[env-trinity] Water Warriors Rally at Trinity River Fish Hatchery

[Dan Bacher]

  https://www.indybay.org/admin/article/article_edit.php?id=18761084
Photo of a traditional Hoopa/Yurok/Karuk Brush dance demonstration at  
the celebration at the Lewiston Fish Hatchery on August 27. Photo by  
Dan Bacher.

800_traditional_hoopa_yur...
original image ( 960x640)

Water Warriors Rally at Trinity River Fish Hatchery

By Dan Bacher

On a very hot day, August 27, over 200 Tribal Members and Leaders,  
river advocates and politicians attended a day of celebration on the  
Trinity River below Lewiston Dam.

It was a day that the Bureau of Reclamation designated as a  
“Multicultural Day,“ so the Hoopa Valley Tribe organized an event to  
demonstrate the impacts of water diversion on their culture and the  
river communities.

It was also a day for giving thanks and celebrating culture and  
tradition. Tribal Officials talked of a sense of relief for having  
water flowing in decent amounts down the Trinity River, providing  
cooler water for spawning salmon to make their epic journeys back to  
the places of their birth.

The celebration took place next to the fish hatchery where Chinook and  
coho salmon and steelhead are spawned and reared by the California  
Department of Fish and Wildlife. Not lost on those present was the  
significance of that choice: a fish hatchery, a place of birth and  
release, something the Tribes have been doing for centuries.

The event began right before noon when the “Water Warriors,” those who  
have protested in defense of the Trinity in recent weeks, walked from  
the gate at the entrance into the hatchery where they convened at a  
stage. The “Water Warriors” wore t-shirts donated by Hoopa Valley  
Tribal Fisheries with “Free Our River” emblazoned on the front and  
carried an array of signs and colorful banners.

Members of the Yurok, Hoopa Valley and Karuk tribes, as well as  
leaders of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, displayed signs and banners with  
slogans including “Fish Need Water,” “Let The River Flow,” "Give Us  
Our Water, " "Save The Salmon," "Tribal Rights Are Non Negotiable,"  
"Release The Dam Water," "Undam the Klamath - Free the Trinity,"  
"Central Valley agri-giants are killing salmon", "Fish Can't Swim In  
Money," and "Westlands Sucks The Trinity Dry."

Many of those “Water Warriors” had participated in a direct action  
protest at the Bureau of Reclamation Offices in Sacramento the week  
before, organized by the Klamath Justice Coalition and Got Water?,  
that helped pressure Reclamation to increase releases into the Trinity  
River below the dam to avert a fish kill on the lower Klamath, (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/20/18760371.php 
)

The opening walk was in honor of the Water Warriors’ “strong battle to  
preserve and protect our sovereignty, water rights, and salmon,”  
according to Hoopa Tribal Chairwoman Danielle Vigil-Masten.

After a welcome address by Bob Burns, Vice-Chair of Nor Rel Muk Wintu  
Nation, tribal members conducted traditional dance and singing  
demonstrations.These included a traditional Hoopa/Yurok/Karuk Brush  
dance demonstration by Boyd Ferris and Clarence Hostler Sr.

Hoopa Tribal Member sisters Kee-yah and Kisdyante Joseph sang a  
powerful water song, followed by a beautiful Flower Dance  
demonstration and “Water is Life” connection story led by Melody  
George-Moore.

After a prepared barbecued lunch where the Hoopa Valley Youth Council  
served the elders, teachers and students in the NDN Hupa Language  
Program presented their “Youth Water Songs for Healing.”

Hoopa Valley Tribal Fisheries Hydrologist Robert Franklin provided a  
detailed update on water flows, fish health and legal proceedings.

Hoopa Tribal Chairwoman, Danielle Vigil-Masten then reviewed the  
recent campaign by grassroots tribal and environmental activists that  
culminated in the victory, emphasizing the need for unity among the  
tribes and other river people fighting for the restoration of the  
Trinity.

“This rally today brings all the Water Warriors together to show them  
we have a united front,” she said. “This all happened within a two  
week time frame. We were able to bring the tribes and river people  
together from the dam to the mouth.”

"Water is our lifeblood – without water we won’t have salmon,” she said.

She emphasized that everybody should be “proud of who you are. Don’t  
put each other down – lift each other up!”

“Our fish need water to live and survive,” she emphasized. “Two weeks  
ago the Bureau said they couldn’t allow increased releases down the  
river, even though fish were dying. We called our Sister, the Chief of  
the Winnemem Wintu, to do the fire and water dance. We called  
everybody and said we can’t fight this battle with egos – we have to  
be united.”

