Salmon Restoration
For thousands of years, salmon thrived in the Columbia Basin. Salmon always have been central to our religion and our culture, and we honored them accordingly. We had plenty of salmon to sustain us and plenty more to trade with others from far away.
In less than 150 years, the newcomers to our homeland have driven the once-plentiful salmon to the brink of extinction. Many salmon species already are gone forever.
It is not just the salmon which are endangered. Salmon are only a small symptom of a dying ecosystem. It is the Columbia Basin and the Pacific Ocean which are endangered. The salmon are telling us that the mountains, valleys, plains, rivers and ocean are all sick. Many other species now face extinction.
For thousands of years, we managed our resources with respect. This land was rich in natural resources when the first non-Indians arrived. The wasteful and disrespectful practices of the last 150 years have used up nearly all of these resources, creating ugly conflicts between those people now dependent on them.
These resources would be healthy if the Treaty of 1855 had been honored, and if the United States Government had honored its own laws. Salmon, sturgeon, eels, and many other fish face certain extinction unless immediate and drastic changes are made in the human management of the Columbia Basin and the Ocean.
Salmon have been a source of sustenance, a gift of religion, and a foundation of culture for our people since time immemorial. Their existence is vital and linked to ours. We will not allow them to go extinct.
We have the answers to this problem. We can save the salmon
and make the economy of the Pacific Northwest even stronger at
the same time. We must implement plans which meet not only our
needs, but the needs of our grandchildren and their grandchildren.
CTUIR Salmon Policy -- the document that guides our actions in salmon restoration
Our Successful efforts in the Umatilla River Basin -- working with local irrigators to maintain the farm economy AND restore salmon after a 70-year absence.
Harvard University's Honoring Nations Program --
A 2002 Honoree: The Umatilla Basin Salmon Recovery Project
Our current efforts in the Walla Walla Basin -- we're using what we've learned in the Umatilla Basin to help revive salmon runs in the Walla Walla and maintain the ag economy there.
US Army Corps of Engineers- Walla Walla Basin Feasibilty Study
(CTUIR partner)
Salmon Expedition -- our annual educational opportunities for area schools
Salmon Walk -- our annual run/walk/cycle event
Fisheries Research Data -- search our database for fish information gathered by our scientists
Fish counts from the Umatilla River
Salmon site links:
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
Columbia River Pastoral Letter Project
Harvard University's Honoring Nations Program -- A 2002 Honoree: The Umatilla Basin Salmon Recovery Project
National
Geographic Magazine --
"A
River Dammed: Tamed for power, stripped of salmon, what's next
for the Columbia River?"
CTUIR fishing and hunting information
2002-03 Hunting Regulations for Tribal members -- Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4
2003 Non-Indian
Fishing and Hunting Synopsis -- regulations for
non-Indian hunting and fishing on the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Natural Resources Research Data
Fish counts for the Umatilla River
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