by Lois Allen, Salmon Defense Volunteer

Salmon Defense took to the road recently to talk about our region’s precious salmon resources and build funding to protect them. Our road trip to the Rumsey Rancheria in Brooks, Calif., was quite an adventure. We started out by meeting at the headquarters of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission in Lacey on a sunny Saturday morning. On hand for the trip were Billy Frank Jr.; his son Willie and his girlfriend Peg; Mowit, Billy’s nephew; and myself.

We made our way to the Cascade Locks area to acquire fresh salmon for a Salmon Defense salmon dinner fundraiser at the rancheria. As we were driving along the Columbia River, we started to notice several vehicles parked along the water and fishermen out along the river bank. It was such a beautiful drive along the river with the sun glistening off the bluegreen water and I couldn’t help but think that it looked like sparking silver coins lying on the water.

Mowit had friends who were fishing and we were on the lookout for them. We pulled off into an area a few miles from the Locks and started walking along the riverbank looking for fishermen with salmon. We end up buying several fish from Mowit’s friends.

While we were watching the fishing, a young Indian woman who was there with her family pulled two salmon from the river. We bought those plus a few other fish from her.

It was really wonderful watching our people fishing, a tradition that we have enjoyed for many thousands of years. The tribal fishermen use wagons or garden carts to pull their coolers along the riverbank. They can become pretty heavy once they get a few salmon in there.

Needing more salmon for the dinner, we drove into Cascade Locks where Mowit’s friend had a roadside stand selling fresh salmon. We got the rest of our 300 fish there. We were lucky that they were catching fish that day.

The rest of the trip to the Rumsey Rancheria was filled with stories, music and laughter. Once we arrived, we phoned ahead to alert the chef and find out where to deliver our fish. It took a forklift to move the tote from the back of Mowit’s truck to the loading dock.

The Rumsey Rancheria’s Cache Creek Casino and Hotel is huge, similar to Tulalip Tribes’ facility. The first evening we caught up with Marshall McKay, chairman of the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians. We had dinner with Marshall and a group of his friends that included professional golfer Notah Begay and Olympian Billy Mills. Notah was there on behalf of his foundation (Notah Begay III Foundation) and put on a golfing clinic for Rumsey children. He also took time to provide a demonstration at the Salmon Defense salmon dinner the next evening. We were fortunate to meet Donna Madsen, Marshall’s assistant, who is a member of the Quinault Indian Nation. Donna told us she tries to come home to Quinault at least twice a year and promises to pay us a visit the next time she is in the area.

Our Salmon Defense salmon dinner was held in conjunction with the Rumsey’s grand opening of a new golf clubhouse that overlooks an 18-hole golf course adjacent to the tribe’s vineyard.

Chef Stephan and his crew created a huge salmon ice sculpture featuring salmon we brought. The tribe provided a feast of grilled salmon, crab legs, oysters, etc., along with their own bottled wines.

Billy provided a rousing speech about Salmon Defense and how important salmon and our natural resources are to Indian people, as well as everyone else, and the need to preserve our natural resources for future generations.

We were there for three days and drove home in the rain. We came home with a donation in hand for Salmon Defense, as part of our successful effort. We hope it was an opportunity to plant seeds that will bear fruit in the future.