If salmon are to be restored in this state, it will require many efforts. Most of all, it will require a team effort. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The state and the tribes must learn to work together. Like people paddling a canoe, it only makes sense for us to paddle in the same direction.
We hope this is a message that Jeffrey Koenings, the newly appointed director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, will take to heart. It is critically important for the director of WDFW to be aware of the fact that Treaty Indian tribes are co-managers of the salmon resource in this state. It is important for him to understand that decisions regarding the salmon resource must be made on a government-to-government basis, in full collaboration with the tribes from the outset of any natural resource planning process. Just as important, it will be necessary for him to understand the need for the co-managers to work together, as a team, in the management and restoration of the salmon resource.
We were heartened by Koenings’ comments during his first news conference. The tribes aren’t just another user group, he said. They are co-managers of the resource.
But it is not enough to say the right words. Those words must be backed up by his actions.
Koenings faces tough challenges, both inside and outside the agency. Confronting a serious budget shortfall within the department is just one of the difficult tasks he must address. Koenings has pledged, however, to be a good listener. That speaks well of his management approach.
The tribes remain committed to doing whatever it takes to restore the salmon resource to levels that will again support meaningful harvest. We look forward to working with Koenings toward our mutual goals.
We welcome Koenings to our homelands and wish him well in his efforts during the months ahead. We will remember his words about the tribes as co-managers. We hope he will remember those words too — and put them into action.
