ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. HERE'S INVESTIGATOR SUSIE OUT OF FRAME WITH THE LATEST IN HER
SERIES SKAGIT RIVER OF LIGHT
AND LOS OH OH OH OH OH OR
ACCORDING TO THE UPPER SKAGIT
INDIAN TRIBE, THEY ARE
ETERNALLY TIED TO THE SKAGIT
RIVER AND THE SALMON THAT SWIM
IN IT.
OH WE ARE SALMON PEOPLE AND
SALMON MEAN MORE THAN JUST
MONEY AND MORE THAN JUST FOOD.
IT'S A WAY OF LIFE FOR US.
WE ARE TIED TO THIS RIVER BY
BLOOD.
LARRY PETERSON'S ANCESTORS
LIVED ALONG THE SKAGIT 410
THOUSAND YEARS WHERE SALMON
FORMED THE CENTER OF THEIR
NUTRITIONAL, SPIRITUAL AND
COMMUNITY BONDS FOR BUT THE
SALMON ARE DISAPPEARING HEADING
TOWARD EXTINCTION.
OH, IT'S HEARTBREAKING.
WE ARE A RIVER TRIBE.
I REALLY FEEL LIKE IT'S ENDING
A WAY OF LIFE FOR US LIKE I AND
MY CHILDREN ARE ROBBED OF THAT
CULTURAL ASPECT 100 YEARS AGO
WHEN THE CITY OF SEATTLE BUILT
THREE DAMS ON THE SKAGIT TO
GENERATE ELECTRICITY, NO ONE
CONSULTED THE NATIVE AMERICANS
AND THAT'S CREATED PAINFUL
CONSEQUENCES.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE UTILITY BUILT
ITS COMPANY TOWN OF NEW HALEM
ON UPPER SKAGIT ANCESTRAL
BURIAL GROUNDS.
CITY LIGHT HAS DRIED UP A THREE
MILE SECTION THE SKAGIT WHERE
IT USED TO FLOW FREELY AND THIS
IS THE STRETCH OF THE RIVER THE
TRIBE CONSIDERS THE MOST SACRED
OF ALL WHAT THEY CALL THEIR
SPIRIT VALLEY.
ALSO THE CITY'S DAMS FLOODED
IMPORTANT CULTURAL SITES SITES
NOW RUINED UNDERWATER.
MY CHILDREN ARE LOSING WHAT
THEY'RE ENTITLED TO ARE
ENTITLED TO BE ON THIS RIVER.
THEY'RE ENTITLED TO THE TIME
THEY HAVE HERE WITH MOTHER
NATURE AND THEIR FAMILY.
THIS IS WHERE THOSE
ENTITLEMENTS BEGAN IN 1855 IN
MUKILTEO WHERE THE US AND PUGET
SOUND INDIAN CHIEFS SIGNED THE
TREATY OF POINT ELLIOTT THE
TRIBES GAVE AWAY THEIR LANDS TO
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
PEACEFULLY AND IN EXCHANGE
RETAINED ONE CRITICAL RIGHT THE
RIGHT TO FISH AS THEY HAD FOR
CENTURIES IN THE TREATY.
IT SAYS THE RIGHT OF TAKING
FISH AT USUAL AND ACCUSTOMED
GROUNDS AND STATIONS IS FURTHER
SECURED TO SAID INDIANS.
IT'S THE SUPREME LAW OF THE
LAND.
PROFESSOR CHARLES WILKINSON
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
IS ONE OF THE COUNTRY'S
FOREMOST AUTHORITIES ON INDIAN
LAW HISTORY AND POLICY.
HE SAYS FISHING WAS THE DEAL
BREAKER THE ONE PART OF THE
CULTURE THE TRIBES WEREN'T
WILLING TO GIVE.
SO WE END UP WITH WITH THAT
PROMISE BEING THAT THAT THAT
WAY OF LIFE WOULD BE CONTINUED
WITH SALMON IN SERIOUS DECLINE,
THE EVERSHED TRIBE RARELY GETS
TO EXERCISE THEIR TREATY
RIGHTS.
THEY'VE GONE FROM FISHING NINE
TOTAL DAYS IN 1980 TO ONLY SIX
DAYS IN ALL OF 2017 AND SINCE
THEN IT HASN'T GOTTEN MUCH
BETTER.
SCIENTISTS FROM THREE TRIBES IN
FEDERAL AGENCIES SAY SEATTLE'S
DAMS WHICH BLOCK OFF NEARLY 40
PERCENT OF THE RIVER ARE A BIG
PART OF THE SALMON PROBLEM.
THE AGENCIES INCLUDE NOAA
FISHERIES, U.S. FISH AND
WILDLIFE AND THE NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE.
THE ONLY SCIENTIST ON RECORD
SAYING THE DAMS AREN'T PART
OF THE PROBLEM.
