Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
The Kalispel Tribe is working with several agencies to investigate whether bull trout can be introduced into a northeast Washington lake.
Steve Jackson reports from Spokane.
The Kalispel Tribe, along with the U.S. and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife, are teaming up for a bull trout recovery plan that targets Sullivan Lake. That’s located a few miles from Metaline Falls in Pend Oreille County.
The fish is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Tribal officials say it’s present in small numbers downstream of Albeni Falls Dam, but there is no historic record of it living in Sullivan Lake.
Jason Conner from the tribal fisheries department says he hopes to gather eggs, juvenile, and adult fish from tributaries in Idaho and transplant them to the lake.
“The overall goal is a self sustaining population, and then beyond that, we would like to see a harvestable surplus in the lake. We like to have Kalispel tribal members have an opportunity to harvest bull trout in the lower Pend Oreille.”
Conner says all members of the public would be able to catch and keep bull trout if the population reaches sustainable levels.
He says the lake is an ideal location because lake trout, the main predator of bull trout, are not present in Sullivan Lake.
He says the bull trout introduction would not result in any changes to fishing, boating, or camping, although some restrictions could be implemented in adjacent Harvey Creek during spawning season.
You can find out more and leave a comment on the plan on the Washington Fish and Wildlife website.
The University of Wyoming has a Rainbow Resource Room for LGBTQ+ students. (Courtesy University Of Wyoming)
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY) spoke in favor of a bill recently that would bar transgender athletes from competing in the Olympics.
LGBTQ advocates say it’s discriminatory and worry about the impact of the legislation on trans people, including those living on Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation.
Wyoming Public Radio’s Chris Clements has more.
In a combative committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Hageman carried the legislation, which passed.
She says it’s necessary to protect the privacy of cisgender women from trans women who might want to compete in the Olympic Games alongside them.
“It is about protecting women and girls, and women and girls’ athletics. That is all.”
Layha Spoonhunter describes themself as a Two-Spirit Wyomingite and a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.
“I feel that this legislation is another piece of harmful and discriminatory legislation that is targeting a specific community, and that we have bigger issues that we need to address.”
Spoonhunter says any enforcement of the ban by the government would involve violating the personal safety and rights of trans people.
Other lawmakers pointed to the fact that the bill addresses what they say is a non-issue.
Rep. Hageman says she hopes the bill will pass Congress in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Courtesy Yurok Tribe
U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) recently introduced legislation to address missing and murdered Indigenous people.
The Tribal Community Protection Act encourages record sharing between tribal and state and local law enforcement.
According to the lawmakers, complicated jurisdictional overlaps between federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies contribute to the problem.
They say the bill aims to bridge the gap by promoting cooperation and information sharing.
Several national Native organizations support the legislation including the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.
The legislation is co-sponsored by seven representatives from across the country.
Get National Native News delivered to your inbox daily and stay up-to-date on the 2024 Native Vote. Sign up for our daily newsletter today.
