Spllyay Tymoo
Paoe 4 July 8,1981
Editorial
E Coosh EEWA: 1
(The way it is)
Letters to the Editor
Steelhead preservation should be main concern
Bill MacMillan—Member of
the Clark-Skamania Fly
fishers, 36607 N.E. Washougal
River Road, Washougal,
Washington 98671
A TESTIMONY AGAINST
THE DECOMMERCIALI—
ZATION OF STEELHEAD
AND S 874
(Given June 29, 1981 Seattle,
Washington)
Flyfishing is ah inheritance
that I’ve never chosen to
question. I am passing this
inheritance, now three
generations old, to my son
whose enthusiasm for the sport
seems every bit as intense as his
father’s and grandfather’s.
Despite personal convictions
toward fishing method, it’s
important to understand the
roots of another man’s joy and
philosophy, and likewise
important, in this day and age,
to determine if that man’s joys
and philosophy can be a
political ally to ensure a mutual
future.
Realistically, all of those
who fish for steelhead should
be political allies bound by
mutual concerns toward
species preservation no matter
what individual philosophies
may be concerning method of
capture—fly, spinner, bait, or
net. The overriding concern of
all parties must be the
preservation and even
enhancement of steelhead.
Today, we’re examining
legislation that negates the
possibility for a powerful
political alliance to preserve
steelhead by further length
ening and intensifying a
counter-productive internal
war between two of the main
user groups—the sport
fishermen and the Indian
fishermen. The end design is to
efectively eliminate the Indian
as a significant user group and
allow the sportmen to add the
Indian harvest to his catch —
the end result being the same
number of dead steelhead
combined with a 75 percent
reduction in national political
punch to fight for the
preservation of steelhead.
It’s been a feud of more than
10 years duration that was
given a legal definition with the
Boldt decision in 1974, a
decision which fish and game
agencies admit does not
jeopardize steelhead, yet, the
internal war between these two
user groups goes on with
unceasing intensity.
While the user groups have
been at war the combined
forces of timber, agriculture,
and power interests have been
deligently expanding their
activities with devastating
impact on habitat and fishlife.
Money that should have been
spent fighting these far more
awesome and permanent
threats to salmon and
steelhead has been thrown in
the endless drainhole of
lobbyists and lawyers who
lengthen the internal user war
with steelhead the ultimate
Looking forward to ’82 Pi-Ume-Sha
To The Editor
Along with the Pi-Um-Sha
committee members I would
like to take this opportunity to
express my feelings and
appreciation to all the people
who attended and participated
in this years Pi-Ume-Sha
Powwow.
I feel this was a successful
event as everything went well
with a lot of cooperation from
all, and this I appreciate.
There were representitives
from all over the United States
and Canada present providing
great entertainment.
We are looking foward to
next year for another
successful event. Again
Thanks.
losers.
Sportsmen must begin to re
examine the Indian issue from
the standpoint of reality rather
emotion. The Indians have
proven themselves as a
powerful national political
power who have consistently
fought for the correct
conservation issues that
directly protect adult steelhead,
downstream smplts, and
juvenile rearing habitat.
Few northwest rivers still
maintain really strong runs of
wild spawning steelhead and
it’s no accident that a strong
proportion of these happen to
be on rivers that have Indian
reservations that use,protect,
and in some instances even
enhance these wild popula
tions — rivers such as the
Quinault, Queets, Hoh,
Deschutes, and Klickitat being
among them.
Unless Indians can continue
to catch these steelhead
commercially there will be no
reason for them to protect
steelhead habitat and certainly
no reason for enhancement
projects such as that on the
Quinault river where steelhead
are selected and reared in the
best managed quality steelhead
hatchery program south of the
Canadian border—A manage
ment that fills the Quinaults
commercial needsand provides
for excellent adult escapement
for anglers and wild spawning.
Olympia Peninsula anglers
have recognized the merits of
this Indian program, and the
sensible cooperation of the
Forks Chapter of Trout
Unlimited with the Quinaults,
Queets, and Hoh river Indian
has resulted in quality hatchery
programs on four Peninsula
rivers-one state funded and the
others Indian-that benefit both
user groups. This should be a
working model for the rest of
us, but somehow has been
ignored.
The Indian has earned his
right to steelhead which has
been an essential cog in the
northwest Indian lifestyle and
working economy for countless
centuries. Most recently the
Indian has certainly earned this
right to steelhead by politically
confronting and backing
steelhead conservation issues.
The Indian polictical machine
is an invaluable ally that
sportsmen can no longer afford
to alienate.
Without the Indian to help
fight the 90 percent smolt
turbine kill during downstream
migration over the dams
during low flow years on the
Columbia River, upriver wild
anadtoumous fish stocks
bound for. tributaries in
Washington, Oregon, and
Idaho very simply will no
longer exist. Only political
alliances that include the
Indian can successfully win
Columbia River water flow
guarantees necessary to
anadromous fish moving up
and downstream. On several
other rivers, likewise, we
simply can not afford to lose
that potential of a powerful
sport and Indian alliance.
I urge you all to look on the
Indian as a ally toward the
preservation of steelhead
despite spiritual, philosophical,
and economic differences
concerning the manner in
which steelhead are harvested.
The Indian and the sportsmen
are user groups taking
approximately equal numbers
of steelhead. Beyond that are
giant corporate and political
forces that are systematically
destroying habitat and
managing water flows in direct
conflict with fish production.
If we as sportsmen choose to
arrogantly fight that battle
alone, the conclusion is
inevitable — anadromous runs
on the Columbia River will
simply cease to be. Wild
steelhead runs to many smaller
river systems will be drastically
compromised — perhaps, too,
eliminated.
Our arrogance can only yield
a very hollow victory.
Thanks from Miss Pi-Ume-Sha
I would like to thank all my
friends and relatives for their
encouragement and their
support.
Special thanks to my
grandma Laura for her help
with the costume and thanks to
Amelia Yahtin for making the
skirt.
Love and gratitude
Lenoni Starr
Miss Pi-Ume-Sha
Sammy Colwash
Pi-Ume-Sha Committee
Support appreciated
In behalf of the children of
Margie and Victor Smith;
Donetta, Dona van Burns and
Victor Smith Jr.; the
grandparents, Mable and Bill
Eyle; the father, Sammy and
Jeannie Danzuka; the mother;
Lena Santos and family,, we
would like to express our
appreciation to all our relations
for their kind support upon the
death of our family member.
We are deeply grateful for
the families who hunted the
deer, brought the salmon, dug
roots, brought the huckleber
ries, cooked in the kitchen;
brought gifts and guided us
through one of the most
difficult times we’ve faced as a
family, and through the
ceremonies.
We are honored to have the
funeral rites conducted by the
‘ Warm Springs Shaker Church.
Without the guidance and
blessings of the elders present
and the Smith family, we
, would of not have been able to
face the loss of our
Junior Royalty
daughter/ sister alone.
The Junior Court for the Fourth of July celebration reignea over the day’s events at the 26th annual
Respectfully yours,
Lena Santos
Fun Date events. Theday s events consisted of aparade, barbeque luncheon, BMX races, gamesand
a fireworks display. Pictured above in the back row from left to right are Junior Queen Gayleen
Adams, Lena Mitts, Tiffany Smith and Jamie McKinley. In the front row from Mt to right are
Angela Smith, first runner-up; Louella Heath, second runner-up; and Noni McCraigie.
SpUyay Tymoo photo by Behrend