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The Power of Salmon

Hope and Resilience in the Midst of Adversity

Washington Climate Education Summit 2025

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Thank you!

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Your Work is Critical!

Thank you!

Your Work is Vital!

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Reintroduction �Above Chief Joseph & Grand Coulee Dams

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Sense of Place��Ecosystems Programmed to be Resilient��No Single Entity Can Be Successful��Inspiration is All Around Us

�Themes�

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�Sense of Place�

�Salmon Connect Us�

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Sense of Place and Some Historical Context

  • ~6M years ago Salmon in Pacific Northwest
  • 20,000+ years ago Indigenous people present
  • 1805 Lewis and Clark
  • 1850’s US Treaties with Native American Tribes
  • 1866 Salmon canning industry
  • 1875 US Fisheries Commission created to address declining salmon
  • 1877 First Columbia River fish hatchery built (Clackamas River)
  • 1934 First Columbia River dam built (Rock Island Dam)

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  • Mid-1850’s Treaties between US and Sovereign Tribal Nations

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  • Tribes ceded over 64 million acres of land

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  • Preserved tribal fishing, hunting, and gathering rights RESERVED rights, not granted by US Gov

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  • Affirmed and reaffirmed by district courts and Supreme Court.

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  • Tribes Legal Co-managers of salmon

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Tribal Treaties with US Government

Puget Sound and WA Coast

  • Treaty of Point No Point, 1855
  • Treaty of Point Elliot, 1855
  • Treaty of Olympia, 1856
  • Treaty of Neah Bay, 1855
  • Medicine Creek Treaty, 1854

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Columbia River (1855)

  • Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation
  • Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakima Nation
  • Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation
  • Nez Perce Tribe

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Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

Treaty Tribes and Tribal Organizations

Columbia River Inter-Tribe Fish Commission

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  • Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
  • Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Indians
  • Kallispel Tribe of Indians
  • Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
  • Spokane Tribe of Indians

Upper Columbia United Tribes

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Connect Us to Our Past and Future

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Ecosystems are Programmed to Be Resilient

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Legacy of Impacts

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Legacy of Impacts

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Diversity Builds Resiliency

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Diversity of Salmon Runs Increases Resiliency

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Diversity in Estuary Habitat Increases Ocean Survival

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Juvenile Salmon Size

Number of Fish

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Current Challenges

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Warming Streams & Low Summer Flows

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How Climate Impacts Salmon Across Their Life Cycle

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Habitat Restoration Anchors�Diversity & Resiliency

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Restoring Whole River Systems More Durable

Go Big or Go Home

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No Single Entity Can Be Successful���Must Work Together

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Salmon Listed Across the West Coast in 1990’s���28 Salmon and Steelhead Federal Endangered Species Act���Broad Implications Across the State

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Status of ESA Listed Salmon in Washington

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Washington’s Unique Response to Salmon Recovery

“Saving salmon is a stunningly ambitious goal, full of risks and replete with consequences we barely understand. But extinction is not an option, and it’s up to us to make the history we want for our children and our grandchildren.”

Governor Gary Locke, October 9, 1998

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Salmon Recovery Act (1998, ESHB 2496)

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Governor’s Statewide Salmon Strategy

1999 Extinction not an Option

2021 Governor Update

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Washington’s�Salmon Recovery Act

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    • Regional Recovery Plans (Federally Adopted)
      • Federally approved recovery plans
      • Tribal and local involvement

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    • Lead Entity Watersheds (Focus on Habitat)
      • Prioritize and vet local projects and actions
      • Tribes, Lead Entities, NGOs

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    • Salmon Recovery Funding Board
      • Fund and guide Habitat Restoration

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    • Governor’s Salmon Recovery Office
      • Federal, State, Tribal Coordination
      • Policy and Budgets and Accountability

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Tribes and�Salmon Recovery

  • Sovereign Nations
  • Federally and Non-Federally Recognized Tribes
  • Tribal Treaty Rights and Co-Managers
  • Regional Salmon Recovery Boards
  • Lead Entity Watersheds
  • Project Implementation

Tribes Have Been Stewards of Salmon Since Time Immemorial

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Working Together is All About Finding Common Solutions

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Inspiration All Around Us

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“Every individual has the power to make a difference. Together, we can create a greener and more just world.”

Billy Frank Jr.

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Chinook Return to Klamath Basin!

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Major Restoration Across the State

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Salmon Returning to Upper Columbia Above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee Dams

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We Got Your Back

Many People Working on These Issues

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Thank you!

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Your Work is Critical!

Thank you!