Billy Frank: Tulalip Tribes keeps salmon in balance with business
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Filed Under:
Opinion
"More than 1,500 salmon were seen spawning in Coho Creek on the Tulalip Tribes' reservation last fall. Pretty good considering 10 years ago, the creek was nothing but a drainage ditch in the Quilceda Creek watershed.
The Tulalips created spawning habitat out of that ditch right next door to the nearby and growing Quil Ceda Village, a business park developed by the tribe.
Like many tribes in Western Washington, the Tulalip Tribes have worked hard to create businesses that provide jobs and income for their members and for our neighbors. The Quil Ceda business park is expanding, but the Tulalips plan to build only on one-third of the undeveloped 1,500 acres there. The rest is going to be preserved or restored as fish and wildlife habitat.
Outside Indian Country, that kind of development can come at a high cost to the environment.
We tribes, on the other hand, make sure to keep things in balance. We have to preserve our natural resources and provide an economic future for our children. When we develop businesses on tribal land, we take salmon into account. We can have both salmon and a healthy economy. It doesn't have to be a choice between the two."
Get the Story:
Billy Frank Jr: Coho Creek means Jobs and Salmon
(The Auburn Reporter 3/2)
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