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September 30, 2025

Why HEAL Matters

The Healthy Environments for All (HEAL) Act was a historic step for Washington—making environmental justice a guiding principle by directing carbon tax revenues back to communities facing the greatest disparities. Yet this year, state budget cuts will reduce HEAL funding by nearly 90%. To keep this work alive, we must fill the gap and ensure Indigenous leaders and frontline communities have the resources they need to continue driving change.

HEAL grantees Julian Matthews and Nimíipuu Protecting the Environment are leading cross-state efforts to restore the Snake River, remove dams, and revive salmon populations—work rooted in treaty rights and traditional stewardship.

These efforts are more than environmental protection—they’re about securing the identity, health, and future of those whose lives are intertwined with the river: elders, youth, and the land itself.

“Salmon in the Snake River are on the brink of extinction. The salmon are our food, ceremony, and medicine.”

— Julian Matthews, Nimíipuu Protecting the Environment

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Shelly Vendiola

(she/her), Swinomish/Visayan, Community Engagement and Culture Director

Shelly Vendiola, (Swinomish/Visayan) is an enrolled member of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, and Visayan. She has served as an educator, facilitator, activist, and peacemaker/mediator for over 30 years. Shelly co-founded the native Community Engagement and Peacemaking Project and offers consultation in the areas of community engagement and facilitation services including: leadership development, strategic planning, organization mapping, dispute resolution, interest-based negotiations and peacemaking circles throughout the country.

Currently she works as a Community Engagement & Culture Director for the Na’ah Illahee Fund, and serves on the board of the Indigenous Environmental Network and the Skagit YMCA. She continues to work in partnership with the Swinomish Department of Environmental Protection, co-chairs the Protect Mother Earth Subcommittee, and is a member of the Swinomish Health, Education and Social Services Committee. Shelly developed a place-based curriculum about the history and culture of the Swinomish peoples and taught a series of cultural sovereignty courses for over 10 years at the Northwest Indian College – Coast Salish Institute within their Native Studies Leadership Program.

Previously her team provided leadership and consultation for the Lummi Cedar Project – Organized Generations Healthy Lifestyles Program. Ms. Vendiola served as President for the national Indigenous Women’s Network and a Campaign Director for the Indigenous Environmental Network. Shelly received several years of formal dispute resolution training from the Indian Dispute Resolution Services, Inc., and the San Francisco Community Boards Program. She is the recipient of the Native Action Network – Enduring Spirit Award, and a recognized educator and peacemaker in the Northwest region. Shelly has an M.Ed. in Higher Education and practices indigenous pedagogy and indigenous research methodology within all aspects of her work.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Shelly is passionate about gardening. She practices the ancient form of meditation known as Qi Gong for balance, energy, and resiliency, and is a certified Yoga instructor. Her motto is, “There is nothing permanent in the world but change, the key is how we flow with it!”