Tribal Perspectives on the Treaty Paul Lumley (Yakama), Executive Director Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission 1 First Foods Salmon

Berries Water Game

Roots “…the right of taking fish at all usual and accustomed places, in common with the citizens of the Territory, and of erecting temporary buildings for curing them, together with the privilege of hunting, gathering roots and berries....”

—1855 Treaty with the Yakama Nation

Salmon Decline Columbia River salmon (chinook, steelhead, sockeye, coho, and chum)

Commonly referenced returns of 12-16 million salmon, which refers to the range of the mean of average returns over time. In years of high sockeye abundance, the total returns to the Basin are estimated to have exceeded 30 million salmon.

millions millions of fish 1,754,334 Tribal Fishery On the Columbia River near The Dalles, (inundated by The Dalles in 1957) Tribal Villages and Fishing Sites Destroyed by and Big River Big Dams

 The tribes never anticipated massive changes to the river when the treaties were signed in 1855.  Our treaties are contracts with the .  We reserved our rights to the First Foods. Vanport Flood The Columbia River flooded in 1948, completely wiping out Vanport, Oregon Note: this city was built in a floodplain without adequate flood protection (levees) Columbia River

Treaty Mica

 Treaty came into force in Duncan 1964, no end date Keenleyside Libby  builds three dams, US builds Libby – no passage  Twin goals: - optimize hydropower - coordinate flood control  Treaty may be terminated with 10 years notice  Tribes not consulted, no fish & wildlife coordination US Corps of Engineers dam Other dam

US Bureau of Reclamation dam 18 River Level at

lower summer flow

flow pushed earlier in the year Permanent Floods Created Upriver to Protect Portland from Flooding

Relocating a Church from Waldo built in 1973 Kinbasket Now under Koocanusa Reservoir Drawdown Effects

Vanport Flood, near Portland Columbia Basin Tribes 15 tribes with management authorities and responsibilities affected by the

2009 - Formed 2010 - Common Views 2011 - First Nations G2G Broad Regional Consensus Achieved: Modify the Treaty (U.S. Entity Dec 13, 2013) Recommendation Elements:  Add ecosystem-based function Restore fish passage to historical locations  Recalculate Canadian Entitlement (~$300m)  Address flood risk management post-2024  Recognize Water Supply Interests  Adapt for Climate Change impacts Implementing Ecosystem-based Function Regional Recommendation integrates ecosystem- based function by:

 Building upon current operations

 Incorporating existing Treaty flow augmentation

 Accommodating modifications to flow augmentation

 Incorporating dry year strategy

 Ensuring that modernized operations do not interfere with fish passage and reintroduction opportunities Rethinking Floods

 Floods are natural, good and healthy for a river system. If you don’t want to be flooded, don’t move into a flood plain.  These are permanent floods behind all these dams, to keep Portland dry.

 Dislocated tribal communities, damaged culture and a wrecked ecosystem. Was this a good deal? Now is the time to reconsider Flood Risk Management Focusing on the role floodplain management and restoration plays in salmon restoration efforts Portland, October 18-20, 2016

 Role floods play in ecosystem health

 Impacts of flood control on the ecosystem

 Benefits of floodplain restoration

 Alternative flood control management to benefit fish

 Climate change impacts on floodplains

 Role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in understanding and restoring floodplains Coho Sockeye Steelhead Chinook

2,500,000

2,000,000

1,500,000

1,000,000

500,000

0 1938 1945 1952 1959 1966 1973 1980 1987 1994 2001 2008 2015 Tribal elders taught us that if we take care of the First Foods, the First Foods will take care of us