Watersheds
An Oregon Perspective on Watersheds
Charles F. Sams III
Northwest Director
Salmon Corps Program
Earth Conservation Corps Northwest
The Tribal People of the Pacific Northwest clearly understand that our lives depend on the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the abundant resources the land provides. Our lives are interwoven with the watersheds we call home. For the use of the resources, we must accept a responsibility for maintaining the delicate balance of our environment. Take only what is needed and give back to the environment that sustains you and your community.
As modern Oregonians, it is easy to forget our ties with the environment. Whether you live in the city or in the country, the resources we use must be sustained for future generations. It is each individual's and community's responsibility to ensure the circle of life is complete and ongoing. By contributing to your community and watershed, you accept the responsibility of life.
We learn most from the place in which we live. The watersheds we call home are a place where we can gain the most knowledge of ourselves and the environment that sustains us. Learn the aspects that sustain our livelihoods. Are we, as a people, maintaining a balance? If we are taking what we believe we need, are we giving back equally? To sustain our way of life we must build communities, urban and rural, that sustain the watersheds in which we live. Take the time to plant a native tree, restore a wildlife habitat, or clean a stream. We all can live extremely well if we take the time to build sustainable communities inside sustainable watersheds.
Mr. Sams is a Native American Indian with blood ties to the Cocopah, Cayuse,
and Sioux tribes. Born in Portland, Oregon and raised on the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in NE Oregon, Mr. Sams currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
|
Nez Perce Tribe & Wallowa County Court