Treaty Rights: “Calling Back the Salmon Spirit”

Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m., Emmanuel Episcopal Parish Hall

— from Joe Thoron —

The SeaDoc Society & YMCA Camp Orkila Present: “Calling Back the Salmon Spirit,” a lecture by Kit Rawson, Retired Fisheries Biologist with the Tulalip Tribes

Do you fish for or eat salmon? In the 1850s, the United States government and multiple Tribes signed treaties regarding salmon and other important resources. These treaties still govern many aspects of our current resource allocations. But many people – anglers and otherwise – aren’t clear what the treaty rights really are and what they mean to all of us who reside in the Salish Sea.

Kit Rawson, a fisheries biologist who worked for the Tulalip Tribes for much of his career, will share his insights into the history of treaty rights in Washington and their current role in salmon restoration. This is important because estimates of historical salmon populations suggest that today’s runs are only 4-6% the size of the runs at the times these treaties were signed.

Major efforts are underway to restore salmon in the Salish Sea and local tribes are working in every watershed in the US portion of the Salish Sea to restore salmon habitat.

Come get insight into how treaty rights are part of the solution to the problem of declining Salmon populations.

The 2013-14 Marine Science Lecture Series is designed to inspire the general public and to highlight the amazing fish and wildlife of our region. Lectures are free.

The Lecture Series is presented by program partners The SeaDoc Society and YMCA Camp Orkila. It has been made possible through generous sponsorship by Tom Averna (Deer Harbor Charters), Barbara Brown, Audrey and Dean Stupke and West Sound Marina. Co- sponsors Barbara Bentley and Glenn Prestwich, Emmanuel Episcopal and Bill Patterson (Chimayo/Sazio). For more information visit https://www.seadocsociety.org.