Washington: Tribal Chairman of Fisheries, Billy Frank, speaks for roadless areas
There seems to be an excess of optimism around these days. People feel
like we’ve turned a page, that things we considered not possible are
now possible. One of the previously hopeless fights I hope ends soon
is the long legal battle over the Roadless Area Conservation Rule,
which has the potential to protect more than two million acres of
pristine forests in Washington.
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The Jupiter Roadless Area on the Olympic Peninsula lies along the
north flank of the Hamma Hamma River, one of the few refuges for wild
steelhead in the area. To me, and the tribes that have always depended
on the fish that depend on the Hamma Hamma, protecting the forests up
there is about more than just protecting a beautiful landscape. It is
about protecting what is left of the region that has sustained our
communities forever. The trees protect the water quality of the rivers
that surround them, and the rivers produce fish that we eat. Our
cultures have always depended on salmon, so by protecting these
roadless areas, we are protecting ourselves.
We’re tired of wading against the bureaucratic tide in Washington, D.C., to get the roadless rule finally enacted. Our governor, Chris Gregoire, heroically sued the federal government to get it to live up to its promises and
enforce rules to protect roadless areas. I know these lawsuits are
often painful drawn out battles, but they are sometimes necessary to
make sure good things happen. But, we now have the opportunity,
President Barack Obama now has the opportunity, to make good on
promises made eight short years ago to finally protect these last
remnants of the great forests that the tribes once handed over to the
United States. When the tribes signed treaties with the federal
government, we knew the world was changing, but we didn’t expect our
forests to be cut down and rivers destroyed. Now, we say strongly
roadless areas should be untouchable and they should stay the way the
tribes have always known them.
Get full text; support writer, producer of the words:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/399408_frank10.html