proponents say it will help some endangered salmon populations while opponents say the legislation is misguided and likely to be counterproductive.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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Funding is at risk for the Tulalip Tribes' years-long study on juvenile salmon marine survival—a crucial stage that helps predict whether those salmon will return to their home rivers to spawn. nwtreatytribes.org/funding-in-p...

nwtreatytribes.orgFunding in peril for marine survival research - Northwest Treaty TribesThe Tulalip Tribes and partners secured funding to continue monitoring juvenile salmon marine survival through 2027, but the future of…
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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If we want to recover salmon listed under the Endangered Species Act, we must consider the ecosystem imbalance caused by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. youtu.be/NYOTO_LYoi0

youtu.beTHE SEA LION DILEMMA - Finding the BalanceHow two landmark conservation acts, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, unintentionally collided—leaving salmon, steelhead, tribal cultures, sport and commercial fishers and coastal communities caught in the middle. This mini-documentary addresses an incredibly complicated fish and wildlife dilemma and proposes a pathway to balancing two protected species existing in an ecosystem forever altered by man.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

This marks the sixth year in a row that chinook have died in large number before spawning in the South Fork Nooksack River, where warm water and pathogens are a deadly mix for fish. nwtreatytribes.org/die-off-inte...

nwtreatytribes.orgDie-off interrupts chinook spawning in South Fork Nooksack - Northwest Treaty TribesDespite ongoing efforts to provide cold-water shelter at Lummi Nation’s Skookum Creek Fish Hatchery and to rebuild habitat throughout the…
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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Canoe families are expected to take part in the 34th annual Salmon Homecoming on Saturday at Pier 58 and 62 on the Seattle waterfront, an event that brings together tribal songs, dances and vendors www.kiro7.com/news/local/s...

kiro7.comSalmon Homecoming returns to the Seattle waterfrontThe festival also marks the final summer season programming event supported by Friends of Waterfront Park, symbolizing the end of summer and the return of the salmon.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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To restore estuary habitat for chinook salmon, the Sauk-Suiattle and Swinomish tribes have been awarded a $4.2 million in grant for a project in Similk Bay. #treatyrights larsen.house.gov/news/documen...

larsen.house.govLarsen Applauds $4.2 Million for Local Salmon Passage RestorationToday, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) is awarding $4.2 million to the Skagit River System Cooperative (Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe and Swinomish Indian Tribal Community) for restoring fish passage to support Similk Estuary Chinook salmon.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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It's been a beautiful journey watching the statue of Billy Frank, Jr. come to life. www.youtube.com/watch

youtube.comPart IV: The Statue | Billy Frank Jr. Statue ProjectHow does a foundry cast clay into bronze? The process might surprise you. In this video, learn how the artist Haiying Wu worked with the team at Classic Foundry to cast the clay model of Billy Frank Jr. into a stunning bronze statue. Along the way, you will learn about Billy's lasting significance through historical footage and the voices of people who knew and loved him. Produced by Setting Sun Circle, with additional footage by the Architect of the Capitol. Learn more about: Nisqually Indian Tribe: http://www.nisqually-nsn.gov/ ArtsWA: https://www.arts.wa.gov/ The Billy Frank Jr. Statue Project: https://www.arts.wa.gov/billy-frank-jr/
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

The growing invasion of European green crab in Puget Sound is a threat to treaty fisheries and aquaculture resources. Across the region, tribes like the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community are working to monitor and control the spread. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/c...

nytimes.comRacing to Contain Invasive Green Crabs in Puget SoundTribes and scientists are mounting an urgent trapping effort to keep European green crabs from devastating a corner of Puget Sound.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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“It hurts us to know that our salmon are getting killed." Federally protected chinook salmon were among the fish found dead in Lake Washington under Sound Transit's new light rail tracks this summer. tinyurl.com/2frju5dj

tinyurl.comFederally protected Chinook salmon among dead fish under I-90 light railThe discovery of threatened salmon among the fish killed has unsettled those who have fought to rebuild or save struggling salmon in the Lake Washington watershed.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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The Hoh Tribe has partnered with Trout Unlimited to install 22 engineered logjams to improve fish habitat in Owl Creek. A new video explores the partnership and project—which is already showing exciting results. www.tu.org/magazine/con...

