June 18, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For high resolution photos, contact Ben Herndon, 509-531-6414 me@benherndon.com
For more information about this action or this issue, contact: Julian Matthews or Elliott Moffett, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment
Julian Matthews: 208-790-4296, protectingnimiipuu@gmail.com
Elliott Moffett: 208-791-5367, elliottm@nezperce.org
For information about creative actions to restore the Snake, contact: Bill Moyer, Backbone Campaign, 206-356-9980
As dusk fell Thursday night on the Snake River, members of the Nimiipuu Nez Perce tribe gathered at Lower Granite Dam with stories about why a free flowing river is critically important for tribal sovereignty. Their messages were amplified with an illuminated banner that says “Honor Treaties” and spotlights projecting messages to save wild salmon, respect treaty rights, and remove the 4 dams on the Lower Snake.
Ben Herndon took photographs at the action, and Jeff Ferguson shot video. Still photos by Ben Herndon are here.
The messages call on Senators Murray and Cantwell (D-WA) and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee to remove the 4 dams on the lower Snake River and call for support for the Simpson Plan, put forth by Rep Mike Simpson (R-ID).
The Snake River is considered the most endangered river in America, due to the impact of the four dams. “We view restoring the lower Snake River – a living being to us, and one that is injured – as urgent and overdue. Congressman Simpson, in focusing on the facts and on a solution, speaks the truth – that restoring salmon and the lower Snake River can also reunite and strengthen regional communities and economies,” Shannon Wheeler, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe, said.
The Nimiipuu Nez Perce coordinated the action with the Backbone Campaign, a Washington State based organization that uses creative tools like light projection and banners to get attention for progressive causes. The Backbone Campaign has done 15 Human Orca Murals, as well as banners and light projections calling for dam removal, river restoration, and saving wild salmon and resident orca in multiple Pacific NW towns and cities. For more info about these creative actions, contact Bill Moyer, Executive Director of the Backbone Campaign, 206-356-9980.
All photos by Ben Herndon