Former Washington Governor Dan Evans presents Billy Frank, Jr. with the first annual Nisqually Stewardship Award.

Throughout it’s 78-mile course from Mount Rainier to Puget Sound, the Nisqually River passes through three counties and a diversity of landscapes. It traverses the Fort Lewis Military Base and the Nisqually Indian Reservation, farmlands and urban areas, and provides critical habitat for salmon and other wildlife.

On June 19th, LLTK helped to sponsor a benefit for the Nisqually River Foundation (NRF), celebrating the release of the Nisqually Watershed Stewardship Plan, the implementation of which the Foundation is committed to fund. The plan is a culmination of 25 years of collaborative work on the part of Nisqually stakeholders to establish a suite of community-based conservation programs to preserve the ecological integrity of the watershed while supporting economic sustainability.

The highlight of the event, hosted by Stewardship Partners at the Washington Athletic Club, was the presentation of the Daniel J. Evans Nisqually Stewardship Award to Nisqually Tribal Elder Billy Frank, Jr. Former Governor Dan Evans presented the award, and spoke about his administration's early efforts to preserve the Nisqually watershed through the collaborative process that has evolved to become a model for cooperative conservation.

Billy Frank Jr., Chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWFC) for 22 years, has played a central role in securing fishing rights for Native American groups and is widely respected as one of our regions great advocates for the conservation of our wild salmon runs.

LLTK Executive Director Barbara Cairns serves on the Board of Directors for the NRF. More information can be found at www.nisquallyriver.org.