Select Page



Groundbreaking Marks Start of Major Tribal Fishing Access Site Improvement Effort

Oct 11, 2024

Leadership marking the beginning of work with ceremonial shovels at the groundbreaking. Left to right: Brigadier General Bill Hannan Jr, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division Commander; Aja DeCoteau, CRITFC Executive Director; Bryan Newland, Assistant Secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs; Bryan Mercier, Bureau of Indian Affairs Director; Jeremy Takala, Yakama Nation Tribal Council and CRITFC Chair; and Gary Burke, Confederated Umatilla Tribes Board of Trustees Chair.

CASCADE LOCKS, Ore. –  The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the Cascade Locks Treaty Fishing Access Site on October 1. The event marked the beginning of construction using new federal funding allocated to improve critical fishing site infrastructure for the region’s treaty tribes.

Tribal leaders, federal officials, and local and state elected officials and representatives gathered to celebrate and commemorate the occasion. Prior to the event opening, a CRITFC Enforcement boat and a CRITFC research boat took attendees downriver to see the stretch of tribal fishing scaffolds along the Columbia River between Bridge of the Gods and Bonneville dam.

Secretary of Interior

During the boat tour, CRITFC Executive Director Aja DeCoteau discussed the importance of the Columbia River with Bryan Newland, emphasizing the vital connection between the river, the treaty tribes, and their fishing rights. CRITFC Photos/Gavin

The event also served as a venue for a surprise announcement when, amid memorializing the important day, Bryan Newland (Ojibwe), the Assistant Secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs, announced an additional $10 million in funding to update, upgrade, and repair the tribal fishing access sites along the Columbia River. The influx of funding and subsequent ceremony marks significant steps in addressing longstanding infrastructure issues and the increasing demands placed on these sites.

The $10 million funding will allow for overdue and drastically needed renovations, including new restrooms, fish cleaning stations, and the rehabilitation of existing facilities. This funding will be coupled with an additional $5 million for operations and maintenance, providing support to ensure the sustainability of the improvements.

“Today’s groundbreaking here in Cascade Locks is part of a broader effort to improve conditions at all the fishing access sites, addressing safety, sanitation, and overall living conditions for tribal fishers and their families. It’s also about honoring promises made to our ancestors and ensuring that our treaty rights are respected for generations to come,” said Aja DeCoteau, CRITFC executive director.

CRITFC is the intertribal organization responsible for the operations and maintenance of all 31 tribal fishing access sites along the Columbia River between Bonneville and McNary dams.

History of the Fishing Access Sites

CRITFC Commissioner and Klickitat River Chief Wilbur Slockish, Jr. (Yakama), right, and Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Housing Director Marcus Luke (Umatilla). Luke has been working on improving conditions on the Columbia River for several years. Slockish was born and raised on the Columbia River and continues to advocate for improvement of the sites.

The in-lieu and treaty fishing access sites, such as Cascade Locks, were originally designated to compensate for the inundation of treaty-reserved fishing grounds caused by dam construction along the Columbia River. These sites are vital to upholding the rights reserved by, and guaranteed to, the Columbia River tribes under their 1855 treaties, which promised continued access to fishing at all “usual and accustomed stations.” When Bonneville Dam was completed in 1937, over 37 tribal fishing villages and grounds were submerged, severely disrupting the way of life for the region’s tribal fishers and their families.

In an attempt to mitigate this loss, after negotiations were prompted by tribes, the U.S. government authorized the creation of in-lieu sites starting in the 1940s, but the process of acquiring and developing these sites has been met with massive delays, underfunding, and bureaucratic complications. Public Law 100-581, passed in 1988, gave the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) the authority to acquire new sites, improve existing ones, and transfer them to the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) for long-term management. However, the facilities that were built were initially intended to serve as seasonal fishing sites for around 25 people each, rather than the year-round usage they now experience, and as a result, the infrastructure has deteriorated rapidly.

From left, Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation Housing Director Marcus Luke (Umatilla), CRITFC Commissioner and Klickitat River Chief Wilbur Slockish, Jr. (Yakama), CRITFC Commissioner Bill Yallup, Jr. (Yakama), and CRITFC Public Affairs Specialist Andrea Tulee (Yakama).

Before making his announcement regarding incoming funding, Newland spoke about the long history of broken trust obligations and how they have affected tribal members.

“Over the decades and centuries, as you all know, we’ve had a lot of different federal policies swing back and forth as it relates to Indian people—most of them were bad, but some of them were good,” he stated, emphasizing recent efforts to address living conditions within tribal homelands and support self-governance and self-determination.

Newland also spoke of the hard work that has gone into protecting the access to and care of the historic sites. “We’re standing here today on a treaty fishing access site, which was set aside to make sure tribal people could continue to exercise treaty rights—the rights that your ancestors fought to keep and reserve, and that your ancestors, since have fought many times over to protect.” He underscored the Department of the Interior’s commitment to improving the sites and fulfilling trust obligations.

An unnamed fisher works on the Columbia River during the groundbreaking event. Their presence highlights the ongoing importance of fishing for the Columbia River treaty tribes. The site improvements will provide safer, more accessible areas for fishers to continue their work and tradition.

