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How the Nez Perce Tribe is fighting to protect salmon and the Columbia River

Erik Holt, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Commission, posing with a quote from Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph.
Erik Holt
Erik Holt, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Commission, posing with a quote from Nez Perce leader Chief Joseph.

In June, President Trump withdrew the US government from an agreement designed to protect salmon and renewable energy in the Columbia River Basin. In the aftermath of that move, Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke with Erik Holt, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribe's Fish and Wildlife Commission, about the future of salmon in the region.

"Being optimistic about the future is tough in this time and these ages because of what Trump has done to the Indigenous nations of the United States and beyond," Holt said. "But what gives me hope is that we're strong, we're resilient. And we've endured so much over time, and we need to continue to fight and be there for our future, next seven, fourteen, twenty-one generations of other Nez Perce."

Copyright 2025 Boise State Public Radio News

Daniel Spaulding