Spokane, Wash.

In 2021, Washington Senator Patty Murray and Governor Jay Inslee acknowledged the serious salmon and steelhead crisis in the Snake River basin and the call for bold action to reverse steep fish declines and preserve the jobs, recreation, communities and orca that depend on them. Murray and Inslee committed to develop a long-term plan to restore Snake River fisheries by August 31, 2022. 

Scientists, anglers, conservationists and Tribes have long advocated for removal of the four lower Snake River dams to bring salmon and steelhead back to healthy numbers.   

As a first step this spring, an effort called the Salmon Initiative will begin exploring options for replacing the benefits the dams provide, including energy, irrigation, and barging in collaboration with stakeholders and Tribes throughout the region. Salmon advocates hope that this process will include studies that have already been done over the past few years and that the process can create a blueprint for doing what the salmon, steelhead and orca ultimately need—restoration of the lower Snake River.  

Murray and Inslee have not committed to a plan that includes dam removal, but salmon advocates hope that with enough public support from people who care about these iconic fish, the dream of dam removal and salmon and steelhead recovery will be realized. This Initiative represents the best chance Snake River salmon have ever had for recovery. Once the report is released, there will be a public comment period beginning mid-May. By or before July 31, a final report and action plan will be released. Keep up to date on the Initiative at LSRDoptions.org.

With the right economic investments, restoring the lower Snake River and removing dams will be an economic boon for the Inland Northwest and a positive step for our fisheries, recreation, and river towns. Republican Congressman Mike Simpson from Idaho put forth a draft plan to do just that a year ago, pledging to invest in our region as part of dam removal. Salmon advocates hope that the Murray-Inslee Initiative can build on that approach.               

Coming up April 26, Spokane Falls Trout Unlimited is excited to announce that National Trout Unlimited CEO Chris Wood will be giving a keynote talk in Spokane with a focus on both science and the tremendous economic opportunity dam removal can bring to the Inland Northwest.

Read more stories about the lower Snake River dams.

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For decades, federal agencies and Northwest elected leaders have failed to take meaningful actions to reverse the steady declines of Snake River wild salmon and steelhead. Anglers, river advocates, and Tribes have watched these irreplaceable fish decline to a fraction of historic numbers. For many of us, it has been a slow, sustained heartbreak. 

Fisheries scientists have long told us that any effective plan to restore wild salmon and steelhead to healthy, fishable numbers must include removal of the four lower Snake River dams to allow salmon easier access into the 5,000+ miles of pristine upstream river habitat. Orca scientists also tell us that the best single action we can take to provide more Chinook salmon to starving Puget Sound orca is to restore the Snake River and its populations of spring/summer chinook. 

Proposed Columbia Basin Fund Brings New Hope for Fish and Communities 

There is hope today. Earlier this year Congressman Mike Simpson, an Idaho Republican, unveiled a bold proposal to restore salmon by removing the lower Snake dams and replacing the transportation, energy and other benefits with new investments. Called the Columbia Basin Fund, the $33.5 billion initiative calls for fundamental changes in how salmon are managed. If the price tag sounds high, consider that we’ve spent $17 billion already on measures that haven’t worked.  

Clarkston and Lewiston would be given funds for waterfront development and a technology education center. Eastern Washington would get a new National Recreation Area along a free-flowing lower Snake River, where more than 14,400 acres of land will be restored. New boat launches, campgrounds, and hiking trails would be established, a huge boon for outdoor recreation close to Spokane. 

Simpson’s proposal also supports funding for fish passage over a set of dams that completely block salmon migration today. It would support the visionary work of the Spokane and Colville Tribes to re-establish salmon above Grand Coulee Dam into rivers devoid of salmon for decades.   

Simpson’s Proposal is a Work in Progress 

Rep. Simpson released his draft as a starting point—and invited other Northwest politicians to work with him to improve it. While river advocates have applauded Simpson’s courage and genuine desire to restore salmon, his proposal is not perfect. There are serious concerns, for example, about broad restrictions on future litigation in the basin. But his approach—crafting a dam removal plan that gives all communities and stakeholders what they need to thrive—is the right one. And it has transformed discussions across the Northwest.  

With a big infrastructure bill anticipated to move forward in Congress and with President Biden in the White House, 2021 is the year to act. Support from Washington State’s Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell is essential. As senior members of a Democrat-controlled Senate, our senators are at the apex of their influence today. Now is the time to act. So far, unfortunately, they have largely ducked the issue, and Senator Cantwell recently dismissed Simpson’s proposal in the media. Criticism is fine. Inaction is not. If Cantwell and Murray have concerns with Simpson’s first cut, then we should hope they would offer improvements or come up with a new plan. 

