Tribes. Treaty Rights.
That’s what we’re all about.
This week, the treaty tribes in western Washington are launching a new communications effort called Northwest Treaty Tribes: Protecting Natural Resources for Everyone. At first blush, the only change you’ll notice is that instead of getting tribal natural resources news from social media and web platforms of the NWIFC, you’ll be getting it from Northwest Treaty Tribes. NWIFC is not changing its name and will continue to function as it has since its inception.
The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission has been around for 40 years, supporting tribes in the exercise of their treaty rights. One way we’ve helped is by telling the story of the tribes protecting and restoring natural resources.
Over the next few months, we’ll be rolling out other projects under the Northwest Treaty Tribes banner that will help the broader community better understand the role of treaty tribes.
The 20 treaty Indian tribes in western Washington are leaders in efforts to protect and restore natural resources in the region. At the heart of those efforts are rights reserved by the tribes in treaties with the U.S. government. Tribes reserved rights to harvest fish, shellfish, wildlife and other natural resources in exchange for most of the land that makes up the region today.
Because all natural resources are connected, and because of their role as co-managers with the state, treaty tribes are active in every aspect of natural resources management in western Washington. As a result, tribal treaty rights and natural resources management efforts are protecting and enhancing natural resources for everyone.
The new communications effort will be based at nwtreatytribes.org. It will be linked to the current commission web site at nwifc.org, which will continue to be maintained to provide organizational and technical information. Most current communication products will be continued under the new effort but may undergo a name change. The quarterly NWIFC News magazine, for example, will be renamed Northwest Treaty Tribes.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask Tony Meyer ([email protected]) or Emmett O’Connell ([email protected])
Are the fish pens on Agate Pass being attended to? When will more fry be released?
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