Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is set to receive a $794,000 federal grant from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support their salmon recovery work and strengthen underserved communities impacted by climate chaos in the Columbia River Estuary.
“Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest have been stewards for the Columbia River and protectors of its delicate ecosystems since time immemorial,” Merkley said. “By continuing to support Tribal-driven solutions that restore salmon populations and safeguard the unique landscape of the Columbia River Basin from climate chaos, the entire region will benefit from CRITFC’s work to build a healthier ecological future.”
“Solutions for salmon restoration on the Columbia require the experience and ideas of Tribal communities to succeed,” Wyden said. “I’m gratified the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission has secured this federal grant to ensure Tribal voices are included to solve this challenge in the face of the climate crisis.”
“The Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) is taking a leading role in identifying climate change threats through hydrological modeling efforts to support salmon recovery in the Columbia River estuary,” said Aja DeCoteau, Executive Director, Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. “This project will create a positive feedback loop between the ecosystem and cultural resilience by increasing tribal capacity to develop and implement powerful modeling tools to guide restoration decisions in the lower Columbia River. This work also facilitates partnerships with estuary communities to ensure restoration activities consider local impacts alongside scientific merit and ecosystem benefits.”
NOAA’s Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Tribes and Underserved Communities program, funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, is targeted to advance the coastal habitat restoration and climate resilience priorities of Tribes and underserved communities. NOAA Fisheries recently announced its recommendation of more than $45 million in funding for 27 new projects, including more than $20 million for federally recognized Tribes and Tribal organizations.
CRITFC will use the expected federal funding to model the impacts of habitat conservation and restoration, identify climate change threats, and produce actionable science to guide future restoration work in the Columbia River Estuary that conserves salmon habitat and reduces flooding.
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