An agreement has been signed by the U.S., Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Spokane Tribe of Indians to support tribally led efforts to restore healthy and abundant salmon populations in the Upper Columbia River Basin.
The agreement will fund efforts to test the feasibility of and ultimately to reintroduce salmon in blocked habitats in the upper basin. It includes $200 million over 20 years from the Bonneville Power Administration, a federal power marketing administration under the Department of Energy, to advance the Tribally led implementation plan. The Department of the Interior also announced it is providing $8 million over two years through the Bureau of Reclamation to support these efforts.
The Upper Columbia River Basin historically supported abundant wild salmon, steelhead and native resident fish, which critically supported thriving Tribal cultures and communities. Members of these Tribes and their ancestors stewarded these native species and relied on their abundance as the staples of their daily diets and ceremony.
“Since time immemorial, Tribes along the Columbia River System have relied on Pacific salmon, steelhead and other native fish species for sustenance and their cultural and spiritual ways of life. Today’s historic agreement is integral to helping restore healthy and abundant fish populations to these communities,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland. “As we work toward comprehensive and collaborative basin-wide solutions to restoring salmon and other native fish populations, the Biden-Harris administration will continue its efforts to honor federal commitments to Tribal Nations, deliver affordable and reliable clean power, and meet the many resilience needs of stakeholders across the region.”
“This agreement is a crucial step in delivering sustainable long-term solutions to restore abundant fish runs in the Columbia River Basin while also acknowledging and accounting for the many services the Upper River system provides today: flood risk, energy, and water supply,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory.
The construction of large hydroelectric and flood control dams – including Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph – throughout the Upper Columbia River Basin beginning at the turn of the 20th century blocked anadromous fish from migrating into the basin and onto or through the ceded and reserved lands of the Colville, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Tribes. This profound loss has had traumatic impacts on Tribal communities, including by altering traditional diets, depriving members of the ability to exercise traditional ways of life, and fundamentally changing how members teach and raise children in the cultural and spiritual beliefs that center around these fish, according to a release.
For over a decade, the Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT) – which includes the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, Coeur d’Alene Tribe, Spokane Tribe of Indians, Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and Kootenai Tribe of Idaho – have worked to develop a scientifically rigorous phased plan to study the feasibility of, and ultimately implement, a reintroduction program into the blocked areas. The four-part effort is in the Phase 2 Implementation Plan (P2IP) stage, which involves scientifically based research over the next 20 years to establish sources of donor and brood stocks for reintroduction, test key biological assumptions, guide management actions, develop interim hatchery and passage facilities, and evaluate success.
“In 1940, Tribes from around the Northwest gathered at Kettle Falls for a Ceremony of Tears to mourn the loss of salmon at their ancestral fishing grounds. Today the federal government is taking a major step toward righting that historic wrong by committing to support the Tribally led, science-driven reintroduction of salmon above Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams,” said Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation Chairman Jarred-Michael Erickson. “Together as partners, we will bring salmon back where they belong – to the waters of the Upper Columbia. The Colville Tribes looks forward to our children celebrating a Ceremony of Joy when salmon are permanently restored to their ancestral waters.”
The agreement includes $200 million over 20 years from BPA to advance the P2IP. The other agencies also agree to use their authorities to seek additional funding for this effort and to take other actions necessary to advance implementation. The Tribes have agreed to a 20-year pause to existing litigation while these actions are pursued.
As part of the agreement, Reclamation is announcing a $6 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Upper Columbia Tribes and UCUT. This funding from the new WaterSMART Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program will help support the Tribes’ Phase 2 study needs, including juvenile salmon outmigration studies, genetic sampling and development of fish passage designs.
If P2IP studies confirm the feasibility of reintroducing anadromous salmonids in the blocked areas, Phase 2 is anticipated to lead to Phase 3, including the construction of permanent juvenile and adult passage and supporting propagation facilities as well as implementation of priority habitat improvements.
