December 6, 2024 — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has directed state agencies to take immediate actions aimed at safeguarding the region’s dwindling salmon population, while warning the incoming Trump administration to refrain from backtracking on federal commitments.
In an executive order signed this week, Inslee asked state officials and organizations to strengthen their work on restoring the Columbia River Basin’s salmon population, advance science-based solutions, revive habitats and bring together diverse interest groups.
“Salmon have inhabited Washington for millions of years, but their time is running out,” Inslee said in a statement. “We cannot waver for a moment, now or in the future, in our work to restore these runs.”
The order emphasizes the state of Washington’s commitment to collaborating with other stakeholders, referencing a December 2023 partnership with Oregon and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Nez Perce Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs — collectively known as the “Six Sovereigns.”
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