Tribes oppose Washington state bill
to reduce salmon habitat protection
The Washington state combined bill
1886 would replace current critical areas
regulations that apply to agricultural lands
with a bureaucratic system relying on vol
untary measures to protect salmon habitat.
Many Indian tribes, including the
Lummi Nation, Quinault Indian Nation,
Swinomish Tribal Community, Tulalip
Tribes of Washington and Yakama Nation,
oppose this expensive new bureaucracy that
favors maintaining agricultural “viability”
over allowing salmon habitat to recover.
A significant number of streams on
agricultural lands in Washington do not
meet water quality standards and salmon
runs are still listed under the Endangered
Species Act. While this legislation allows
the agriculture industry to conduct busi
ness as usual, Tribal, non-Tribal and
sport fisheries continue to be curtailed or
eliminated entirely.
This bill, developed by the William
D. Ruckelshaus Center at Washington
State University, unfairly tips the balance
toward agricultural interests and leaves
salmon with nothing.
“Now Washington state has water
quality regulations in place to protect
drinking water and endangered salmon
habitat from the activities of developers,
foresters and manufacturers,” said Swin
omish Chairman Brian Cladoosby.
“But there are those who believe they
are above the law,” he said. “We can
not have the state continue to allow the
agricultural industry to avoid regulations
while expecting unsuccessful voluntary
approaches. When the health of the
state’s streams, salmon and people are
at stake, we must put politics aside. We
must instead rely upon science and pro
cesses that engage all interested parties,
not just agriculture, which doesn’t have a
trustworthy track record with salmon or
water quality.”
If this legislation passes, the state
would spend $60,000 to $120,000 for
each of the next five years to pay for
local planning groups, composed heavily
of agricultural interests, to set voluntary
measure of salmon protections.
These groups would set benchmarks
with no substantial guidance from the
legislation or from science and self-report
after as long as a decade as to whether
they’re meeting those benchmarks.
There is virtually no scientific oversight
of whether the benchmarks are adequate
to protect fish or whether the voluntary
measures succeed or fail.
The Legislature’s own Independent
Science Panel confirmed that in 2000
when it reviewed the state’s Salmon
Recovery Strategy and stated, “... reli
ance on historically ineffective voluntary
measures leaves an impression that tinker
ing with failures of the past will restore
glories of the past. This approach is likely
to result in false expectations and is not
based on science.”
Tribes have asked legislators to
include in this legislation provisions
requiring compliance with state water
quality standards and salmon recovery
habitat objectives, but they were rejected.
In the Nooksack River watershed,
current animal waste management prac
tices are not effectively reducing water
contamination in Tribal shellfish beds.
“Based on past experience, volun
tary actions are not enough,” said Merle
Jefferson, Lummi Natural Resource
Department executive director. “Without
continued technical assistance, compli
ance inspection activities, and water qual
ity monitoring and source identification
in the Nooksack River watershed, the
likelihood of future downgrades of Tribal
shellfish in Portage Bay and Lummi Bay
is significantly increased.”
4 h MC y
Seth Benedict
Happy Birthday to our kind, great and
wonderful brother, Seth!
Love, your sisters Teonna, Nahayla and
Sahayla
Wishing Seth, who is a wonderful brother
and uncle, a Happy 16th Birthday.
With love, Lynetta, Derek, Natalia and
Nathaniel
Happy Birthday to my handsome son, Seth.
You always make me proud.
Love always, Mom
Grandson Seth - We are so glad you were
bom because you brighten our fives and fill it
with joy.
Love, Grandma Joella and Wilma Strong
Happy 18lh birthday to Aden Perkins.
We hope all your life dreams come true.
Love, Mom and Stuart
Happy 1st Birthday on April 16 to
Ella Cree!
Love - Auntie Chasta Cree, Uncle
Stuart, Chrissy, Aden and Avery
We would like to wish our nephew,
Aden Perkins, a very Happy 18lh Birthday.
We’re so proud of you and hope all your
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wishes and dreams come true.
With our love - Uncle Marty, Aunt
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May 2011
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