Mackie Jackson, of the Yakima tribe, pulls in a spring chinook off Koberg Beach on the Columbia River. (Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian)

Tim Weaver (Matthew Preusch/Oregonian)

During that time, writes the Oregonian’s Matthew Preusch, here, the battle evolved from when and where the tribe could fish for salmon, to ensuring the very survival of the fish whose presence once guaranteed the survival of the Yakama.

Weaver’s long involvement with the issue has made him one of the foremost experts in the Northwest on salmon and the tribes’ rights relate to salmon.

Weaver, 65, has terminal colon cancer and is likely to live only a few more weeks. On Friday, he retired.

As Preusch reports:

When he started his practice, his clients, the Yakama tribes, had no fisheries program. Now their fish department has about 180 full- and part-time employees, and tribal leaders have a seat at the table with entrenched powers in the basin, namely the Bonneville Power Administration.

They can largely thank Weaver, who is not a tribal member, for that.

When Weaver dies, he will be the recipient of a rare honor for someone who is not a tribal member: The tribes will hold a traditional Seven Drum ceremony in the Winter Lodge in Toppenish.

“He’s really been an unwavering advocate for the tribes and the fish,” said Lorraine Bodi, senior salmon adviser for the Bonneville Power Administration, says that Weaver “has really been an unwavering advocate for the tribes and the fish.”

Gwen Florio

Tags: Bonneville Power Administration, Salmon, Tim Weaver, Yakama Nation