Traveling Totem Poles advocate for environmental protection
FORT HALL, Idaho (KIFI) - Two traveling Totem Poles made it to the Fort Hall Reservation Wednesday.
The Totem Poles are circulating around various stops throughout the Pacific Northwest including the Fort Hall Reservation.
The journey is an Indigenous-led effort to raise awareness for the movement to restore the salmon runs to health by removing the Snake River dams.
“Our Tribe has a longstanding history with advocating for sockeye salmon, and we always include finned-ones, the four-legged and the winged-ones that need our voice in saving them from extinction," Chairman Devin Boyer said. "The Tribes are happy to be part of this journey, we welcome the totem poles and invite the community to join us on this one-day event.”
The Tribes partnered with the Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club, Idaho Rivers United, Idaho Conservation League and Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition on this event.
"Indigenous communities in Idaho have always been at the forefront of environmental action," said Lisa Young, Director of the Idaho Chapter of the Sierra Club. "This event will be an incredible way to showcase the decades of leadership from the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes – in collaboration with numerous tribes from across the Northwest – to save salmon from the brink of extinction and restore the ecosystems and cultures that have been deeply impacted by the species' decline. We are so grateful to be able to support this effort."