Vigil-Masten said the high river releases from the dam that splashed  
into the air behind her were the result of a recent visit to Redding  
by Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel. After finding out about the  
visit the night before, Hoopa tribal members including Dania  
Colegrove, Vivienna Orcutt and Allie Hostler and river activists  
including Regina Chichizola and Stormy Salamander quickly mobilized to  
organize a protest in Redding where Jewell was meeting with local  
officials about the fires.

Fortunately, Vigil-Masten and other tribal members were able to talk  
to her. “We had one shot to do this – and we showed up! The most  
important thing is showing up,” she emphasized.

Two days after Jewell’s visit, members of her staff traveled out to  
the Klamath and Trinity rivers to see the reality of the situation,  
with fish dying and the waters choked with algae in sections.

Buster Attebury, Karuk Tribal Chairman, also emphasized the need for  
unity in working to bring back the salmon to the Klamath and Trinity  
rivers.

“If we work together, we can accomplish a lot,” said Attebury. “We  
have different ways of doing things, but we are stronger if we stick  
together.”

He pointed out the irony of how fish ladders were constructed on the  
Pacific Corp dams in Oregon, but not below Iron Gate Dam in  
California. For over 70 years, Iron Gate has blocked salmon from  
ascending the Klamath River and its tributaries to spawn.

“What we want is a brighter future, “ he said. “We lived in harmony  
with the environment for generations. This is not an inferior way of  
life, as the settlers said. Only in the short time the settlers came  
to the region they raped the earth. THAT is an inferior lifestyle.”

Jeannie McCovey, Yurok Tribal Member, said state and federal  
authorities are "not managing the river properly. We’re dealing with  
ecocide... We have to fight for our air, water and land.”

McCovey urged people to fight for the river and salmon with every  
avenue available, including going to protests and hearings, writing  
letters and “folding hands in prayer. Humans are the only ones that  
can pray.”

Debra Chapman, Trinity County Supervisor, said, “We were bracing for  
another catastrophic die-off” before the Bureau decided to release  
water.

She talked about how when she was in high school, her mentor was a  
teacher who taught an environmental conservation class. In 1973, they  
put up a sign in Douglas City, “Entering the Trinity River. Studied to  
death and mismanaged to death.”

"Over forty years later we still have a problem with flows on the  
Trinity River," she stated.

“They treat the Trinity as if it is a tributary of the Sacramento. The  
Trinity is not a tributary of the Sacramento,” she emphasized.

Caleen Sisk, Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe,  
who gave the final prayer and song, emphasized, “We are a salmon  
state, not a watermelon or pistachio state. It will take Indian people  
all over the state to bring the salmon back.”

“We are one of a handful willing to speak for the salmon. We have to  
speak up, to support one another… Make sure that we carry the salmon  
in our hearts so we know what to say. If you’re on a tribal council,  
please speak up,” she said.

Other speakers and performers at the event included Miss Natini-xwe’  
Kayla Brown, Hoopa Valley Tribe Member, who sang the Salmon Prayer  
Song, Rick Dowd, Resighini Rancheria Tribal Chairman, and Brian  
Person, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager.

After the rally ended, Tribal members got word that a federal judge in  
Fresno that afternoon had rejected a motion by San Joaquin Valley  
agribusiness interests to block preventative water releases to avert a  
fish kill on the Klamath River.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill denied the temporary  
restraining order (TRO) sought by Westlands Water and the San Luis and  
Delta-Mendota Water Authority after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation  
increased releases on the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam on  
Saturday, August 23.

O’Neill ruled that potential harm to salmon facing low and warm water  
conditions at this time outweighs the potential harm to irrigators,  
who receive Trinity River water through the Central Valley Project,  
next year. For more information on the decision, go to: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2014/08/28/18760861.php

Statement By Hoopa's Negotiation Team On Court Decision:

Below is the statement from the Hoopa Valley Tribe’s Negotiation Team  
on the recent court decision by Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill:

"At issue is water in a Trinity River reservoir, which has long been  
shared with farmers in the Central Valley. The river is the main  
tributary of the Klamath River, where sharing scarce water between  
fish and farms has long been a tough balancing act marked by lawsuits  
and political battles for local tribe's that have been fighting for  
years to keep river flows at healthy levels for fish," Hoopa Tribal  
Fisheries Director Mike Orcutt said, "We're happy and thankful that  
the Court did the right thing this year. The Court is interpreting  
what the law says, which is, the assurances given to the residents of  
the basin including the Hoopa Tribe. That water would be used first  
and foremost here to protect the fish in the Klamath and Trinity  
river, not all of these other things that the Trinity River water is  
being used for in the Central Valley."

