Lynda Mapes, Scott Schuyler, and Jay Julius discuss 'Treaty Justice'

Third Place Books welcomes Lynda Mapes, Scott Schuyler, and Jeremiah "Jay" Julius for a panel discussion of by Charles Wilkinson. 50 years ago, in 1974, Judge George Boldt issued a ruling that affirmed the fishing rights and tribal sovereignty of Native nations in Washington State. The Boldt Decision transformed Indigenous law and resource management across the United States and beyond. Like Brown v. Board of Education, the case also brought about far-reaching societal changes, reinforcing tribal sovereignty and remedying decades of injustice. Mapes, Schuyler, and Julius will discuss the landmark Boldt Decision and the ruling's impact on tribal food sovereignty today in Washington.

For important updates, RSVP is highly recommended in advance. Sustain our author series by purchasing a copy of the featured book!

This event is co-sponsored by the North Cascades Institute, a nonprofit conservation organization working to inspire environmental stewardship through transformative learning experiences in nature. Learn more at ncascades.org.

Having trouble registering? See Eventbrite's troubleshooting FAQ here.

This event is free to attend. RSVP is recommended in advance.

Eminent legal historian and tribal advocate Charles Wilkinson tells the dramatic story of the Boldt Decision against the backdrop of salmon’s central place in the cultures and economies of the Pacific Northwest. In the 1960s, Native people reasserted their fishing rights as delineated in nineteenth-century treaties. In response, state officials worked with non-Indian commercial and sport fishing interests to forcefully—and often violently—oppose Native actions. These “fish wars” spurred twenty tribes and the US government to file suit in federal court. Moved by the testimony of tribal leaders and other experts, Boldt pointedly waited until Lincoln’s birthday to hand down a decision recognizing the tribes’ right to half of the state’s fish. The case’s long aftermath led from the Supreme Court’s affirmation of Boldt’s opinion to collaborative management of the harvest of salmon and other marine resources.

Expert and compelling, Treaty Justice weaves personalities and local detail into the definitive account of one of the twentieth century’s most important civil rights cases.

Jeremiah “Jay” Julius is the former Chairman of the Lummi Nation, a full-time fisherman, and a father. Jay was a leader in the fight to protect Xwe’chi’eXen (Cherry Point) and has organized and executed Tribal, local, regional, and national campaigns. A bridge-builder, he uses empathy and storytelling to bring people together. Principal at Julius Consulting LLC, he is also the Founder and President of the organization Se’Si’Le, which offers strategies for integrating ancestral knowledge into policies, projects, and partnerships with the will of right and respectful relations.

Lynda V. Mapes specializes in coverage of the environment and Indigenous cultures and governments. Over the course of her 27-year career as a reporter at The Seattle Times she earned numerous awards, including the Kavli Gold Award for Science Journalism from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest professional science association, which she won in both 2012 and 2019. She and a team of journalists at the Seattle Times were finalists for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. She has written seven books, including most recently The Trees are Speaking: Dispatches from the Salmon Forests from the University of Washington Press. She is the winner of the 2021 National Outdoor Book Award and a 2021 Washington State Book Award. (Photo Credit: Doug MacDonald)

Scott Schuyler is an enrolled elder of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe and has fished the Skagit River for 5 decades. Schuyler is an advocate for the recovery of salmon, Grizzly Bears, and wolves. He lead tribal negotiations for the Baker River hydroelectric relicensing in 2003 which restored the nearly extinct run of Baker River sockeye to unprecedented levels.

Founded in 1998 in Lake Forest Park, Washington, Third Place Books is dedicated to the creation of a community around books and the ideas inside them. With locations in Lake Forest Park and Seattle's Ravenna and Seward Park neighborhoods, Third Place Books is proud to serve the entire Seattle metro area. Learn more about their event series at thirdplacebooks.com/events.

About the Nature of Writing Series

A deep appreciation for the transformative power of literature and art has been at the heart of North Cascades Institute since the very beginning. The humanities provide important lenses through which we inhabit and understand our shared landscapes. Our Nature of Writing Speaker Series celebrates the creative minds illuminating the natural world with the turn of a page.

For nearly 20 years, North Cascades Institute has worked in partnership with independent booksellers and community organizations to bring leading authors on environmental issues, natural and cultural history, poetry, art, wellness and adventure together in celebration and appreciation of nature. Past speakers have included Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Snyder, David B. Williams, Richard Louv, Peter Wohlleben, Brenda Peterson, Tim McNulty, Mary Oliver, Barry Lopez and Molly Hashimoto. By bringing our community together in conversation at these events, we aim to support authors, poets and artists and amplify their voices to promote lifelong stewardship through better understanding of the world around us.

Host or Publisher Third Place Books