FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – November 3, 2022
Contacts:
Dr. Kurt Russo, Co-Executive Director, Se’Si’Le, frkvalues@aol.com, (360) 961-4554
Jessica Zimmerle, Advocacy Director, Earth Ministry/Washington Interfaith Power & Light, jessica@earthministry.org, (206) 632-2426
SEATTLE, WA – The five Catholic bishops of Washington State today released a statement that proclaims the need to care for creation and recognize Native Nations as the principal dialogue partners when addressing the endangered salmon population of the Lower Snake River.
The dramatic decline in salmon since the completion of the four Lower Snake River Dams in 1975 violates treaties with Native Nations, for whom salmon have been a spiritual and cultural foundation since time immemorial. All four salmon and steelhead populations in the Lower Snake River are now at risk of extinction. A recent study by fisheries scientists from the Nez Perce Tribe shows over half of wild spring Chinook having crossed a critical threshold signaling they may not persist without intervention.
The bishops’ statement was sparked by conversation with Native leaders from the Indigenous-led nonprofit, Se’Si’Le (saw-sea’-law), who are bringing Indigenous spiritual law into the mainstream environmental movement. It builds upon the 2001 international pastoral letter, The Columbia River Watershed: Caring for Creation and the Common Good, by Catholic bishops of the region.
“We are the salmon people,” says Jay Julius, member of Lummi Nation and president of Se’Si’Le. “Our spirit and soul would be crushed if we have no salmon.” JoDe Goudy, member of Yakama Nation and vice-president of Se’Si’Le adds that “all Salmon Nations and Peoples hinge on a right and respectful relationship with the salmon. Survival of Indigenous identity and culture depends on the salmon.”
The new statement follows the promise of a 1987 Letter of Apology from Northwest Christian leaders that said in part, “We offer our commitment to support you in the righting of previous wrongs: to protect your people’s efforts to enhance Native spiritual teachings; to encourage the members of our churches to stand in solidarity with you on these important religious issues; and to provide advocacy and mediation, when appropriate, for ongoing negotiations with State agencies and Federal officials regarding these matters.”
In the spirit and intent of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, the bishops’ statement calls on policy makers to take deliberate action to restore the health of Lower Snake River salmon. The bishops emphasize respecting the dignity of every human person and serving the common good through development of a comprehensive plan that prioritizes tribes as principal partners and ensures care for all affected communities.
“We urge federal and state policy makers to develop and implement a holistic plan for the Lower Snake River region that seeks input from the Original Peoples of Washington state as principal dialogue partners, as well as input from farmers, community members, and concerned citizens,” the statement says.
The Most Reverend Paul D. Etienne, Archbishop of Seattle, presented the statement to Native leaders at the International Indigenous Salmon Seas Symposium on Sunday, October 30. The statement is signed by the Archbishop as well as Bishop Thomas Daly of the Diocese of Spokane, Bishop Joseph Tyson of the Diocese of Yakima, and Bishop Eusebio Elizondo and Bishop Frank Schuster, auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Seattle.
The full statement follows.
Caring for Creation and the Common Good in the Lower Snake River Region
Saint Francis, faithful to Scripture, invites us to see nature as a magnificent book in which God speaks to us and grants us a glimpse of his infinite beauty and goodness. “Through the greatness and the beauty of creatures one comes to know by analogy their maker” (Wis 13:5); indeed, “his eternal power and divinity have been made known through his works since the creation of the world” (Rom 1:20). (12)
The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable integral development, for we know that things can change . . . Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home. (13)
Pope Francis, Laudato Si’
Pope Francis reminds us that through the greatness of creation we can become closer to God. Additionally, we are all called to be stewards of God’s creation and to come together to care for our common home. Collaboration on innovative, holistic, and sustainable solutions is a timely, moral imperative that Catholics around the world are addressing through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.
In the Lower Snake River region, we are also called to come together to care for our common home. A serious decline in salmon, a keystone species, is an indicator of environmental damage. Southern Resident orcas are also increasingly endangered as their food source diminishes. In response, we urge federal and state policymakers to care for creation, address the loss of biodiversity, and ensure the Lower Snake River ecosystem and its neighboring communities are able to thrive.
A comprehensive plan developed with the input of affected communities is needed to address the health of the Lower Snake River and the decline of species in the region. In taking action to care for God’s creation, we urge policy makers to respect the dignity of every human person and serve the common good, two important pillars of the teachings of the Catholic Church.
In respecting the dignity of every human person, we first consider the Original Peoples of Washington state. Native American tribes of the region have a long-standing relationship of care and respect for the salmon of the Lower Snake River. We acknowledge that the decline of salmon and loss of their original habitat poses a threat to the spiritual lifeways of the Original Peoples of the Northwest. In response to requests for solidarity with Indigenous leaders, we recognize that deliberate action is necessary to find ways to restore the health of the salmon of the region.
Pope Francis emphasizes the importance of consulting with Indigenous peoples and highlights the sacred relationship many Native communities have with the environment in Laudato Si’:
. . . it is essential to show special care for Indigenous communities and their cultural traditions. They are not merely one minority among others, but should be the principal dialogue partners, especially when large projects affecting their land are proposed. For them, land is not a commodity but rather a gift from God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact if they are to maintain their identity and values. (145-146)
We must all come together to care for our common home. We urge federal and state policy makers to develop and implement a holistic plan for the Lower Snake River region that seeks input from the Original Peoples of Washington state as principal dialogue partners, as well as input from farmers, community members, and concerned citizens. Any policy changes should carefully consider those who may be negatively impacted. Ultimately, we pray for a plan that serves the common good, taking into account care for God’s creation, treaties and rights of the Original Peoples of Washington state, and those who live and work in the Lower Snake River region.
In the heart of Christ,
