The bond between man and the environment has been a tenuous one, though indigenous peoples around the world seem always to have had a greater respect for the land that fed, clothed and housed them. While that relationship has long since been diminished by any number of external forces, the land is still vital, perhaps more now for economic reasons that utilitarian ones. Perhaps in this century they are one in the same. For our country’s Native American population, there is still the strong desire to strike a balance between spirituality and economy. By returning to productive use the contaminated areas they have inherited, they are reestablishing that bond.

The history surrounding the northeastern branch of Washington State’s Columbia River is as rich as the metals littering its bottom. For several millennia, its waters supplied indigenous explorers with an abundance of salmon while serving as a trading route and cultural hub for thousands traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. ...

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