Indians named conservation heroes

Billy Frank Jr., Russell Jim named conservation heroes

By Richard WalkerBilly Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, and Russell Jim, manager of the Yakama Nation’s Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program, were two of the 19 conservation heroes recognized by The Nature Conservancy at its 50th anniversary celebration Oct. 27 in Seattle.

Frank, Nisqually, was honored “for his leadership in restoring tribal treaty rights and protecting salmon for future generations.” Jim, Yakama, was honored “for advocating to reclaim the land of eastern Washington from the nuclear legacy of Hanford.”Comment:  For more on Natives and the environment, see Houma Chief in National Geographic Ad and Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change.