I flew into Spokane, rented a car, returned it at the Pullman airport, and got a ride over the Washington state line into Moscow. The wind is still blowing really hard. The drive through Eastern Washington was good rolling-hills and prairie. Everything looking so stark and fertile at the same time. I saw a crop duster and sign on a barn that said "Save our dams".

In this region, we are focusing on issues around salmon and mega dam projects. The huge hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers provide cheap electricity to people, but the dams are anything but clean. They have decimated the salmon populations as well as other wildlife, and the general balance of the ecosystem. The tribes in the region are fighting the dams but are also working on salmon restoration projects. The Nez Perce community supplied us with an expert -Tony Johnson. Tony is the Vice President of the tribal council. He spoke about the salmon population's decline and how important their survival is to the Columbia River Basin Tribes. There are 4 treaty tribes in the Columbia River Basin - Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Yakama. They depend on the salmon both for sustenance and their sacred cultural traditions. He got through to the crowd; you can always tell when the room is getting it.

The school provided us with an organic feast for dinner and the Native Student Association made fry bread for dessert. The audience was small but very responsive. The questions had a lot of frustration in them. People in this area seem to have their hands tied by the politics of our current administration. I felt ineffective because people wanted concrete ways to fight the right wing propaganda and I couldn't seem to narrow the focus or say anything specific. The questions felt so big and open ended. Some nights are just like this, and other times you feel everything at your fingertips. The dialogue was excellent though and served a purpose. Just having active people together in one room helps a lot. The best suggestion of the night was for some people in the room to volunteer to run for local city council or state positions. After the show, Tony said he didn't realize that this many people in the area cared about Native issues.

Action Cards
Senator Crapo Action Card (Microsoft Word Format)
Senator Craig Action Card (Microsoft Word Format)

Amy Ray's Tour Diary Continues:
April 14th, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA / Yakama