August E-News: Two exciting launches at Braided River this Summer!

In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations

Braided River is honored to partner with Se’Si’Le on In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations: Conversations about Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Being in Nature, featuring a foreword by Jay Julius Xw’tot lhem and as told to Kurt Russo.  

In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations highlights an Indigenous-led approach to the urgent environmental crisis by promoting dialogue with Indigenous Peoples and inspiring action to support, protect, and restore our region’s lands, waters, and lifeways. We are so excited to announce that this book and campaign are officially live, and we want you involved! 

How can you engage in this impactful project? 

Order your copy of In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations today to support this effort,  read the stories, and experience the beautiful illustrations. 

We would love to have you at our Seattle Launch Event in October! The evening will include conversations with Jay Julius (former chairman of the Lummi Nation) and his daughter Teja Julius, Lynda Mapes, John Vechey, and will be facilitated by Jeff Renner. 

Details: 

Make a gift to the campaign! 

Our goal is to give away the bulk of our print run. As part of the Braided River community, you know that the action behind the campaign begins once the book is published. You can learn more about this project and where the funding will go through this PDF here. 

Make a gift to support In the Spirit of Right and Respectful Relations 

Authors and contributors at the San Juan Island book launch for Right and Respectful Relations
From left to right: John Vechey, Jay Julius Xw’tot lem, Sarah Hart, Fiorella De la O, and Kurt Russo

We Are Puget Sound Traveling Exhibit 

With gratitude to the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum in Tacoma, WA, we were able to bring the We Are Puget Sound exhibit to yet another new location! In July, we opened the sixth year of this traveling exhibit with speaking engagement from Dr. Mindy Roberts who leads the Puget Sound program at the Washington Environmental Council, and Braided River’s own Executive Director, Helen Cherullo. You can order the book here.

Dr. Mindy Roberts, Helen Cherullo, and David Workman at the We Are Puget Sound Seaport Launch in July 2025.

You can visit the Seaport from Thursday - Sunday, 10AM-4pm, to see the exhibit at no cost! Follow along on social media to learn more about upcoming events. 

Protect the Arctic Updates


It would not be a Braided River summer update if we did not highlight the work being done to Protect the Arctic. A value of the Braided River mission is conservation action, which has been targeted at core legislation this season. What happens in America’s Arctic impacts everyone on earth, and has rippling effects for the climate crisis. Our team has been working closely in coalition with Protect the Arctic to keep the oil and gas industry out of America’s Arctic, and uplift Indigenous voices. 

In June, the Department of Interior proposed rescinding the 2024 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule that expanded protections over roughly 13 million acres of “Special Areas” within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA), also known as the Western Arctic, which opened the door to more straightforward oil and gas development by reinstating earlier, less restrictive rules. (U.S. Department of Interior) In July, the BLM officially withdrew the three policy documents associated with Special Areas. These actions follow executive orders focused on “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” (Office of Advocacy). 

In addition to the Western Arctic, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was reopened by an executive order from President Trump to oil and gas exploration. The federal lease sales in the refuge have attracted zero bids. (Earthjustice Action) 

In April, a bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced the Arctic Refuge Protection Act (Senate bill S.1519 and House Bill H.R.3067) that advocacy organizations have voiced strong support for. (Earthjustice) 

Throughout this process, we’ve collaborated on media campaigns, “one click” public comment letters, banners, and messaging all aimed at permanent protection. As we have for the past twenty-plus years, we will continue these efforts. Please reach out with any questions, or if you would like more information on the work we do to #ProtecttheArctic. 

Big River Updates

Big River author Eileen Delehanty Pearkes is embarking on a transboundary speaking tour about healing the Columbia River in British Columbia from August - October!

Pearkes speaking in Kootenay Bay, BC in August, 2025