Lummi Nation
Ocean-to-table journey of uniquely tasty oysters takes work
Commentary: It takes a community to raise and harvest an oyster.
Listen, and support Indigenous voices
Commentary: Knowledge and awareness of the challenges Indigenous peoples face are good; what matters is action.
‘Salmon People’ dives deep into the past to save the salmon
Inspired to keep alive the work of past generations and influenced by care for future generations, a nonprofit video production group’s current project focuses on the “Salmon People.”
Tribal sovereignty education comes—slowly—to school curriculum
Public school districts are working with tribes to develop a crucial new curriculum on tribal sovereignty and treaty rights.
Raising awareness of missing, murdered Indigenous women
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day is observed on May 5, and in an installation at the Lightcatcher Building through May 15.
Mother Earth Day celebration will look to the future, through the vision of Indigenous youth
Messages from Indigenous youth with eyes on environmental justice and the future will be featured at a Mother Earth Day celebration presented by Children of the Setting Sun Productions at Bellingham’s Maritime Heritage Park on April 22.
Streamside shade: fish and farm advocates struggle to find common ground
Salmon recovery is a priority for many in Washington who see vegetated streamside buffers as important to salmon-friendly habitat. But some in the state’s agricultural community see the threat of loss of productive farmland from proposals such as the Lorraine Loomis Act discussed earlier in this year’s legislative session.
2021: A look back at some stories from the first full year of Salish Current
2021 was a year like no other, with themes such as public health vis-à-vis COVID-19 and opioid addiction; social justice in the courts, the arts, housing and policing; and climate change and natural resources including water rights management. Salish Current offers a look back via articles published during the nonprofit newsroom’s first full year.
Whatcom farmers face manure management challenges after flooding
Flooding in Whatcom and Skagit counties in November put major stress on local dairies, including lost animals and lost revenues for some. Now there’s another hurdle: With storage lagoons overtopping, where can they store all that manure? Farmers and county and state agencies are stepping up to the challenge, to prevent pollution downstream and restore infrastructure.
Vigil calls for more urgency to save endangered salmon, orcas
A vigil in support of endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest drew environmental advocates and members of the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe to the Bellingham waterfront on Nov. 20. The event commemorated the 30th anniversary of the original declaration of Snake River sockeye salmon as endangered, and was held in conjunction with several similar events around the region.
Clock starts on Nooksack basin water rights inventory; stakeholders yet to discuss solutions
Weeks of sparse rainfall and a historic heat wave marked the end of June — and the start of a process to establish water rights among various users in Whatcom County’s Nooksack River basin.
Local Juneteenth event celebrates diversity, freedom, challenge
Black Lives Matter signs waved over the Maritime Heritage Park amphitheater and booths lined the concrete walkway on Saturday, June 19 — the fourth annual Juneteenth celebration in Bellingham.
House of Tears Carvers visit Bellingham with totem pole bound for DC
Several hundred people in Bellingham visited a totem pole created by Lummi carvers from a 400-year-old cedar log — the latest stop in the Red Road to D.C. tour of the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere across the U.S. toward its final destination in Washington, D.C.
A next step to resolve Nooksack water rights waits on legislative budget decision
The state Department of Ecology has announced its intent to resolve the contentious issues around water rights in the Nooksack Basin through the legal action of adjudication, and money to move that process forward is proposed in the budget under consideration by the Legislature.
Internet connectivity has improved in Whatcom County, but many gaps remain
One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many more students in Whatcom County are able to connect to the internet for remote learning, thanks to communitywide efforts, particularly in rural communities with limited or no internet options. Still, a clear digital divide remains.
Understanding the importance of the Point Elliott Treaty
An understanding of the elements of sovereignty of the Lummi Nation and the significance of the term “treaty” is integral to understanding the importance of these agreements then — and now.