Kayeloni Scott credits salmon to have helped elevate her to Director of the Columbia-Snake Campaign
Kayeloni Scott is a descendent of Spokane and Nez Perce Nations. She lives in Henderson, Nevada. Photo credit: Nez Perce Tribe
Kayeloni Scott credits her connection to salmon – and perhaps their shared resilience – for how she rose to her role as the Director of the newly formed Columbia & Snake River Campaign, a coalition of over 40 organizations working to recover salmon populations and a free-flowing Snake River and “renew, restore, and revive” the watershed in the Pacific Northwest.
Scott grew up in the Lewis Clark Valley in Idaho, exploring and connecting to the natural world at a young age. She is a descendant of Spokane and Nez Perce Nations, and recalls growing up outside playing in the creeks, fishing in the river, and running through the fields.
“Most of our family trips growing up were spent in the mountains catching grasshoppers and periwinkles for bait. In my most recent years I served the Nez Perce Tribe as their Communications Manager until 2022 when I moved to the Southwest. As they say, you can take a girl out of the Northwest, but you can’t take the Northwest out of the girl, so I continued my work with the Tribe as a Communications Consultant on Snake River matters and joined the team at American Rivers as a Communications Director for the Northwest region,” said Scott.
She retained strong connections with the Nez Perce and in particular Chairman Shannon Wheeler, and over the years says she has been honored to learn through his mentorship and guidance.
“This work has allowed me to build relationships with Tribes, NGOs, State, and Federal partners across the Northwest and beyond. Being quiet and reserved most of my life; becoming part of this work has developed me into the type of person that I had long admired. I give full credit to the salmon for helping me find my voice and the strength to be that person.”
Scott at a Tribal event in Idaho. Photo credit: Kayeloni Scott
“I have had the privilege of working with Kayeloni for a few years, and during this time, I’ve seen her not only speak truth into the world about tribal issues, but also lead by example. She has taught me how to be a better employee, a better supervisor, and foster my advocacy for my tribal community. She is a positive soul and uses her wisdom to champion meaningful change. Her passion for our work is truly inspiring—refilling others’ cups, reigniting our passion, and reinforcing our 'why' to overcome exhaustion and keep moving forward. She fosters a spirit in others that is rare in leaders but essential to our collective progress. I am confident that she will continue to guide the campaign in the right direction,” said Rachel “Chedda" Wilson, Communications Manager for the Nez Perce Tribe.
Scott was elevated by the Nez Perce Tribe and the coalition in April 2023 to serve as the Executive Director for the Columbia & Snake River Campaign, leading the coalition with the structure and tone the group of organizations and NGOs has needed – to put the voices and rights of Tribes first.
“As the original stewards of this land, who retain a deep connection to salmon – the Tribes’ cultural knowledge and expertise on the needs of this life source are invaluable. If we want to be good partners, it is vital that we follow their lead and continue to amplify their voices while always keeping focus on the needs of salmon,” said Scott.
She elaborates that she sees this coalition community as her relatives, friends, and neighbors. Kayeloni is incredibly organized, humble, and supportive of each organization’s hard work in this campaign. She sees the big picture and is ready to play hardball with dam breaching opponents, is organizing a Washington D.C. fly-in for September, Snake River Field Tour for diverse stakeholders, elected officials and policy makers, and also simultaneously is detail oriented, checking in on each organization individually for feedback and ideas for how the campaign is being managed. Although the evolution of it is changing and growing, I can confidently say that our coalition is thrilled she is our leader.
“Sure, we don’t always see eye to eye and maybe some of us need to be better at tending to our lawn – but we all share a common goal of wanting to improve our little world and leave it better for the next generations” Scott said. “Having a strong community does require work and dedication. It takes all of us willing and eager to come together for a greater purpose.”
Scott was a producer in the Emmy award winning documentary film, "The Covenant of the Salmon People," directed by filmmaker Shane Anderson. Photo credit: Kayeloni Scott.
There’s hope and renewed passion in the air of our restructured campaign and across our region for restoring free-flowing rivers and removing dams that are driving salmon to extinction. We can replace the services of these dams. The lower four Snake River dams are decimating salmon populations and not upholding Treaty Rights. We have the capability and technology to replace the power with clean energy renewal. Nimiipuu Energy is an excellent Tribal led company working to modernize the grid through “a Tribe-to-Tribe Utility Cooperative built with a singular focus; to collaborate with regional tribes utilizing advancements in alternative energy technologies and software in order to generate the required energy necessary to render the four Lower Snake River dams obsolete with 5,311 megawatts of power,” according to their website.
