Removing Threats to Salmon

Floor Speech

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on a huge threat facing salmon and other fish in Washington State.

Salmon are not just a fish for us. They are a cultural touchstone, an economic bedrock, and also a huge part of meeting our Tribal obligations.

In Washington State, we have a long series of dams along the Columbia River and others, and that slows the speed of salmon as they travel up to spawn.

Sea lions have figured this out. There is an all-you-can-eat buffet waiting for them at the dams, and they are exploiting that. These are not cute, Disney-level sea lions. These are about the weight of a Volkswagen Bug, about the size of a bear. These are serious creatures, and they are not just a small predation risk.

Almost one out of two fish at Merwin Dam on the Lewis River is returning with sea lion bites out of it. Sea lions come up the river, chunk up on the salmon, and then go back out to the ocean to breed. Other sea lions see this, these glossy guys, and they say, ``Hey, where did you get that?'' and they follow them back up.

There is a massive amount of recruitment. There was actually a really interesting natural experiment on the Willamette River, where there was a smaller number of sea lions. They were able to effectively remove all of them at once and end this cycle of recruitment.

Right now, our Federal policies don't allow the effective removal of these sea lions, so the recruitment continues.

As a result of the actions at Willamette, fewer sea lions died, and more fish were saved. We have to act faster, in a more rational way, to end this cycle of recruitment. Celebrating Tenino's 150th Jubilee

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 150th Jubilee of Tenino, Washington.

Jubilee is not the kind of word you are going to hear a lot if you visit Tenino, Washington. It is one of those words my grandpa would say costs a quarter when a nickel will do.

Folks in Tenino are really proud of our working-class heritage. It is originally a town based on logging and quarrying, and it is actually where my great-grandparents are buried. It was built on the determination of people who believe in hard work.

They are creative thinkers. When the traditional currency collapsed during the Great Depression, they invented their own wooden currency. It worked because this is a community where people trust each other, where they believe in each other. That kind of independent thinking is exactly what has brought the town resiliency today.

I am so excited to honor the legacy and future of this great city. I sincerely thank all the folks who put their shoulder behind the wheel of making it a great town. Honoring the Service of Chris Rust

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank retiring Superintendent Chris Rust for his 8 years of service to the Toledo School District.

During his tenure as superintendent, Chris demonstrated a passionate commitment to his students, staff, parents, and the community of Toledo. Throughout his career, Chris always sought to learn and improve, and he approached each new challenge with creativity and humility.

The construction of the Toledo High School is a testament to this. Under his direction, the school came in $2 million under budget, and as a result, people in the town had lower taxes for 4 years.

Rust's dedication to our community is further demonstrated by his use of pandemic funding to bolster the district's mental health staff, proactively addressing this growing crisis and ensuring access in schools to a safe and supportive environment.

Leaders like Chris do not come around very often, but we are lucky to have them when they do.

I thank Chris. I wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement. Thanking Rural Firefighters

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to tell you about rural firefighters.

Rural fire districts are 100 percent volunteer staffed and can have annual budgets under $100,000. That has to pay for medical supplies, fuel, vehicle maintenance, training, insurance, and administrative costs.

Because of these financial limitations, rural departments can offer training but not permanent paid positions. The result is effectively a farm system for more urban districts. Rural departments expend resources to train the firefighters who end up leaving for bigger towns, causing perpetual staffing shortages.

One emergency manager was telling me about their son, who started out his firefighting career in one of these rural districts. He was scheduled for a one-off, one-on for 6 days, but because of staffing shortages, he was on for 6 days nonstop, responding to life-critical emergencies while barely able to keep his eyes open, all without getting paid.

This type of schedule is not sustainable for any job, much less a volunteer gig, let alone one with the physical, mental, and emotional challenges of a firefighter.

I stand with my community in thanking our rural firefighters for their efforts and service. I will always be an advocate for programs that support rural firefighters. Paying Tribute to Don Bonker

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Ms. PEREZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to my distinguished predecessor, Don Bonker, a dear friend. I had the honor of knowing Don personally before he passed. His loss will be felt deeply by all of our community members.

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