Tribal Partnerships
Photo credit Vahn Vongvilay / Sawtooth Society
IRU’s salmon recovery projects aim to combat climate change and use a holistic approach in both Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Western science. Western science is successfully able to quantify, identify and analyze environmental degradation, but does not holistically explain the negative interactions between people and nature. TEK is grounded in the interconnectedness of all things, relationships, reciprocity with the Earth, and lifetimes of lived ecological experiences that have resulted in patterns and knowledge acquisition. This concept is important within the lens of the diversity in the conservation movement, but also in the context of sharing more scientific knowledge between audiences.
We believe that it is critically important to integrate both ways of knowing and thinking into the way we work to improve climate justice in conservation work.
Idaho Rivers United acknowledges the traditional First Nations and Indigenous peoples who have been the stewards of the land and waterways in which we work and beyond, for thousands of years.
We honor these cultures and their descendants and value and prioritize the opportunities to partner with Tribes. We 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 stewards of the lands in which we work and give us hope for the future.
Why tribal justice is critically important
Idaho Rivers United stands firmly in the belief that we must come together peacefully and purposefully to move forward.
Violence and destruction to culture as a result of colonization has caused Indigenous people trauma and suffering for thousands of years. We believe that this stems not only from removal from native lands, disease, and poverty, but also the loss of connection to the environment.
Idaho Rivers United believes it is an ethical imperative to recognize the significance of the relationships we have with others, how our histories and experiences are layered, and position us in relation to each other, and how our futures as people similarly are tied together.
It is also critical to see that, despite our varied place-based cultures and knowledge systems, we live in the world together with others and must constantly think and act with reverence to these relationships. Any knowledge we gain about the world interweaves us more deeply with these relationships and the natural world. Recognizing and reinstituting Indigenous values and practices is an important step in restoring the ecological and cultural integrity of our region.
We are constantly inspired for the deep reverence that all of the Salmon-people have for these fish and their relationship to our water.
While IRU works diligently to protect and restore these critical resources, our Tribal partners have stewarded these lands for centuries, hold these fish as sacred, and embody the nature of our work.
We are proud to help amplify the voices of the Tribes and support to shift the paradigm of river conservation back to the inclusion of Indigenous values, beliefs, and practices.
The following Tribes have been active participants in our partnerships and programming. Our organization encourages our partners to learn more about conservation efforts being led by these and other tribes in Idaho and the Pacific Northwest region.
Shoshone Bannock & Shoshone-Paiute, Nez Perce, Salish Kootenai, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Upper Snake River Tribes, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission Tribes including the Yakima Nation Confederation of Tribes & Bands , Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, Cayuse & Walla-Walla, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Coeur d’Alene Tribe & Kalispell Tribe
Projects & Programming: Spirit of the Waters Totem Journey, Nimiipuu Protecting the Environment & River Newe.
Read more about the priority to modernize the Columbia River Treaty and see the map.
Photo credit Vahn Vongvilay /Sawtooth Society