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On one issue, all in western Washington are agreed.

Saving wild salmon runs is a priority.

What is not clear cut, as testimony during a virtual State House of Representatives committee hearing indicates, is what sacrifices must be made, and by whom, to preserve Washington’s signature migratory fish.

House Bill 1838, designed to protect salmon habitat areas, is a key element in Gov. Jay Inslee’s $187 million salmon recovery program. It is named the Lorraine Loomis Act for the late Swinomish fisheries director and chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission.

But the bill, introduced by Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, the lone Native American member of the legislature, was pulled following the spirited Jan. 21 Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture & Natural Resources hearing, where repeated concerns were raised that it would take vital agricultural land out of production.

Tribal leaders and supporters of the legislation are regrouping to determine next steps.

The Weekly News has been told that a forthcoming statewide “Being Frank” column published by NWIFC will offer direction. The column is named after Nisqually environmental leader and treaty rights activist Billy Frank, Jr.

At issue is a provision calling for buffer zones along waterways – riparian habitat areas – for green, tree shaded corridors critical for the clear, cold water required by migrating salmon.

Hefty fines for non-complaint landowners coupled with the prospect of losing thousands of acres of farmland – an estimated 30,000 in Whatcom County alone – drew objections at the hearing. The bill’s promise of state aid to mitigate hardships imposed upon property owners was met with skepticism.

Free market environmental policy expert Todd Myers addressed the issue in a column penned afterward for the Washington Policy Center.

“Increasing salmon populations benefits all Washington residents and we should all share the cost of habitat restoration,” Myers wrote, “rather than to impose the costs on farmers whose land happens to be in the wrong place.”

Under the legislation, with certain specified exemptions, public and private landowners who own property adjacent to a body of water designated on a Riparian Management Zone map must establish, maintain and protect an RMZ.

Swinomish Tribal Senate Vice-Chair J.J. Wilbur, a great-nephew of Loomis, confirmed to the Weekly News that he was among more than 100 people on both sides of the debate who testified at the hearing.

“It’s public knowledge (what I said),” noted Wilbur, a La Conner High alum and member of the local school board. “I said the Act is necessary because the status quo is failing our salmon, failing our killer whales and failing all Washingtonians who enjoy fishing here in Puget Sound.”

Representatives of the governor, who had announced the plan during a December La Conner appearance, supported Wilbur’s view, contending that saving salmon – numerous species are at-risk of extinction – and the habitat that supports them requires new and bold action.

The process by which the legislation was crafted drew criticism, however.

Those speaking for the agricultural industry and private property owners said that as stewards of the land and stakeholders they should have been given greater voice in developing the bill.

“Farmers are your friends in conservation,” Washington Farm Bureau President Rosalia Mosby told the panel. “I encourage you to find ways to ensure all parties have a seat at the table for these critical efforts.”

Lekanoff, who was on staff at Swinomish prior to her 2018 election to the legislature, has sponsored legislation promoting collaboration. Last year she shepherded a bill that encouraged school districts and tribal governments to confer on use of Native American mascots, logos and symbols for public school teams.

In La Conner, that resulted last week in a new Swinomish approved Braves mascot image highlighting Coast Salish culture rather than previously used Plains Indians caricatures.

“Great things are happening at La Conner Schools and Swinomish,” said Wilbur. “Exactly what I like to see – unity.”

Unity appears to be the prerequisite for salmon recovery legislation as well with the state senate companion bill. Sen. Christine Rolfes, D-Bainbridge Island, sponsor of the upper chamber’s measure, has vowed to seek “input from farmers about how to work together to protect salmon habitat, especially along rivers in low-lying floodplains.”

It is likely the Act will resurface, given the coalition supporting it. The environmental group Wild Orca, is part of the alliance.

“The Act sets a new standard for green corridors along the state’s rivers and streams, with the right-size riparian vegetation to ensure cool, clean water essential for salmon survival,” the group said in a written appeal posted before the state hearing.