Group of indigenous people and supporters holding a banner that reads 'Stand with tribes, save our salmon,' standing outdoors near the U.S. Capitol building.
Event poster for R.U.N. in Unity conference on October 29 and 30 at the Portland Expo Center, with bold yellow and dark blue text on a black background.

Rise Up Northwest in Unity Convening

OCTOBER 29 & 30, 2025 • FREE TO ATTEND

Join Tribal leaders, scientists, and community members to protect the Northwest’s rivers, salmon, and orcas.

REGISTER below, space Is limited.

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AGENDA

JOIN US VIRTUALLY - register for R.u.n. in unity 2025 online

Even if you can’t make it to Portland, you can still be part of this powerful movement. The Rise Up Northwest (R.U.N.) in Unity Convening is bringing together Tribal leaders, scientists, and advocates to protect the Columbia and Snake Rivers, restore salmon, and secure a thriving future for orcas and communities across the Northwest.

You’re invited to join virtually for both days of the convening:

Day 1 – October 29: Register for Day 1 on Zoom

Day 2 – October 30: Register for Day 2 on Zoom

Please note, the in-person kickoff on October 28 at 5pm at the Holiday Inn Portland Columbia Riverfront featuring Amy Bowers Cordalis reading an excerpt of her new book,The Water Remembers, is in person only.

  • OCT 28 5PM - 9PM

    Reading & Book Signing

    The Water Remembers by Amy Bowers Cordalis

    Music, Food, Drinks, & Connections

    PLEASE NOTE THE DIFFERENT LOCATION:

    Holiday Inn Portland- Columbia Riverfront 

    909 N Hayden Island Dr, Portland, OR 97217

  • OCT 29 • 8:30 AM • PORTLAND EXPO CENTER

    8:30 am: Prayer & Breakfast

    9:00 am: Welcome & Opening Remarks

    9:30 am: Water & First Food Protectors panel

    10:30 am: Break & Visit Vendor Booths

    11:00 am: Big Fish Stories panel

    12:00 pm: Lunch

    1:00 pm: Importance of Having Federal Partners

    2:00 pm: Health Salmon = Healthy People

    2:30 pm: Break & Visit Vendor Booths

    3:30 pm: Key Note Speaker TBA

    4:30 pm: Wrap Up

    6:00 pm: These Sacred Hills screening and panel discussion

  • OCT 29 • 8:30 AM • PORTLAND EXPO CENTER

    8:30 am: Prayer & Breakfast

    9:00 am: Key Note Tobias Schäfer

    10:00 am: Lightning Creek Social

    11:00 am: Orca Sustenance & Salmon Abundance panel

    12:00 pm: Lunch

    1:00 pm: Tribes, Treaties, Hatcheries, and Fishery panel

    2:00 pm: Youth Talks panel

    3:00 pm: Break & Visit Vendor Booths

    3:30 pm: Campaigns of Success panel

    4:30: Closing Remarks

Rise Up Northwest in Unity Convening

October 29–30, 2025 • Portland Expo Center

Free to Attend • Registration Required

Why Attend?

For generations, salmon have fed our rivers, forests, and people. Today, they’re on the edge of extinction, and Southern Resident orcas are starving. The Northwest is at a crossroads.

At the R.U.N. Convening, we’ll come together to:

  • Stand with Tribal Nations leading the fight for river restoration.

  • Learn from scientists, advocates, and community leaders.

  • Build solutions for salmon recovery, clean energy, & climate justice.

Check out the recap video for R.U.N. 2024 here!

Who is Invited? This event is open to all individuals and groups interested in cultivating solutions together for the Northwest.

Whether you're an environmental advocate, community leader, or simply care about protecting our shared ecosystems, your voice matters.

Need a Hotel? We have a block of hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn Portland Columbia Waterfront Hotel. You can access the Link to that block here

Have Questions?

Reach out to Kayeloni Scott for more information or assistance:

  • Email: kayelonis@nezperce.org

  • Phone: 208-790-1815

Be part of the movement to restore the Northwest’s rivers, salmon, Orca, and Tribal treaty rights.

Registration is free, but space is limited. RSVP Now.

qe’ciyew’yew’

qe’ciyew’yew’ (thank you) to all of our partners, speakers, attendees, volunteers, and staff for making our last Rise Up Northwest in Unity Convening (R.U.N.) such a success.

Together, we engaged in expert-led discussions on water and wildlife challenges impacting the Northwest, gained insights from Indigenous communities and Snake River users who have protected these ecosystems for generations, and collaborated on actionable strategies to create a sustainable and resilient future for the region. Watch the video to learn more about Rise Up Northwest in Unity Convening (R.U.N.).

  • “What you all are doing there is organizing. You are taking power from other structures and putting it behind the sovereignty, the salmon, the orca, the Indigenous Peoples and figuring out how do we unite that voice into one to advance our common cause. That’s the movement. That’s where we are.”

    Amy Cordalis (Yurok), Executive Director of Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group

  • “As I was watching Nooksack Nation up here, I started to get emotional. I was just thinking about how at a certain point in history the goal was to erase Tribal Nations and yet here we are, having retained these traditions. We are so resilient. And knowing that, it seems impossible that we could lose our relative salmon.”

    Kayeloni Scott, Executive Director Columbia Snake River Campaign, Communications for the Nez Perce Tribe and American Rivers, R.U.N Organizer