How the Lummi Nation is Leading the Way in Protecting Our Vital Resources
The Lummi Nation is leading the way in protecting and revitalizing the Salish Sea through their establishment of the Salish Sea Campaign. Ellie Kinley will provide us an update on the various fronts of the Campaign.
Ellie (Tah Mahs) Kinley is a Lummi Nation tribal member. As a life-long fisher from a family in which every generation has fished since time immemorial, she is dedicated to the traditional Lummi way of life and to exercising Treaty rights. Together with her two sons, Luke and Kyle, she is the co-owner of a reef-net boat, Spirit of Sxwo’le and a purse seiner, The Salish Sea.
Ellie currently serves on the Lummi Natural Resource and Fish Commission. She was awarded the 2017 Environmental Heroes Award through RESources for Sustainable Communities for her profound and abiding work to protect the natural, cultural, and historical importance of the Salish Sea, specifically at Cherry Point (Xwe’chi’eXen).
“Our qwe ‘lhol ‘mechen (resident orcas) face extinction, our salmon runs are endangered, and the Salish Sea is increasingly threatened by unchecked human development. Climate change, ramped up marine vessel traffic, and other stressors on the Salish Sea ecosystems necessitate immediate action, rather than endless deliberation.”