tu.orgRestoring Owl Creek |  Kʷokʷolísdo Ḳ̓á Yika Xa’bil-ts - Trout Unlimited(“Kʷokʷolísdo Ḳ̓á yika xa’bil-ts” means “restoring Owl Creek” in Quileute, a Chimakuan language traditionally spoken in coastal indigenous communities. The
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

“We’re always looking for different ways to use this drone technology.” Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians staff members deployed a high-tech drone to protect elk calves during mowing. #elk #wildlife nwtreatytribes.org/stillaguamis...

nwtreatytribes.orgStillaguamish Tribe uses drone to protect elk calves - Northwest Treaty TribesThe Stillaguamish Tribe of Indians used a drone equipped with a high-resolution thermal imaging camera to identify and protect elk…
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

Washington Sea Grant will hold a two-day Skills and Drills course for new or beginning commercial fishers Sept. 28-29 in South Bend. It's free for current or aspiring fishers, or $100 for non-commerical fishers.

Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

Restoring the Flow: Seizing opportunity at dead-end culverts. Fixing culverts that block fish passage is a clear win for salmon recovery and benefits orcas and our communities too. Reopening these dead ends beneath our roadways is a worthwhile investment for us all. youtu.be/_LTpQEMhSIc

youtu.beRestoring the Flow: Seizing opportunity at dead-end culvertsFixing culverts that block fish passage is a clear win for salmon recovery and benefits orcas and our communities too. Reopening these dead ends beneath our roadways is a worthwhile investment for us all.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

The history behind the treaties between Indian tribes and the U.S. is layered and nuanced. "They aren’t just for Indian people. The treaties bind all people, Native and non-Native, together around these ideas of relationality, of how to interact with each other.” nwtt.co/po

hcn.org‘Quite frustrating:’ what it’s like to have a treaty with the United States - High Country NewsThe Treaty of Point Elliott bears the signatures of over 80 Indigenous leaders representing more than 20 tribal nations from the Pacific Northwest. Contemporary leaders from some of those nations explain what their treaty means today.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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Lummi upgraded a wastewater treatment plant, in part to ensure shellfish are safe to harvest into the future. “Clean water is essential to public health in our environment and in our way of life,” said Terrence Adams, vice chairman of the tribal council.

bellinghamherald.comLummi Nation earns national EPA award for ‘exceptional’ wastewater treatment workA project to upgrade the Gooseberry Point Wastewater Treatment Plant is among five projects to be nationally recognized as “exceptional.”
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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"Ceremonies change lives. Ceremonies and the practices of our culture save lives." Young people were among those carrying tradition forward as part of this year's tribal canoe journey, which was hosted by the Nisqually Indian Tribe. www.knkx.org/arts-culture...

knkx.org'Ceremonies change lives' Nisqually youth learn and guide through paddlingTribal families from around the Northwest paddled to Nisqually for this year's canoe journey. “It teaches a lot of our youth that we still have culture,” said youth skipper Aliya Choke.
Northwest Treaty Tribes
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The Nisqually Indian Tribe welcomed more than 100 canoe families Friday at Sequalitchew Creek Beach in DuPont. The annual journey typically draws canoes paddled by and representing Indigenous people from he Pacific Northwest and beyond. #canoejourney #treatyrights #paddletonisqually

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Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
@nwtrek.bsky.social

Our snowy owl, Torrey, enjoyed a refreshing bird bath from the hose, one of the many enrichment activities that help keep her comfortable and engaged on warmer days. Judging by those fluffy feathers, we'd say she approved! ✨ 📹: Keeper Wendi

Northwest Treaty Tribes
@nwtreatytribes.org

We can’t protect both marine mammals and endangered species when seals and sea lions are the threat to endangered salmon. Read more about why the tribes support legislation to amend the Marine Mammal Protection Act nwtreatytribes.org/being-frank-...

nwtreatytribes.orgBeing Frank: Amending MMPA is essential to protect salmon from pinniped predators - Northwest Treaty TribesBeing Frank is a column by Chairman Ed Johnstone of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. As a statement from the…

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WSDOT Tacoma
@tacoma.wsdot.wa.gov

It's going to be a hot one today. Let's all stay hydrated and do our best not to burn the state down. Everyone plays a role in preventing roadside brush fires and larger wildfires. Small, everyday actions can make a big difference.