Category: Education

How the Coquille Indian Tribe is working to restore Chinook and protect its traditions

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To rebuild the Coquille River’s struggling run, the tribe and state are removing invasive predators and raising young salmon.

Starting around 2018, salmon returns in many of Oregon’s coastal rivers crashed.

“There was a sharp drop-off, kind of coast wide, and over the next couple of years, other coastal basins recovered,” said Ed Hughes, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s acting fish district biologist in Charleston. “But in the Coquille here, they didn’t bounce back.”

Hughes said the Coquille’s failure to rebound helped biologists connect the decline to invasive smallmouth bass, which prey on young salmon. Warmer river temperatures, low flows and changing ocean conditions have also hurt salmon survival.

The state wildlife agency brought its concerns to the tribal council, said Brenda Meade, chair of the Coquille Indian Tribe.

“We talked a lot about what the issues were and how we were going to fix it,” Meade said.

In 2022, the tribe and the state formalized a co-management agreement covering fish and wildlife across five southwest Oregon counties.

Their work has included removing invasive bass, improving the collection of adult salmon for breeding and expanding hatchery efforts. In 2022, they also developed a conservation hatchery program to rebuild the Coquille’s wild fall Chinook population.

Read or listen to the full story from Jefferson Public Radio

IHS Awards $3.5 Million for Tribal Food and Nutrition Initiatives

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Indian Health Service, has awarded $3.5 million to 14 Tribal and urban Indian communities to establish and implement community-driven produce prescription programs across Indian Country.

The Phase 2 funding provides up to $250,000 to each of the 14 participating Tribes, Tribal organizations and urban Indian organizations. Recipients include the Chickasaw Nation, Coquille Indian Tribe, Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, Tunica Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana and Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, as well as four urban Indian organizations.

Native News Online – September 22, 2026

Yahoo! News – September 23, 2026

The Implementation Project at the 25th Session of the United Nations permanent forum on Indigenous Issues

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This article was originally published on the website of The Implementation Project, a joint initiative of the Native American Rights Fund and Colorado Law to advance education and advocacy regarding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Vice Chair Procter Andrews discussed the Coquille Indian Tribe’s groundbreaking passage of their Indigenous Determinants of Health Ordinance, which provides a framework for ensuring that the Tribe’s governance and external relations advance the health and well-being of Tribal citizens. 

Native American Rights Fund – June 1 – 2026

For the water from the heart

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CHARLESTON, Ore. — A centuries-old dugout canoe fragment discovered near Oregon’s South Coast is now on public display, offering a rare window into Indigenous history and culture along the region’s waterways.

In 2015, a dugout canoe fragment that the Coquille Indian Tribe says dates back to as early as the 18th century was discovered near Sunset Bay State Park in Coos Bay. The fragment is now on display at the South Slough Reserve Visitor Center in Charleston.

KPIC – April 30, 2026

North Bend Art Walk melds indigenous culture while showcasing artists of all ages

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NORTH BEND — First-time events often earn an “A” for effort, but North Bend’s debut 2025 Community Art Walk proved no amateur attempt, earning state honors for its efforts to revive the city’s downtown. The award, the 2025 Oregon Excellence on Main’s Outstanding Promotional Event, is one of several given as part of the Oregon Main Street program, which works for community revitalization and includes more than 100 communities in its network.

Now, the city of just over 10,000 is ready to host round two from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, April 10, with a list of events melding art with local culture, history, and industry, and showcasing artists of all ages.

“North Bend hadn’t had a downtown association or program for many years,” said Stephanie Wilson, executive director of North Bend Main Street. The town signed up with the state Main Street program about four years ago, tapping Wilson as lead in developing the North Bend downtown as a “vibrant and inviting hub that seamlessly blends its historic charm with modern growth.”

Oregon Arts Watch – April  7, 2026

Native American students and supporters gather at UO to celebrate resiliency of Indigenous culture

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Monday across the U.S., Native Americans observed Indigenous Peoples Day. This included an event at the University of Oregon. 

About a hundred people gathered at the EMU Amphitheater to watch Native American dancing, and hear speakers talk about Indigenous culture, history, and issues including the Land Back movement and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).

Jason Younker also attended. He’s the Coquille Tribe’s Chief and UO presidential advisor on sovereign government to government relations. He said this is the tenth year that there’s been a ceremony to replace the tribal flags on campus.

KLCC News – Oct. 14, 2024

Oregon governor outlines commitments to Native nations

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This story originally appeared on Underscore Native News.

This spring, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek promised to visit all nine federally recognized Native nations across the state. So far, she has visited eight and attended the annual Tribal-State Government-to-Government Summit in July. That time marked a span of months when Kotek heard from Native leadership across the state.

In an interview on Aug. 14, Underscore Native News + ICT followed up on those conversations, asking Kotek to clarify her commitments to Native nations and Indigenous community members in Oregon.

 

The Oregon Capital Chronicle – Sept. 6, 2024

New book on power of storytelling has chapter featuring Chief of Coquille Tribe

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A review of the new book “Stories Are Weapons” by Annalee Newitz includes a chapter that focuses on a project headed  by Chief Jason Younker. That chapter, titled “History is a Gift,” highlights “the importance of archives like the Southwest Oregon Research Project, or SWORP. Beginning in 1995, Jason Younker, Coquille tribal chief and anthropologist, and his colleagues began pulling out of national archives any and all material related to the Coquille nation and constructing an alternative archive, one that takes “the fantasy out of history,” in Newitz’s words…”

 

New Republic – June 27, 2024