Nez Perce leaders mum on water-rights pact stance

LEWISTON – Leaders of a North Idaho Indian tribe have given no indication which way they’ll vote on a historic $193 million agreement to settle a dispute over rights to water in the Snake River.

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne is a vocal advocate for the 30-year Nez Perce agreement, which has been approved by U.S. Congress and both the Idaho State House and Senate.

But the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, the tribe’s nine-member policy-making body, has until March 30 to sign off on the measure, and so far just one committee member has voiced support.

Some tribal members are calling for the issue to go before a vote of the entire voting membership before a decision is made.

“There is so much animosity right now between the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee and the tribe,” said Julian Matthews, a tribal member who lives in Pullman. “I’m not saying all of the negotiations should have been public, but there should have been some communication about what they’re thinking and what they’re going to do with our futures.”

According to the agreement, the Nez Perce would to drop their claims to nearly all the water in the Snake River Basin in exchange for annual rights to 50,000 acre-feet of water in the Clearwater River. They’d also get $80 million in cash and land.

The U.S. Congress and the state also have pledged to provide tens of millions of dollars for fish habitat and other environmental improvements.

Several tribal members are against the deal and oppose having the elected officials make such an important decision.

“The way I see it, they’re just elected officials,” Matthews said. “They’re not leaders.”

Justin Gold of Lapwai contends most tribal members are against the deal and the committee isn’t aware of that.

“Once again, the tribe has been made to sit down and compromise its treaty rights,” said Gold, a former natural resources chairman for the tribe. “The people have been removed from this decision, and the government here is partially funded by the federal government, which makes me ask where their interests lie.”