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OCR Page 1 of 48YAKAMA
NEZ
PERCENTIVITY
COLUMBIA RIVER INTER-TRIBAL FISH COMMISSION
WARM
729 N.E. Oregon, Suite 200, Portland, Oregon 97232
Telephone (503) 238-0667
Fax (503) 235-4228
SPRINGS
TUMATILLA
November 14, 1997
Melanne Verveer
Chief of Staff to the First Lady
OEOB Room 100
The White House
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Ms. Verveer:
Over the past year, the four Columbia River tribes with treaty-reserved fishing rights and the
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission raised concerns at all stages of Northwest
Power Planning Council implementation of the Gorton amendment to the Northwest Power
Act. Unfortunately, NWPPC's decision to condition or delay funding for tribal salmon
restoration programs (ostensibly, until additional reviews take place) has forced the tribes to
take legal action.
The Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Nez Perce tribes petitioned the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals, asking it to review the legal aspects of NWPPC's decision and its
responsibilities under the Northwest Power Act. At the same time, the tribes are asking the
NWPPC to rescind its decision.
The enclosed full-page advertisement, which is running this week in major newspapers in
Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, was prompted by NWPPC's recent actions. As the
advertisement indicates, more studies are not necessary. Many of the tribes' projects have
undergone fifteen years of extensive study and planning, costing hundreds of millions of
dollars under NWPPC's leadership. By NWPPC's own admission, the tribal hatcheries are
based on sound science. The tribal projects are also based on sound policy and law.
Delay caused by NWPPC's decision to create new and shifting policies jeopardizes many
salmon restoration programs, including those in the Yakima, Clearwater, Walla Walla, Grande
Ronde, and Salmon basins. NWPPC's actions are keeping us from repeating the successes we
have had in the Umatilla Basin. Salmon runs that had been eliminated in the Umatilla for
about 70 years are beginning to flourish again. For the past two years, salmon returns have
been strong enough to allow limited spring chinook fishing seasons for both Indian and non-
Indian fishers, something that is still almost unthinkable in the rest of the Columbia Basin
above Bonneville Dam.
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