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 our second annual public lands-themed issue, we wanted to highlight some of the hard-working non-profit organizations that make our public lands, and our lives, so much better. Rather than picking those groups and causes ourselves, we turned to some of Out There’s frequent advertisers who give back to our public lands through their support of these organizations.

In addition to making each issue of Out There possible, our advertisers are an incredible lot who not only do business in the Inland Northwest but also regularly give back to the places that make living here so special. I hope you find their stories and insights inspiring and discover a new public lands cause worthy of your support. (DK)

Spokane River Forum

What They Do: The Spokane River Forum’s mission is to create materials, events, and activities that promote regional dialogues for sustaining a healthy river system. A major project of the forum and partners has been the development of the Spokane River Water Trail, including improved access along the 111-mile length of the river. Spokanewatertrail.org

Local Supporter: Lyte Balance Electrolyte Concentrate

The Cause: The 40-mile stretch of the Spokane River from Post Falls Dam in Idaho to Nine Mile Dam in Washington is largely non-motorized with a variety of recreation uses. Since 2010 when the Spokane River Forum and others created the Spokane River Water Trail, 18 river access points have been restored.

Andy Dunau, founder of the Spokane River Forum, which brings diverse interests together to the benefit of the Spokane River, notes that river use since the trail was established has increased exponentially. “A lot of our attention now is on how do you maintain the river trail, keep the experience as safe as possible, and educate people,” he explains. “Keeping the river clean is a part of loving Spokane.”

Lyte Balance, a Liberty Lake-based company that makes an all-natural electrolyte concentrate that you can add to any beverage, was one of the first local companies to step up as a Water Trail Steward. Donors like Lyte Balance are critical to funding ongoing maintenance at water trail access points, says Dunau.

For Lyte Balance founder Tim Cunninghamm, the decision to help with funds to pay for the care-taking of two river trail access points was a natural fit. “We are a local company, and we love our river. We love the pleasure and the peace it gives us,” he says. Lyte Balance also provides their electrolytes to volunteer river cleanup crews, adds Cunninghamm. “It’s probably one of the greatest assets we have in Spokane—that a river runs through it and that we all get to be on it.” (DK)

Protect Our Winters

What They Do: Protect Our Winters (POW) helps passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change. POW has grown from an idea into a worldwide network of more than 130,000 outdoor enthusiasts and supporters. Protectourwinters.org

Local Supporter: DOMA Coffee Roasting Company

The Cause: In 2007, pro snowboarder Jeremy Jones saw more resorts closing from the lack of snow that had always been reliable. Since he couldn’t find any organizations focused on getting skiers and snowboarders involved to help combat climate change, he formed Protect Our Winters, which quickly brought together other concerned pro athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and elements of the outdoor industry. POW reminds us that we all need winter, and winter needs more of us who love the outdoors to get involved on its behalf.

Post Falls-based DOMA Coffee Roasting Company owners Rebecca and Terry Patano, both skiers and conservation-minded outdoor enthusiasts, heeded the call and began supporting POW after experiencing climate change impacts firsthand on a coffee sourcing trip to Peru.

“We went into some places in the Andes and there was no snow, and no snow means no water and that whole cycle of things,” explains Terry. “And we said wow, what can we do back home that will have an impact? We knew a little about POW and looked into it a little more and liked the work that they were doing and said let’s get involved.”

That’s when DOMA created its DEEP coffee that supports POW with $1 from every can or bag sold, explains Rebecca. “If your views align with POW, we make it really easy. You just buy coffee and enjoy your morning, and we’ll donate your dollar.”

Rebecca says she has also witnessed the impacts of climate change in Central America, but it was the farmers in Guatemala, where the beans for their DEEP coffee come from, who first started voicing concerns about climate change. And that caught her attention.

“They were asking what are we going to do about water shortages, what are we going to do about the severe droughts we’re facing? They were the ones who motivated me,” she says. “We are seeing the impacts of climate change across the globe now and including in DOMA’s supply chain.”