The Road to Addressing Site Conditions

Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Bryan Mercier (Grand Ronde) praised the partnership between the BIA and CRITFC, calling it “a model of how we should operate in Indian Country.”

Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Bryan Mercier (Grand Ronde) reflected on the transformation of the site that has taken place over the years. “Almost two years ago toay, we toured the sites and came onto this very site. At the time, the fact that we had a platform with abandoned property and overgrown weeds, and an old shack that was dilapidated compared to where it is today is a testament in and of itself to how much we have accomplished over the last two years,” he said.

Back in 2016, Senator Merkely (D-OR) and Representative Blumenauer (D-OR) also toured the sites to see firsthand the conditions tribal leaders and news outlets were reporting. The tour prompted them to introduce federal legislation aimed to address the situation.

In 2020, Congress passed the Columbia River In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites Improvement Act (P.L. 116-99), which directed the BIA to conduct a formal assessment of safety and sanitation within the sites. This assessment was conducted by Akana, a tribally-owned architecture and engineering firm, in partnership with Nch’i Wana Housing and other subcontractors. Akana’s report highlighted several critical and urgent issues, including dilapidated restrooms, outdated fish-cleaning stations, and the accumulation of abandoned property like old vehicles and boats, which made the sites unsafe for families and children.

The assessment also noted that the current infrastructure was inadequate to support the heavy use the sites experienced. Since they were originally built to serve small, short-term ishing activities, rather than the year-round use by more than a hundred, the sites now have an increased need for utilities, maintenance, and law enforcement.

The Fishing Site Maintenance Team

CRITFC Fishing Site Maintenance Manager Miguel Lopez (Yakama) speaks with Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Ojibwe) about the ongoing efforts to maintain and improve the fishing access sites. Lopez highlighted the challenges faced by tribal fishers and the importance of ensuring these sites are safe and functional. 

For Miguel Lopez (Yakama), CRITFC’s Fishing Site Maintenance Department Manager, the improvements funded by the recent allocations are personal. As a tribal member himself, Lopez sees these sites as more than a commercial station but also a traditional gathering space that has been protected and cared for by elders since time immemorial.

The Cascade Locks Tribal Fishing Access Site, shown here before the groundbreaking improvements, will soon undergo significant upgrades. These changes aim to enhance safety, accessibility, and facilities for tribal fishers who rely on this site for their livelihood and connection to the river.

“We have a long history of being stewards of the river. Our relationship with this land and water is not just about sustenance—it’s about identity,” he reflected. For Lopez, overseeing the care for these sites is not just a job, but a way to honor the legacy of his ancestors and ensure that future generations have access to the same opportunities for fishing and gathering that tribal members have always maintained.

In his role as Fishing Site Maintenance Manager, Lopez and his staff are on the frontlines of working to ensure safe and clean-living conditions. The department is faced with limited funding and time, Lopez has witnessed firsthand the wear and tear caused by overuse, the safety hazards created by abandoned property, and the struggles of providing adequate facilities for tribal members who rely on these sites for their livelihood.

“We’ve outgrown these sites. They weren’t designed for this level of use, and it’s hard to keep them maintained when they’re breaking down at an alarming rate,” he said. Despite these challenges, Lopez feels a deep sense of pride in the progress CRITFC has made. Over the years, his 100 percent Native crew has expanded from just four to 14, allowing them to cover more ground and address more issues.

Lopez also emphasized the importance of outreach and education in making these sites not just functional, but welcoming. He is proud of the work tribal members have done to market their fish and maintain good relationships with non-tribal buyers through sales. “We’ve shown the public that we’re producing high-quality fish, and we’re doing it in a way that respects the river and our traditions,” he said.

With the new capacity to both repair and upgrade the sites, Lopez hopes to continue expanding the work that has been carried out thus far. For both tribal members and the broader community, his staff hopes to continue improving the spaces so they accurately reflect the sanctity of exercising treaty-reserved fishing rights as well as ensuring the safety of those using the sites, environmental stewardship, and sustainability for generations to come.

Ultimately, Lopez sees this new funding as not just a short-term fix, but as an investment in the future of the Columbia River treaty tribes. “This isn’t just about building a roof or fixing a restroom,” he said. “It’s about making sure that my children and their children have a place to come fish, a place that’s safe, clean, and reflects who we are as a people.”

Fishing Site Maintenance crew dig their shovels into the groundbreaking site with both Secretary of Interior Bryan Newland (Ojibwe) and Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Bryan Mercier (Grand Ronde) at the Oct. 1 event. The crew, made up of 100 percent Native employees, were responsible for the layout and work that went into setting the stage for the momentous day. From left are CRITFC Fishing Site Maintenance Department staff members Donovan Howtopat, Kristina Fisher, George Spino, Miguel Lopez, Aarin Mesplie, CRITFC Executive Director Aja DeCouteau, Matthew Kuneki, Assistant Secretary of Interior for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, Jeremiah Fallon, Sheldon Edsall-Stahi, David McConville, Jr., Kyle Wheeler, Susan Becker, Floyd Mesplie, Samuel Miller and Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Bryan Newland. Not pictured from the Fishing Site Maintenance Department is CRITFC staff member Mary Kuneki.

by Jill-Marie Gavin, CRITFC Communications