TULALIP, Wash. - ''Enough talk, it's time for action.'' Billy Frank Jr., chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, summed up the consensus at the second day of the Coast Salish Gathering at the Tulalip Tribes Feb. 27 - 29.

''We are the Indian people, the Coast Salish Indian people, who live on all the watersheds, on the headwaters and on the bays throughout the Salish Sea region. We've got a message for all the nontribal governments and communities and we're delivering it.''

In the second full day of planning, Coast Salish leaders from British Columbian First Nations and western Washington tribes committed to a goal of environmental action, including a Salish Sea-wide information sharing database, a water quality information gathering project, and a Coast Salish environmental indicators project. (Visit www.coastsalishgathering.com.)

Brian Cladoosby, co-chair of the Coast Salish Gathering and chairman of the Swinomish Tribe, said: ''We are true leaders here. True leaders have the confidence to stand alone if they must, and make tough decisions. We want to work with the other governments and other communities if we can, but we will continue to look to our traditional strengths and tie our culture to our objectives.''

''Our objective here is to turn the tide on all the environmental destruction that the white society has heaped upon us over the past 150 years. Our objective is to speak with one voice as Coast Salish people, and to adopt action plans that will make a difference,'' said Tom Sampson of the Tsartlip First Nation in British Columbia.

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