The Lower Snake River dam removal campaign ideally will follow suit of the removal of the dams on the Klamath River, and although there’s plenty of weight on this year's election and regardless of outcome, our uphill battle will continue. The Yurok and Koruk Tribes in northern California and southern Oregon took the lead after a long fight which is currently underway and becoming the largest free following, restored river project in North America.
Anyone who has fought for something they care deeply about knows its challenges – this campaign is hard work. People have been fighting for salmon and free-flowing rivers, dam removal on the lower Snake River for 50 years and counting – still working tirelessly to bring salmon back to Idaho and their home rivers. Some have passed on leaving a legacy we want to continue. After only a few years of being a part of this group and participating in our many Zoom calls, I am constantly in awe of the true passion and fight we all bring to the table – for the love of salmon, free-flowing rivers, and the diverse communities who rely on them that make up the Northwest. From anglers to river guides, policy makers to communicators, clean energy experts to biologists, this motley crew of conservationists is in it for the long haul. We won’t stop fighting until the Lower Snake River dams are removed, Treaty rights are restored, and salmon are brought back to healthy population levels. I truly do believe that we can renew, restore, and revive this river system that is broken – but we have an incredible opportunity right now to fix our mistakes.
Over the past four years, there has been more momentum than ever before for the Snake River Basin campaign, as the Biden Administration, along with the Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Energy have not only or the first time in history acknowledged the harm dams have caused First Nations and Peoples in the recent Tribal Circumstances Analysis in the summer of 2024, the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative (CBRI) was also released in December of 2023. This initiative was developed by Washington, Oregon, and four Columbia Basin Tribes, which provides a comprehensive new roadmap for salmon recovery, including a call to replace the energy, transportation, irrigation, and recreation services provided by the Lower Snake River dams so they can be breached. A unified, whole government approach, with all federal agencies pulling in the same direction, is a huge step towards securing the clean energy and agriculture infrastructure transitions necessary for the region to move forward towards a free-flowing Lower Snake and abundant wild salmon runs.
During this time, the coalition was going through a restructure and Kayeloni was brought in to help identify how NGOs and Tribes could have stronger collaboration in efforts related to salmon recovery in the Columbia and Snake rivers. This effort has made significant progress in the last few years because of the Tribes and their leadership. Like so many who have fought these fights before us, (thank you) and know that we are still going strong, and like salmon, we are relentless in this journey too.
Lower Monumental dam on the lower Snake River as seen from an aerial view. Photo credit: EcoFlight
Solar panels in a wildflower field in Idaho are part of Nimiipuu Energy's Project 5311. The Nez Perce Tribe has developed plans to install 10% of the 5311 megawatts on their reservation and will additionally provide the structure and training to assist other tribes in supporting this effort. Photo credit: Nimiipuu Energy
At a packrafting community event this summer on the Payette River in Idaho that she attended to speak about the coalition and campaign, Scott reflected on finding the balance of work and play.
“Through my activities I recalled reading a blog where the author talked about ‘privilege of play.’ I thought to myself, how fortunate am I? This work is tough and sometimes obstacles seem to forever be falling like Tetris blocks, but I know I am where I need to be to see the world I want to see, and I get to do that with amazing people like you [Columbia Snake Coalition].”
“I just want to remind you to lean into this community; give folks a call, let them know when you’re in town, make time for a hike or jumping in the river, save space to grab coffee or a beer – we’re here for you and together we will build the world we, and our future generations, deserve.”
This issue can be as simple as this idea: dams are replaceable, salmon are not.
It’s time to let go of the fear of change. It is brother salmon’s turn, not ours anymore. Our connection to salmon runs stronger than dams, and it is this connection to the natural world that we have to remember is most important. As life continuously asks us to live and work at a faster pace, it’s critical to slow down and think about our actions. Do we want to let a keystone species go extinct on our watch, or do we want to move into the future of new energy sources and restore the lifeblood of our planet – rivers?
The headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in the Sawtooth Mountains is home to the beginning of the longest salmon migration in the lower 48 states, from central Idaho running over 900 miles to the Pacific Ocean. It is some of the last, best, remaining habitat for salmon and steelhead. Photo credit: Tess McEnroe, IRU staff
Thank you to Kayeloni for leading our coalition, and to everyone else – past and present – for your hard work on this campaign.
*IRU and our coalition recognizes the traditional lands of the First Nations and First Peoples who have been stewards of the land and waterways in which we work for thousands of years. We value and prioritize the opportunities to partner with them and are honored to work alongside those who have protected and preserved these landscapes for time immemorial. These opportunities call us to commit to continuously learning how to be better allies and stewards of the lands in which we work.