WORK FOR SEATTLE CITY LIGHT
GROWING UP WITH A STIGMA AROUND
NATIVE AMERICANS WAS HARD 20
YEAR OLD JANELLE SKYLAR'S LIFE
CHANGED TWO YEARS AGO WHEN HER
DAD BROUGHT HER TO THE TRIBE'S
SPIRIT VALLEY.
THE PORTION OF THE RIVER WHERE
CITY LIGHT DIVERTS THE WATER
OUT OF THE RIVER AND IT REALLY
HURT ME ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL.
I GOT A DEEP AND A DEEP
EMOTIONAL LEVEL AND I WANTED TO
SEEK OUT TO MARY DURKIN AND
WONDER WHY IT LIKE WHY SHE
ALLOWS THIS.
SO SHE WROTE THE CITY'S TOP
BOSS MAYOR JENNY DURKIN.
DEAR MAYOR DURKIN, I'M WRITING
TODAY TO SHARE MY FEELING AND
SOME QUESTIONS REGARDING THE
THREE HYDROELECTRIC DAMS.
SHE ASKED THE MAYOR FOR HELP ON
THIS GADGET TO URGE THE CITY'S
PUBLIC UTILITY TO OWN UP TO THE
IMPACTS CAUSED BY THEIR DAMS.
I ASKED IS WHY PEOPLE I ASKED
FOR THE SALMON.
I ASKED AS FAR AS SCATTERED
JANELLE ALSO ASKED TO MEET WITH
THE MAYOR IN PERSON THAT WAS IN
2019 AND TO DATE NOTHING.
YEAH, NOTHING AT ALL.
THE MAYOR DIDN'T RESPOND TO OUR
MOST RECENT INTERVIEW REQUEST
BUT SITILIDES CEO DEBORAH SMITH
ANSWERED OUR QUESTIONS.
THE TRIBE FEELS LIKE THIS CITY
IS IGNORING THEIR CONCERNS AND
HAS DONE SO FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THAT REALLY
ALL I CAN DO, SUZANNE, IS
PROMISE THAT GOING FORWARD OUR
GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL
THE FOLKS INVOLVED IN THIS
PROCESS WITH US BUT
PARTICULARLY THE TRIBES WHO DO
HAVE TREATY RIGHTS THAT THEY
FEEL LISTENED TO AND HEARD.
SMITH ADMITS THE UTILITIES DONE
A POOR JOB OF COMMUNICATING
WITH THE TRIBE IN THE PAST BUT
SHE VOWS TO CHANGE THAT NOW.
WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY IS WE'RE
ATTEMPTING TO MOVE FORWARD TO
REPAIR WHAT WE CAN.
THE TREATY OF ANALIA WAS SIGNED
BY THE EPA'S GADGET'S ANCESTOR
CHIEF PETTIEST.
IT'S ALSO SIGNED BY CHIEF
SEATTLE, THE CITY'S NAMESAKE,
THE MOST FAMOUS PACIFIC
NORTHWEST INDIAN CHIEF OF ALL
ON THE ERA OF SOCIAL JUSTICE.
THIS IS A HUGE INJUSTICE TO THE
TWO OF THE TRIBE AND TO OUR
PEOPLE.
THE TRIBE'S POLICY DIRECTOR
SCOTT SKYLAR'S SAYS THE CITY IS
BEING HYPOCRITICAL.
CHIEF SEATTLE SIGNER OF THE
TREATY PROMISING FISHING RIGHTS
IS THE FACE OF THE CITY
OF SEATTLE AND THE LOGO
OF SEATTLE CITY LIGHT.
THERE'S A LARGE AMOUNT
OF HYPOCRISY HERE THAT THEY
NEED TO COME TO TERMS WITH.
YOU COULD TALK THE TALK BUT
YOU'RE NOT WALKING THE LAW.
YOU NEED TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR
HERE SEATTLE THE YOUNG TRIBAL
MEMBER INDUSTRY JANELLE WHO
WROTE TO THE MAYOR SHE'S ALSO
STARTED A PETITION ON THE
WEBSITE CHANGE DART BOARD TO
ENCOURAGE THE CITY OF SEATTLE
TO CONSIDER STUDYING REMOVING
GORG DAM.
THAT'S THE ONE OF THREE DAMS
THAT'S LOCATED IN THAT VERY
SPIRITUAL AREA OF THE UPPER
SKAGIT INDIAN TRIBE HAS
OFFICIALLY ASKED THE CITY TO
ASSESS WHETHER OR NOT THEY
COULD TAKE DOWN THAT DAM AND
CONTINUE TO GENERATE
ELECTRICITY USING THE REMAINING
TO THE CITY SO FAR SAYS THAT'S
NOT IN THEIR PLANS, NOT
PLANNING ON STUDYING THAT IDEA.
BUT THE TRIBE SAYS THEY'RE NOT
GOING TO