What is CRITFC

Message from the Executive Director

Olney Patt, Jr., Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission

We are all salmon people. All people of the Northwest. We, who call the Pacific Northwest our home, have the privilege of living amongst the great salmon nation. Like the salmon, we take comfort and sustenance from the mountains, forests, valleys, high plains, rivers, and the ocean that is their home. For thousands of years, and especially the past few hundred years, we have taken much of what was and is theirs. For countless years our salmon brothers and sisters returned without question to nourish us, sustain our cultures, our economies, our society and our spiritual well-being.

Today, they barely survive. Without us, they cannot survive. We must find balance. Today and from this day on, it is our time to give to them.

Wy-Kan-Ush-Mi Wa-Kish-Wit, "Spirit of the Salmon," is the tribal vision and plan to restore salmon in the Columbia River basin. It is a long-term vision with near-term actions. It is rooted in the fundamental truth that we all have a responsibility to care for this earth and all things upon it. We are part of the earth and the earth is part of us. The message is simple, "Put the fish back in the river and protect the habitats where they live."

Salmon are important to our ecosystem, the water we drink, the health of our bodies, the interconnectedness of all beings and the nourishing of our very existence. It is a message of balance, of give and take. Today we have the opportunity to leave a great legacy for those who follow us. We all must be conservationists--conserving and protecting the water and other natural resources; conserving electricity, oil and other forms of energy; and conserving and strengthening our nation's rich and complex cultural heritage.

Today, when we have the best of times--strong fish returns--and the worst of times--a drought that threatens future runs of fish--we must find balanced solutions to restore the salmon, protect our rivers and maintain our contemporary economy. We see places such as the Umatilla River in Oregon and the Methow River in Washington where the tribes and others in the community have found common ground and solutions to salmon restoration that also protect local farming.

The tribes are also taking their long-sought place in research and innovative project implementation--from goal-driven research related to genetics and hatchery practices, to on-the-ground projects such as those in the Clearwater and Warm Springs watersheds.

These models show us restoration is possible, and in America, we can do it. Our tribes' successes have been bound in the ability to collaborate and persevere.

This continues to be the hope and vision of the "Spirit of the Salmon."

Olney "JP" Patt, Jr.

JP was made executive director in April 2002. Prior to working for the Commission, Mr. Patt was the Chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon.


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