In the response to the TRO (Temporary Restraining Order), the court  
mentions only one argument - the trust responsibility to manage the  
project for the trust assets.

Councilman Ryan Jackson stated, "The release of the additional water  
into the Klamath Basin is a victory for Indian people and preservation  
of the Indian trust resource. However we shouldn't lose sight of how  
we managed to get to where we are today. The BOR continues to manage  
the Klamath basin in a irresponsible manner. Maximum deliveries of  
water out of the basin and into the California Central Valley continue  
to put a strain on an already stressed situation. The biggest problem  
we see is within the Klamath River and the over allocation of water to  
upper basin junior interest irrigators. This requires the BOR to rely  
on Trinity River water to bail out the Lower Klamath. Now we find  
ourselves in a lawsuit trying to defend an action that shouldn't have  
occurred in the first place. The basin needs to be managed responsibly  
or we will inevitably see a catastrophe in the basin that is entirely  
avoidable."
§Young Water Warriors
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_photo_by_vivienna_orc...
original image ( 960x720)

Young Water Warriors rally at the Trinity River Fish Hatchery on  
August 27. Photo by Vivienna Orcutt.
§Water Warriors march
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_water_warriors_march_...
original image ( 5184x3456)

The Water Warriors march from the entrance of the fish hatchery. Photo  
by Dan Bacher.
§Young brush dancer
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_young_brush_dancer_1....
original image ( 5184x3456)

The brush dance is traditionally done for healing a sick child - or in  
this case, for healing a river system. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Melody Moore
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_melody_moore_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Melody Moore, Hoopa Valley Tribe Member, led a beautiful Flower Dance  
demonstration and “Water is Life” connection story. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Children Songs for Healing
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_kids_singing_close_up...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Students in the NDN Hupa Language Program presented their “Youth Water  
Songs for Healing.” Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Danielle Vigil-Masten
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_danielle_vigil-masten...
original image ( 960x640)

Danielle Vigil-Masten, Hoopa Valley Chairwoman, recounted how Tribal  
members and river advocates from throughout the Klamath and Trinity  
watersheds united to stop a fish kill. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Buster Attebury
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_buster_attebury___1.jpg
original image ( 960x640)

Buster Attebury, Karuk Tribal Chair, speaks out the need for unity in  
fighting for the salmon and the river. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Caleen Sisk
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_caleen_sisk_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Caleen Sisk, Chief of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, said that California  
needs to recognize its role as a salmon state. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Jeannie McCovey
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_jeannie_mccovey_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Jeannie McCovey, Yurok Tribal Member, urged people to fight for the  
river with an array of methods, including protests, writing letters  
and prayer. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Kayla Brown
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_kayla_sings_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Miss Natini-xwe’ Kayla Brown (L), Hoopa Valley Tribe Member, sang the  
Salmon Prayer Song. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Supervisor Chapman
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_supervisor_photo_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

Debra Chapman, Trinity County Supervisor, said, "The Trinity River is  
not a tributary of the Sacramento." Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Water Warriors at Dam
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_water_warriors_1.jpg
original image ( 5184x3456)

The Water Warriors line up in defense of the salmon and the river at  
Lewiston Dam. Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Undam the Klamath
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_undam_the_klamath_fre...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Undam the Klamath, Free the Trinity River! Photo by Dan Bacher.
§Caleen Sisk leads the final prayer
by Dan Bacher Tuesday Sep 2nd, 2014 6:57 PM

800_caleen_leads_the_fina...
original image ( 5184x3456)

Chief Caleen Sisk of the Winnemem Wintu leads the final prayer and  
song at Lewiston Dam. Photo by Dan Bacher.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_traditional_hoopa_yurok_karuk_brush_dance_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 363515 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_photo_by_vivienna_orcutt__.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 386711 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_water_warriors_march__1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 423615 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_young_brush_dancer_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 384156 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0003.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_melody_moore_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 450659 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0004.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_kids_singing_close_up_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 368813 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0005.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_danielle_vigil-masten_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 268923 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0006.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_buster_attebury___1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 250990 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0007.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_caleen_sisk_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 311728 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0008.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_jeannie_mccovey_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 333752 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0009.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_kayla_sings_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 335988 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0010.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_supervisor_photo_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 255978 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0011.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_water_warriors_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 464336 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0012.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_undam_the_klamath_free_the_trinity_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 370692 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0013.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 800_caleen_leads_the_final_prayer_1.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 388663 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www2.dcn.org/pipermail/env-trinity/attachments/20140903/39ea1da7/attachment-0014.jpg>