Supreme Court decision is topic of public meeting

League of Women Voters of Kitsap will present a public education program on the Supreme Court’s culvert decision later this month at the Suquamish Clearwater Casino.

The event will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20.

“Coming Together to Save Salmon: Removing Fish Passage Barriers” will bring four knowledgeable speakers to the casino’s Kitsap Room. They will discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s 4-to-4 deadlock of June 2018, which let stand a previous order that Washington state must repair or replace culverts that prevent fish from reaching their spawning grounds.

Speakers will be Leonard Forsman, chairman of the Suquamish Tribe; Kim Mueller, fish passage delivery manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation; John Sledd, attorney with Kanji & Katzen; and Kitsap County Commissioner Rob Gelder.

This program is free and open to the public.

Organizers said attendees can learn about:

• Basic principles of treaties and treaty rights;

• Why tribes sued Washington to enforce treaty rights;

• Washington’s fish barrier removal program; and

• Effects on Kitsap County.

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