11/24/2022
Day 83 of my challenge: I’m grateful for Native American Heritage Month. I’m also grateful that the world’s largest dam removal is about to take place here in the U.S. next year. (swipe for more)
Did you know:
1. Native Nations of the Pacific Northwest define themselves as Salmon People. They consider salmon to be an extremely important gift of food from the Creator, and each year they honor the salmon's sacrifice in special ceremonies. [Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian]
2. The First Salmon Feast is part of the traditional tribal religion of the Columbia Basin. Known by various names including Washut, Longhouse, and Seven Drums, this religion continues to guide tribal people and connect them with the Creator and the gifts He has given them. It also connects followers to the land and to the culture practiced by their ancestors. [Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission]
3. More than 40 percent of the spawning and rearing habitat once available to salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River Basin is permanently blocked by dams. [Northwest Power and Conservation Council]
4. On March 19, 1934, Congress passed the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (amended in 1946 and 1958), which required the federal government to take fish and wildlife into consideration in the planning of federal water development projects. [Northwest Power and Conservation Council]
“Almost 20 years later, we have this half-billion-dollar project to remove the four lower dams and be a part of the largest salmon restoration project ever conducted. It’s pretty exciting.”
-Frankie Myers, Yurok Tribal Council
