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Portland, Oregon
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The Confederated Tribes of the Yakama Indian Nation, the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, and the Nez Perce Tribe
are all sovereign Indian tribes that have treaties with the United
States. These four treaty tribes of the Columbia River created the
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) to promote
unity of action and coordinate the interests of the member tribes
in the overall management of the fishery resource. For more than
thirty years the Commission’s record of success has been unparalleled
in its work for the salmon and tribal people.
Each of the member tribes is responsible—and accountable—for
making decisions about what is right for the salmon and for its
people. On occasion, the tribes may take different paths to achieve
their goals.
One such instance is the recent decision by the Yakama Nation,
Umatilla Tribes, and Warm Springs Tribes to enter the Columbia Basin
Fish Accords—10-year agreements with the United States Government—while
the Nez Perce Tribe opted to continue to challenge the Government’s
plans for addressing the impacts of the Federal Columbia River Power
System under the Endangered Species Act.
While their paths may diverge, each tribe respects the decisions
made by its fellow sovereigns, and the tribes continue to coordinate
their direction in salmon management and restoration in legal, technical,
and political forums.
The four treaty tribes passed a resolution in April, 2008 to acknowledge
their individual decisions and the role the Commission would have
during the Fish Accords.
The resolution reads in part:
WHEREAS, the Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama Tribal Councils
have passed resolutions directing these Tribes’ authorized
representatives to sign the MOA (Accords) on their behalf; and
WHEREAS, the Nez Perce Tribe has indicated by way of letters
to the Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama tribes that the Nez Perce
Tribe does not oppose the Commission’s other member Tribes
or the Commission in entering into the Accords; …
Some outside parties have mischaracterized the tribes’ sovereign
decisions and/or have sought to exploit tribal decisions in self-serving
ways. We are unanimous in condemning such mischaracterizations.
The four tribes have the utmost respect for each other’s
sovereign decisions and recognize there are multiple pathways to
a mutually agreeable goal—sustainable, harvestable runs of
salmon at all usual and accustomed fishing places.
Tribal salmon management actions encompass a broad mosaic of legal,
technical, and policy efforts of which the Columbia Basin Fish Accords
and FCRPS litigation are a part. The Commission will maintain a
unified voice based on the direction of its member tribes.
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About CRITFC
The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is
the technical support and coordinating agency for fishery management
policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes
and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe.
CRITFC, formed in 1977, employs biologists, other scientists, public
information specialists, policy analysts and administrators who work
in fisheries research and analyses, advocacy, planning and coordination,
harvest control and law enforcement. |
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