Author: Courtney Flatt

Cell phones and cameras rose above a packed room to capture the moment Friday each of the six sovereigns – the Nez Perce, Yakama, Warm Springs and Umatilla Tribes and the governors of Washington and Oregon – was signed the historic Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, held securely in a maroon binder. The tough agreement ended decades of court cases over efforts to protect salmon and steelhead, while dealing with complex problems in the Northwest: energy transitions, irrigation and transportation. This agreement, combined with other funding, will bring more than $1 billion to wild fish restoration and a 10-year break from…