The Clock Is Ticking for Snake River Salmon & Steelhead 

The fish can’t wait any longer. Fish returns will be bleak in 2021—some of the lowest ever. Just 8,150 wild spring Chinook are predicted to return to the Snake basin this year. Steelhead returns are likewise in steep decline. And while we celebrated three new orca calves this year, only 75 whales remain. They won’t survive without more salmon to eat. Without urgent action, we will lose them forever. 

Fortunately, political momentum is growing. While Gov. Inslee has not taken a position yet, Oregon Gov. Brown has endorsed Simpson’s effort. Eleven Columbia Basin Tribes including the Nez Perce, Yakama, Umatilla, Spokane, Colville, and Kootenai Tribes recently released a statement praising Simpson’s approach to invest in the region and restore salmon to healthy, harvestable numbers.  

The Time to Act Is Now 

What will it take to bring salmon home? In solidarity with tribes, it’s time for anglers, river advocates, business owners, and community leaders to call on our senators and other elected leaders to take decisive action. We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore salmon abundance, invest in the Inland Northwest communities and infrastructure, honor our promises to Native American tribes, and leave a better future for generations to come.  

Right now, Senators Cantwell and Murray need to hear from you and your friends and family. Call and write them today. Ditto for Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers—let them know that you, their constituents, want real and lasting solutions for our salmon and orcas, for tribes, and for all of us. Go to wildsalmon.org for action links and to learn more about the “Columbia Basin Fund.” To view what a restored river could look like go to Tinyurl.com/snakerivervision.

Sam Mace is the Inland Northwest Director for Save Our Wild Salmon. Reach her at sam@wildsalmon.org. 

Read more stories about this issues in our archives: https://outthereventure.com/tag/save-our-wild-salmon/

[Feature photo by Josh Mills.]

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Headed up the Selway River one afternoon, we skidded to a stop along the narrow gravel road after catching the sight of salmon slowly making their way upstream. I’d never seen anything like that before in the Idaho mountains, and we all stood there watching them in awe.

A few miles later, still buzzing from that rare encounter with a Northwest icon, we stopped to check out Selway Falls. At the base of the impressive falls, a couple of guys who later introduced themselves as Nez Perce Tribal members were down near the water fishing. Within a couple minutes, one of them pulled a massive salmon out of the water. He stood there along the river with mist from the falls rising behind him as he held the fish up. “A wild fish for a wild Indian,” he said grinning.

That moment, with the roaring sound of the falls pounding in our ears, I felt hopeful, like a wild salmon renaissance was afoot. Those incredible experiences were over two decades ago and the plight of Northwest salmon has tragically gotten worse.

In 2019, fewer than 4,000 wild spring chinook salmon made their way back to Idaho from the Pacific. For historical context, millions of wild fish once returned in good years. It’s realities like these that can make the situation for salmon feel hopeless at times. How could we have let such an amazing animal, such an incredible cultural and economic resource, nearly come to an end here in what was once a rich, vibrant inland salmon and steelhead fishing region? The looming prospect of extinction is an epic moral failure of our time.

Every once in a while there is a bit of news though that shines rays of hope for the future. One of those moments materialized when Idaho Representative Mike Simpson recently announced a proposal for a Columbia Basin Fund that could keep salmon from going extinct. Surprising to many, the Idaho Republican’s plan calls for breaching the four lower Snake River dams in Eastern Washington.

Scientists believe those dams are the biggest cause behind dwindling salmon and steelhead runs in the Snake River basin that includes pristine rivers in Idaho, NE Oregon and SE Washington. It would also ensure that energy, transportation, and agricultural priorities—as well as local community development projects throughout the region—were funded through $34 billion in thoughtful infrastructure investments. It includes funds for upper Columbia River fish passage as well. 

Part of the deal, which was crafted after 300 meetings with a wide range of stakeholders over three years—would also take away conservation groups’ ability to file the lawsuits they’ve been using to leverage salmon protections for the next 35 years. A lull in litigation, Simpson insists, would give a wide range of interests more certainty when making long-term economic, management, and investment decisions.  

It’s not a perfect first draft and improvements should and can be made. But Simpson’s comprehensive proposal just might be the magic mix that ends the salmon wars with a happy ending instead of extinction.

So far Simpson’s plan has support from interests with serious skin in the game, from tribes and conservationists to electric utilities and shippers. For many, Simpson’s efforts seem to be a better solution than the status quo that has spent billions of dollars on salmon recovery and management efforts while fish numbers continue to decline.            

When the Lower Snake River dams were built, there were winners and losers, and day-to-day life and business as usual changed for the good or bad for a lot of people and communities. Simpson’s efforts could flip that dynamic around by making sure we do the right thing by saving salmon for the future without leaving impacted communities and interests behind.

