Submitted by Community Rights San Juan Islands

Over 100 community members in San Juan County gathered, sang and danced in honor of the Salish Sea Saturday night, Sept. 15. Organized by Community Rights San Juan Islands, the event “Take Back the Salish Sea” at the Lopez Center was part of the cross-border Salish Sea Day of Action coordinated by Salish Sea advocacy groups.

From Vancouver, British Columbia to Gig Harbor to Wenatchee, 17 communities in the U.S. and Canada united voices to demand protection of the Salish Sea bioregion.

Here in the San Juans, local musicians shared their talents on stage. The Lopez Cajun Band opened the night, followed by songs and drumming offered by Kevin Paul, a Swinomish tribal member and master carver. The acapella group MamaTamba serenaded the crowd with beautiful harmony, and Los Hermanos closed the night with upbeat, Latin music.

A highlight of the evening was when a large choir sang the song “Tahlequah,” an original composition by local resident Sorrel North, in honor of the mourning orca mother.

“Tahlequah carried her dead baby for 17 days and 17 nights. Her heartbreaking eloquence spoke like nothing else about our need to take care of the Salish Sea, our shared home,” said Kai Sanburn, founder of CRSJI.

On Sept. 15, many communities gathered to speak up on behalf of the Salish Sea. Events included an orca parade, a teach-in and, in Vancouver, a celebration of the decision that halted the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“Down in Tacoma, the Puyallup tribe called people together at a small salt marsh, smack dab in the middle of the industrialized tide flats, stating, ‘Our goal is to radically love this one little acre of open public space back to health.’ Radical love, indeed,” said Sanburn.

Sanburn gave a moving speech against the backdrop of quotes about human relationship with nature and picturesque images of the Salish Sea and its inhabitants. The slideshow of images and quotes rolled on through the night.

Communities have spoken up to the many risks the region has faced: fish farm impacts on wild salmon, increasing shipping of fossil fuels, rapid development, pollution and the growing whale watching industry.

“We see orca dying and know we’re in trouble. We have rallied to say no to this pipeline or that coal port. But we need to speak for what we do want, what our well-being depends on — a healthy and thriving Salish Sea. Rights of Nature is a framework that allows us to do just that.”

“It suggests a different relationship to the natural world. It refutes the idea that nature is merely property and recognizes the inherent right of natural entities to survive and thrive and creates legal frameworks to support those rights,” explained Sanburn.

Founded in 2017, CRSJI is working to bring Community Rights and the Rights of Nature to San Juan County by way of an initiative that will codify honoring and putting the protection of the Salish Sea into law.

“The law will make us reexamine our relationship with nature, to see ourselves as part of nature and treating it as if we depend on it. As we do,” said Sanburn.

For more information about CRSJI or Rights of Nature, visit CRSJI.org or on Facebook @Community Rights San Juan Islands, or contact Kai Sanburn at 468-4400.

Contributed photo/Chom Greacen The “Whale Choir” rang “Tahlequah” in honor of the orca mother who mourned her dead baby for 17 days.