As people of faith we believe in our commitment to care for our common home together. We stand with our indigenous siblings in the Northwest to honor the original treaties by creating free flowing natural rivers, and protecting salmon, a keystone species central to Northwest life and indigenous livelihood.

At a recent gathering of indigenous communities' leaders, a Salish Sea tribal member sounded the alarm on the grave harm imposed by the dramatic reduction in the salmon population: “This is a holocaust. They are just managing extinctions. That’s it. It is the extermination of the buffalo all over again. Now it is our salmon and the way of life of the indigenous peoples. This is the fight of our lives for our way of life.”

The indigenous communities of the Northwest, led by the Nez Perce tribe, stand together in the call for the removal of the four Lower Snake River dams.

We urge our faith community and society to follow the lead of indigenous communities, as the five Washington Catholic Bishops recently stated in a pastoral letter about the Columbia River Shed: “In respecting the dignity of every human person, we first consider the Original Peoples of Washington state. Native American tribes of the region have a long-standing relationship of care and respect for the salmon of the Lower Snake River….We urge federal and state policy makers to develop and implement a holistic plan for the Lower Snake River region that seeks input from the Original Peoples of Washington state as principal dialogue partners…”

We believe removing the four dams on the Lower Snake River, while mitigating the impact for communities that have relied on the dams, is the correct pathway forward. Compelled by our commitment to working towards reconciliation with indigenous peoples and the earth, we stand in solidarity with our indigenous partners to advocate for a free-flowing Lower Snake River as a first step in saving salmon.

We urge all member of congress to support the Northwest Energy and Salmon Plan created by Representative Mike Simpson!