A totem pole from Washington state promoting a free-flowing Snake River has nearly completed its 2,500-mile journey around the Northwest.

The Spirit of the Waters Totem Pole Journey started in early May in Bellingham, near the Lummi Indian Reservation where it was carved. Since then, it's traveled through Oregon, Idaho and back to Seattle on Thursday.

Jewell James, head carver of the House of Tears Carvers, said the pole is 16 feet long, weighs 3,000 pounds and sits on two carved, eight-foot-long salmon.

"A killer whale that has a baby whale on its nose to reflect Tahlequah, the whale that lost her calf and carried it around Puget Sound for 17 days and over 1,000 miles trying to get the message to us, the human beings, that we are killing them off," James explained.

James noted the journey is supporting the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes' call to remove four dams on the lower Snake River in southeast Washington, which are impeding salmon migration. The salmon's population drop in the Columbia River Basin in recent decades also has starved Southern Resident orcas in Puget Sound.

Dam supporters said they are integral for barging and irrigation in the region. But James countered there is growing disappointment among tribes and conservation groups with lawmakers' inaction as salmon near extinction.

"They're more prone to protect the interests of corporations than they are the general public," James contended. "And we find that a little frustrating."

The journey has brought together tribal members, conservation groups and the faith community to call for the restoration of the Salmon River. The totem pole is making its final stop in Tacoma today.

With Montana lawmakers looking at a large budget surplus, a group of hunters, scientists and landowners is asking them to consider creating a trust for land stewardship and restoration. The Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition has proposed a $200 million program, to be known as the Montana Legacy Trust.

Craig Jourdonnais, a member of the coalition and a former biologist for the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said now is the right time to set up the trust, especially because the state doesn't have a permanent funding source to fill this need.

"There's an opportunity now, with the budget surplus being maybe even at a historic level, that we can make a proposal for a permanent trust that would go directly toward increasing and enhancing productivity of the land here in Montana," Jourdonnais urged.

Gov. Greg Gianforte has proposed the more than $1 billion surplus go to tax cuts and infrastructure spending. The Montana Citizens Elk Management Coalition has been meeting this year to consider how to better manage the state's elk population, both for hunters and landowners.

Sen. Jeff Welborn, R-Dillon, spoke at the coalition's August symposium and has expressed interest in the Montana Legacy Trust proposal.

The coalition estimates the $200 million investment would yield between $4 million and $8 million in interest each year, which could be used to fund the program. Jourdonnais noted the idea has precedents. Wyoming's Wildlife and Natural Resource Trust was started in 2006. It partners with organizations, agencies and local residents.

"This template has been in place, and it's been incredibly productive, and this would be an opportunity for Montanans to really invest back into Montana," Jourdonnais contended.

Jourdonnais believes the program could have long-term benefits for the state.

"I have 11 grandkids, and I can look at this program and go, 'Man, there's opportunity here for them as well,' " Jourdonnais added.

The 2023 legislative session begins Jan. 2.

Seeds from trees located within Utah's national forests are helping repopulate forests with similar makeups that may have been impacted by climate change or burned by wildfires. The initiative is headed by the U.S. Forest Service. However, regulations dictate where a tree's seed can be taken and planted.

Terry Holsclaw, a silviculturist for the Forest Service in Utah, said while the program aims to repopulate forests and prepare for the future, genetics plays a big role in determining where collected seeds can go.

"A conifer such as Engelmann Spruce seed that we collect here could be used on the Manti-La Sal National Forest just north of us or on the Dixie just south of us, but not much more than an extent beyond that," Holsclaw said.

Holsclaw said over time, trees and the seeds they produce have developed niches for specific locations based on a number of environmental factors that will give them the best chance of not only survival, but reproducing, as well.

Holsclaw said the National Forest Management Act of 1976 requires the Forest Service to participate in reforesting efforts for regions across the United States. He said the program has been a success for the most part. Areas selected for re-forestation are determined based on a number of factors, areas impacted by wildfires being one of the biggest.

Holsclaw said difficulties for re-foresting efforts come from tending to the record number of acres burned by fires in recent years, but he also cites budget and staffing issues that add to the backlog of reforestation efforts the agency is facing.

"So with the number of acres that we do have as a backlog, the next step is ensuring we have enough seed to be able to deal with the backlog," he said. "You have to understand, too, that the seeds we collect, there is a shelf life for that seed."

According to Holsclaw, the agency is addressing existing needs as well as preparing for future events. While the shelf life may be long for some seed species, it is not the same for every one. He said as seeds get older they begin to degenerate.

Tribal representatives from across the Northwest are flying into Washington, D.C. this week to discuss how mine waste in British Columbia is threatening their way of life.

With plans in the Canadian province for doubling the number of mines, tribes say waste already affects waterways downstream in the U.S.

Richard Janssen Jr. is the Department Head of Natural Resources for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, and is in D.C. this week. He said selenium waste from mines near the Elk River north of Montana has a detrimental effect on waterways.

"We're not against mining at all," said Janssen. "What we are against - mining that contaminates our waters, waters of the U.S, waters of our sister tribes, affecting our fish that were here long before us, affecting our way of life, our culture."

Janssen said he plans to meet with Montana's congressional delegation and members of the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department.

Tribes from Alaska, Idaho and Washington will also be in D.C.

Teck Resources, which operates mines near the Elk River, said in a statement that it's engaged in a long-term plan to reverse selenium levels, and has invested more than $1 billion in water quality over the past decade.

Erin Farris-Olsen - regional executive director of Northern Rockies, Prairies and Pacific region for the National Wildlife Federation - said Canada isn't being a good neighbor on this issue, and should do more to ensure the industry is properly regulated.

Farris-Olsen also noted that some of the dams holding back toxic tailings from mines are taller than the Seattle Space Needle, and could fail.

She took an aerial tour of the mines to the north of Glacier National Park.

"Seeing this pristine ecosystem that is valued so highly by our government and our community, both local and abroad," said Farris-Olsen, "and to know that just right on the other side of a few mountains is this giant operation that really has such a destructive potential when expanded."

Janssen said part of the goal of this week's meetings is to ensure tribal nations have a seat at the table on discussions about the transboundary impacts of mines. He also said it's important to spread awareness about this issue.

"Boundaries don't stop water flowing," said Janssen. "Boundaries don't stop the selenium coming down from those mines. And so, we're just hoping to get more of a focus on this area, because I just don't think many people know what's happening."