Billy Frank, Jr.: “Putting the Watersheds Together”

Billy Frank, Jr., chairman of the NWIFC, is speaking now on “Putting the Watersheds Together.” He started out connecting the current effort to restore habitat back to the early fishing rights struggle. Before the treaty tribes had reaffirmed their treaty right to harvest salmon through the federal courts, they had no standing to force the federal and state government to restore and protect habitat.

Since winning US v. Washington, the tribes have been using their role as salmon co-managers to fight for salmon and salmon habitat. Frank points to early lawsuits like the Orrick Decision, the Nisqually Tribe’s lawsuits against Tacoma and Centralia over hydro-projects, the Skokomish Tribe’s fight against the Cushman project and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe’s against the two dams on the Elwha River. And, most recently, the Culvert Case.