In 2022, the first adult salmon in decades swam in Latah Creek, a tributary to the Spokane River also known as Hangman Creek. It was a major celebration for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, who are dedicated to restoring the upper Hangman Creek watershed from agricultural runoff. Now, the tribe has another cause for celebration: On Feb. 27, the Paul G. Allen Foundation awarded the Coeur d'Alene Tribe more than $935,000 to develop natural climate solutions to restore the Palouse. The work will include creating a seed bank of native grasses, plus testing the potential for Kernza, a name brand perennial grain that could transform wheat farming. Native and perennial grasses can improve soil quality and carbon sequestration, decrease erosion, and promote biodiversity. "The Palouse itself has become a critically endangered ecosystem — basically a 98% loss of biodiversity across the system," says Laura Laumatia, the tribe's project lead for the award. "The tribe has the largest remnant piece of Palouse prairie in Idaho, and it has the will to do the long-term restoration work needed for this project." (ELIZA BILLINGHAM)
TIMBER TOM
There is a new U.S. Forest Service chief, after Randy Moore announced his resignation in an email on Feb. 26. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has appointed Idahoan Tom Schultz as the 21st chief of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. "Tom is the right person to lead the Forest Service right now, and I know he will fight every day to restore America's national forests," Rollins said in a press release. Schultz has spent the last seven years as the vice president of resources and government affairs for Idaho Forest Group, one of the nation's largest lumber producers, which is based in Coeur d'Alene, harvests on private, state and U.S. Forest Service lands, and has five lumber mills in Idaho. Anna Medema, legislative director of the environmental organization Sierra Club, released a statement raising concerns about Schultz. "Naming a corporate lobbyist to run the agency tasked with overseeing the last old growth left in the U.S. makes it clear that the Trump administration's goal isn't to preserve our national forests, but to sell them off to billionaires and corporate polluters." The Forest Service manages 154 national forests and 20 grasslands across 43 states. (VICTOR CORRAL MARTINEZ)
CAMPUS CUTS
Washington is facing down the barrel of a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Last week, Gov. Bob Ferguson released a proposal that would cut about $4 billion in state spending over the next four years. Ferguson's proposed budget cuts for the 2025-27 budget biennium include 3% from the state's funding for all four-year universities. In the Inland Northwest this includes a $5.4 million reduction at Eastern Washington University and a $23.2 million reduction at Washington State University, according to the state Office of Financial Management. At Eastern, these cuts would reduce funding for central services support, workforce education, and goods and services. At WSU, $2.2 million would be cut from the Native American Scholarship Program while the rest would be cut from the general fund. The Senate and House both plan to release their draft budgets this month, and the final budget may be sent to Ferguson's desk in April. (COLTON RASANEN)♦
