by Dan Bacher
On March 21, Jesse McKinley published an outstanding article in the New York Times about the Winnemem Wintu Tribe’s journey to New Zealand to bring winter chinook salmon introduced into the Rakaia River back to their native stream, the McCloud River.
Over 2 dozen tribal members boarded a plane Friday night on their spiritual journey to New Zealand. “Once in New Zealand, the Winnemem plan to rendezvous with local Maori leaders and stage a four-day ceremony starting March 28 that will culminate with the rare ‘nur chonas winyupus,’ or middle water salmon dance,” wrote McKinley.
“The Francos say they intend to ask local fish and game officials if they can bring back some of New Zealand’s salmon eggs — once of California stock — back to the McCloud. ‘We have to do more than pray,’ Ms. Callen Sisk-Franco said. “We have to follow through,’” according to McKinley.
The tribe’s journey comes at crucial time for Central Valley salmon populations and the people that depended on them for centuries. The Sacramento River fall Chinook salmon run collapsed from nearly 800,000 fish in 2002 to only 39,500 fish in fall 2009. Endangered winter run and spring run chinook run chinook runs have also crashed, due to massive water exports from the California Delta to corporate agribusiness and southern California.
Mark Franco, Winnemem Wintu headman, was the keynote speaker at the Organic Capital Celebration of Sustainability, sponsored by Organic Sacramento and Friends of the River, in Sacramento on December 9 (http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/12/18/18633047.php). He received an award, on behalf of the tribe, for the tribe’s many efforts to stop the raising of Shasta Dam, to restore the Delta and bring salmon back to the McCloud River above Shasta Dam.
I strongly urge you to contribute to the tribe’s battle to restore McCloud River salmon and their many other efforts on behalf of environmental justice, go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Redding/Winnemem-Wintu-Tribe/96167065518. All recreational anglers, commercial fishermen, conservationists, tribal members and environmental justice advocates should support the Winnemem Wintu in their campaign to bring the salmon home, defend sacred sites and regain federal recognition.
The link to New York Times article is: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/us/21tribes.html?ref=us.
Very Cool Shirt!