Check out his proposal at Simpson.house.gov. Call and email your U.S. Senators and Representatives from Washington, Idaho, and Oregon and urge them to get behind this once-in-a-lifetime proposal to save Inland Northwest salmon while we still can.

Derrick Knowles is managing editor and co-publisher. He co-edited the book Holding Common Ground: The Individual and Public Lands in the American West (Eastern Washington University Press, 2005) along with Paul Lindholdt. Previously, Derrick worked for the non-profit environmental group Conservation Northwest.

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Fishermen, recreation businesses, and friends of Northwest rivers welcomed two recent developments in a year of little good news for Snake River salmon and steelhead. 

Returns of wild fish up the Snake to their home in Idaho are so meager that fisheries have already closed, affecting outfitters and rural communities throughout the basin. Mere hundreds of wild salmon and steelhead are returning to rivers where thousands should be. But there is reason for hope. Some cracks have appeared in the dam of opposition. 

In recent months the salmon crisis has spurred action in both Washington and Idaho. First, as part of a package of actions to help starving southern resident killer whales, the Washington legislature earmarked $750,000 for a stakeholder forum. The forum will explore what investments would be needed if a decision were made to restore the lower Snake River.

The very same week, Congressman Mike Simpson, senior Idaho Republican, committed to restoring Idaho’s salmon in a keynote address at the Boise-based Andrus Center. Concerned about the future of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and its ability to continue providing low-cost power to the region, Simpson proposed working on a plan to save both salmon and BPA by asking the “hard questions” and putting all options on the table. 

Neither action endorsed dam removal. Both, however, were calls for an honest conversation about what river restoration and dam removal would mean for the region if it occurs. While many stakeholders have long called for an open and creative dialogue with ports, shippers, farmers, and others who use or rely on the river in one way or another, some have fought to stop any conversation where dam removal is even mentioned. Just last month, Reps. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers and Dan Newhouse launched a full-on campaign against Governor Inslee’s support for stakeholder talks in an attempt to silence any discussion of a future without the dams.

What are they so afraid of? 

If, in fact, four aging dams on the lower Snake River are the linchpin of the regional economy as the opposition claims, an honest transition planning process would surely reflect that. 

But what if transition planning shows we can affordably replace the declining transportation and energy benefits? That irrigation can continue with modest infrastructure investments? And what if it shows that a restored river, fisheries, and recreation economy would be an economic boon in towns from Riggins to Clarkston, Walla Walla to Tri-Cities, and reaching as far as Spokane? 

We won’t know unless we, as Rep. Simpson has urged, “ask the hard questions.”

While the status quo may be working fine now for some ports, farmers, and irrigators, it’s not working well at all for our fisheries, the businesses that depend on them, the tribes that require them, and the recreational fishermen who live for catching them. More and more, it also is not working for BPA, on which so many of us depend for reliable, inexpensive, and clean power. In short, BPA is in a financial bind and the future does not look good. 

The Inland Northwest should jump at the opportunity to reimagine the Snake River as it once was, and what a restored river could be. Done right, a stakeholder process would look both at how we replace the benefits of the dams and how we take advantage of the resources and amenities a restored lower Snake River would bring.

Imagine a free-flowing river coursing through a revitalized urban waterfront in downtown Clarkston/Lewiston, continuing 144 miles through the Palouse to Tri-Cities; more than 14,000 acres of riverfront land no longer under water, providing bird and wildlife habitat, hiking trails, hunting opportunities and camping; beautiful canyon walls, sweeping benches, river islands, and the Palouse River free flowing to its confluence with the Snake; boat launches supporting both motorized and non-motorized boating—and, let’s not forget the abundant fishing.

Perhaps there is a place for long-lost agriculture to return? Many small farming communities were inundated by the dams, drowning productive fruit orchards. And, we can’t forget this land first belonged to the tribes. What lands could be returned and restored for cultural and traditional uses? What investments could we provide to towns near the river so they could take advantage of the new recreation economy, predicted by various independent economists to generate hundreds of millions of dollars and more annually in Eastern Washington alone? 

Elected leaders in both Washington and Idaho have opened up a public space for envisioning what the largest river restoration in history could bring to the culture and economy of the Inland Northwest. However, entrenched interests are working overtime to squash any questioning of business-as-usual, of envisioning another future—one that includes abundant salmon, a restored river, and thriving local economies. We can’t let them do that.

Originally published in the June 2019 issue.

Sam Mace is the Inland Northwest Director for Save Our Wild Salmon, a coalition of sport fishing groups and businesses, commercial fishing associations, and conservation organizations working to restore Columbia-Snake wild salmon and steelhead.  She looks forward to one day launching on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River and boating and camping all the way to Pasco, Wash. Reach her at sam@wildsalmon.org.

Read more articles about the Snake River and the plight of wild salmon in the OTO story archives.

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