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Negotiations have started that will determine the future of our region: the negotiations of the Columbia River Treaty. The Columbia River Treaty was originally ratified between the U.S. and Canada in 1964 to reduce the risk of floods in downstream cities like Portland, Oregon, and to develop hydropower capacity.

Tribes and First Nations are advocating a third major criteria be included in a modernized Columbia River Treaty: ecosystem-based function—that is, taking into account fish, wildlife, habitat, water quality, and health of the river. This could be done while still meeting the needs of hydropower and flood control.

For the past 50 years, the Columbia River Treaty excluded tribal participation in its governance and implementation. For the State Department to continue this exclusion in current negotiations is unacceptable. The indigenous peoples of the Columbia River Basin who have lived with these rivers from time immemorial—and suffered from the dams—will give voice to the voiceless: our rivers, animals, fish and generations unborn.

We believe it is the responsibility of everyone to protect our environment for generations to come, and changing how we manage the Columbia River, on both sides of the border, is important to ensuring we leave our descendants with a healthy home, clean water, and an opportunity to thrive.

Learn More:

• Columbia Basin Tribes’ Common Views of the Future of the Columbia River Treaty – The 15 Columbia Basin tribes shared their views in 2010 about the future management of the Columbia River, including respect for tribal sovereignty and protecting ecological processes like healthy fish, wildlife and plants.
• U.S. Entity Regional Recommendation – We urge Treaty negotiators to listen to the U.S. Entity Regional Recommendation provided in December 2013, which took into consideration the input from tribes and other stakeholders in the Columbia River Basin and called for ecosystem-based function to be included in the modernized Treaty.
• The Value of Natural Capital in the Columbia River Basin – This report estimates the Columbia River Basin’s natural capital provides $198 billion in value annually. The report estimates that a modest 10 percent increase in ecosystem-based function would add $19 billion per year to the basin’s value.
• Fish Reintroduction into the U.S. and Canadian Upper Columbia River – U.S. Columbia Basin tribes and Canadian First Nations propose that restoring fish passage and reintroducing anadromous fish should be investigated and implemented as a key element of integrating ecosystem-based function into the Treaty.
• Columbia River Treaty – The Columbia River Treaty is a 50-year-old international treaty between Canada and the U.S. on the development and operation of dams in the Upper Columbia River Basin for power and flood control. Read the full text here.

In the News:

• The Free Press, December 30, 2019 – B.C. minister: Trudeau-Tump relations haven’t impacted Columbia River Treaty talks
• Columbia Valley Pioneer, November 20, 2019 – Columbia River Treaty: ‘It’s going to get tough’
• BC Local News, November 11, 2019 – Columbia River Treaty talks continue in Golden
• Columbia Valley Pioneer, November 6, 2019 – Columbia River Treaty negotiators invite First Nations observers to speak
• The Globe and Mail, August 31, 2019 – A second chance: Canada, U.S. renegotiate a critical water treaty
• Revelstoke Mountaineer, June 24, 2019 – Indigenous observes join Columbia River Treaty Talks
• Seattle Times, May 20, 2019 – U.S. must follow Canada and invite tribes into Columbia River Treaty negotiation
• Reuters, April 17, 2019 – Roll on, Columbia? U.S. tribes demand seat at river treaty negotiating table
• Montana Public Radio, April 10, 2019 – Tribes want ecological concerns prioritized in Columbia River Treaty negotiations
• Montana Public Radio, March 21, 2019 – Kalispell Meeting Furthers Columbia River Treaty Negotiations
• Lewiston Tribune, March 10, 2019 – With treaty set to expire, will there be rough sailing ahead?
• Public News Service, February 28, 2019 – Groups ‘disappointed’ salmon not part of Columbia River Treaty Talks
• Seattle Times, September 7, 2018 – DR Michel: Grieving orca is a wake-up call for the health of the Columbia River salmon
• Public New Service, September 6, 2018 – Portland Town Hall: Chance to Comment on Columbia River Treaty
• Northwest Public Broadcasting, September 5, 2018 – Groups Again Call on Columbia River Treaty Negotiators To Include Tribes
• Center for Environmental Law & Policy, August 31, 2018 – Columbia River Treaty Negotiating Team out of step with Northwest Values
• Times Colonist, July 30, 2018 – Island Voices: First Nations excluded from Columbia River Treaty negotiations
• Langley Times, July 26, 2018 – B.C., U.S. negotiators want big changes to Columbia River Treaty
• Wildsight, July 4, 2018 – Columbia River Treaty: Coming to the Table
• The Nelson Daily, June 24, 2018 – Canoe journey and gathering at Kettle Falls honors salmon and tribal traditions
• Vancouver Sun, June 21, 2018 – Indigenous Nations must be included in the re-negotiation of the Columbia River Treaty
• Idaho Statesman, June 3, 2018 – Renewing the Columbia River Treaty: A once-in-a-generation chance to address river health
• My Columbian Basin, May 30, 2018 – Columbia River Tribes Seek a Seat at the Table
• Salmon Arm Observer, May 24, 2018 – First Nations excluded from Columbia River Treaty talks
• NW News Network, May 23, 2018 – US, Canada to Reopen Renegotiations of Columbia River Treaty without Tribal Presence
• Seattle Times, May 13, 2018 – Columbia River treaty negotiations must include tribes, First Nations
• KUOW-FM (NPR), April 26, 2018 – Northwest Tribes Noticeably Absent in Columbia River Treaty Renegotiations
• The Spokesman-Review, April 24, 2018 – DR Michel: A modern Columbia River treaty needs to treat the Columbia as one river
• The Spokesman-Review, April 24, 2018 – Treaty Talk: Americans and Canadians discuss hopes for new Columbia River Treaty
• Missoulian, April 24, 2018 – As talks begin on new U.S.-Canada river treaty, salmon and native issues loom
• Missoulian, April 13, 2018 – Columbia River Treaty watchers hope to right 50 years of wrongs
• Seattle Times, February 7, 2018 – Environmental impact of salmon decline: This isn’t just about fish
• The Register-Guard, January 28, 2018 – New treaty must address ecosystem concerns
• Seattle Times, January 7, 2018 – Columbia River Treaty Talks offer Hope for River, Native Peoples
• Trail Times, January 2, 2018 – Columbia River Treat: What’s on the table?
• The Spokesman-Review, December 31, 2017 – Columbia River treaty a test for Trump
• Seattle Times, December 16, 2017 – U.S. Canada to begin talks in 2018 on Columbia River Treaty