Upper Columbia United Tribes

In a historic agreement, the federal government announced Thursday it will fund tribal efforts to bring salmon back to the Upper Columbia River. Two massive dams have blocked salmon from that part of the river for close to a century.

Each Spring, Northwest tribes celebrate the first foods of the season. At a Colville ceremony marking the return of migrating salmon, ecological challenges were top of mind.

The United States and Canada will renegotiate how to handle flood control and hydropower on the Columbia River. However, salmon advocates also want negotiators to consider the health of the Columbia River ecosystem.

Bringing salmon back to the Upper Columbia River will take a lot of time and a lot of money.

A recent salmon release near Spokane will change nearly a century without salmon in nearby waters.

Upper Columbia tribes want help to continue reintroducing salmon above Grand Coulee Dam.