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Being Frank
September 2021
NWIFC Chairperson Lorraine Loomis Walks On
Lorraine Loomis, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission chairperson and Swinomish fisheries manager, passed away August 10 at the age of 81. Loomis became fisheries manager for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community after the 1974 Boldt decision that reaffirmed tribes’ treaty-protected fishing … Continue reading
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September 2021
Before We Achieve “Net Ecological Gain,” We Need to Define It
by Lorraine Loomis When we talk about how to recover salmon — the math should be simple. The protection of existing habitat plus restoration of degraded habitat should equal a net gain in ecosystem function, leading to more fish. Yet … Continue reading
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August 2021
Untangling Nooksack River Water Rights
by Lorraine Loomis The Lummi Nation and Nooksack Tribe are looking forward to the start of the process to untangle water rights and protect threatened salmon in the Nooksack River basin by finding out just how much water there is … Continue reading
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July 2021
Outdated Wastewater Facilities Undermine Water Quality Gains
by Lorraine Loomis We’ve seen some real progress over the past few years in efforts to prevent human waste from damaging the health of Puget Sound and the Washington coast. Still, we face a chronic problem with outdated wastewater treatment … Continue reading
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June 2021
Seattle City Light Should Address True Costs of Skagit River Dams
by Lorraine Loomis It is time for Seattle City Light to address the damage its three hydroelectric dams have caused over the past 100 years to the Skagit River, the tribes who have always lived here and their treaty-reserved fishing … Continue reading
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May 2021
Ocean Conditions, Lost Habitat Drive Salmon Concerns
by Lorraine Loomis Treaty tribes and our state salmon co-managers are looking ahead to another grim year of fishing because of poor ocean conditions that reduce marine survival, and the ongoing loss of freshwater habitat. Higher marine water temperatures, changing … Continue reading
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April 2021
Billy Frank Jr. Statue Gaining Momentum
by Lorraine Loomis Treaty Indian tribes in western Washington strongly support proposed state legislation to place a statue of the late natural resources and civil rights champion Billy Frank Jr. to replace Marcus Whitman in our nation’s capital. We think … Continue reading
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March 2021
Increased Outdoor Recreation Impacting Tribal Treaty Rights
by Lorraine Loomis Already robust levels of hiking, camping, boating and every other kind of outdoor recreation in our region has exploded during the Covid-19 pandemic as many try to cure the effects of cabin fever. Increased outdoor recreation has … Continue reading
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February 2021
A Big Step Towards Accountability for Habitat Impacts
by Lorraine Loomis Habitat loss and damage is the driving factor for the decline of salmon in our region. It doesn’t discriminate and never stops. Every hour of every day it kills salmon, including salmon listed under the federal Endangered … Continue reading
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January 2021
Time for Fish-Killing Dam to Go
by Lorraine Loomis It’s time to get rid of the Electron Hydroelectric Dam on the Puyallup River that has been killing salmon, steelhead, bull trout and other fish for more than a century. The dam is so old that it … Continue reading
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