It’s up to all of us to do whatever we can to reverse the impacts we’re having on the planet, adds Terry. “Whether you’re a hunter or fisherman or trail runner or skier, if you’re using the outdoors, it’s worth protecting. We all love the outdoors and need to do what we can to protect it so we don’t wake up one morning and it’s not there.” (DK)

Project Healing Waters

What They Do: Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF), brings a high-quality, full-spectrum fly fishing program to an ever-expanding number of disabled active military service personnel across the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, in military hospitals, and the Warrior Transition Command. Beginning in 2005 serving wounded military service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, PHWFF has since expanded nationwide. Projecthealingwaters.org

Local Supporter: Dry Fly Distilling

The Cause: At their headquarters in the heart of Spokane, Dry Fly Distilling is committed to promoting public lands and conservation. Terry Nichols, VP of sales and marketing, reports that “Obviously streams, rivers and fish habitat are important to us.” Dry Fly invests in more than a dozen public lands advocacy groups, including Spokane Riverkeeper, Casting for a Cure, and Trout Unlimited. Dry Fly also supports Project Healing Waters.

Known for their genius method of using fly fishing as a therapy for vets, Project Healing Waters provides the physical and emotional tools for disabled military personnel and veterans to seek healing through fly fishing. PHWFF has become recognized as a leader and model of therapeutic outdoor recreation for the disabled, successfully using the sport of fly fishing as a rehabilitation tool.

The outings are much more than a one-day fishing trip. For many participants, the personal interactions, time out in nature, and camaraderie are as important and healing as the fishing itself. (JJ)

1% for The Planet

What They Do: 1% for the Planet is a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental solutions to our planet’s most pressing environmental issues. Business partners pledge at least 1% of their yearly gross sales to approved nonprofit partners. Onepercentfortheplanet.org

Local Supporter: Townshend Cellar

The Cause: In 2002, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard helped create 1% for the Planet to encourage other businesses to donate to protect the environment. Townshend Cellar, located in Green Bluff, was one of the first Washington winery members of 1% for the Planet. Their local giving has been directed toward three Spokane-area non-profits and public lands causes: Evergreen East, The Lands Council, and Spokane Riverkeeper.

Townshend Cellar’s journey toward supporting local public lands and conservation causes began with enjoying the outdoors and eventually being in a business position where they could give back, explains Michael Townshend, who co-owns the business with his brother Brendon.

“We had been exploring ways to use our business to be a force of good for a while and in that process learned about 1% for the Planet. And that’s when we decided to committ to donating 2% of our total revenue to charitable causes that mesh with our values and ideals, and a major part of that is environmental causes,” says Michael.

Those efforts locally include supporting The Lands’ Council’s Spocanopy program that works to increase Spokane’s urban canopy by planting street trees for free in low-income neighborhoods, as well as lending a hand to Evergreen East Mountain Bike Alliance’s public lands trail building work. 

“For Evergreen East we have a bunch of heavy equipment we use up at our farm in Green Bluff that we loan to them to use for trail building at Beacon Hill and Camp Sekani and up at Mount Spokane,” explains Michael. Townshend also donates wine to events and contributes financially to those two organizations plus Spokane Riverkeeper.

“Wine making is ultimately an extractive thing,” says Michael. “We started thinking about how we can improve our business practices, reduce waste, and improve agricultural practices without sacrificing quality.”

Along the way, they learned that it is really hard and takes time to change some of these practices and decided a good first step was to be more involved with local public lands causes. “It all works in tandem together,” he adds. “We can’t create the best wine while ruining the planet.” (DK)

American Rivers

What They Do: American Rivers believes a future of clean water and healthy rivers everywhere, for everyone is essential. Since 1973, they have protected wild rivers, restored damaged rivers, and conserved clean water for people and nature. Americanrivers.org

Local Supporter: Northwest River Supply (NRS)

The Cause: NRS remains deeply connected to public lands and non-profit conservation groups. From the beginning, they have always invested in programs that promote the health and future of America’s rivers and streams.

Mark Deming, NRS director of marketing, explains that “NRS has supported American Rivers in many ways over the years, including with the creation, funding and execution of the 5,000 Miles of Wild campaign (2016-2018), which helped result in thousands of miles of new wild and scenic river protections.

Most recently, NRS has partnered in a communications plan advocating for the removal of the lower four Snake River dams to help restore wild salmon and steelhead populations while promoting an economic revival in the Inland Northwest.

NRS also proudly supports Idaho Rivers United, focused on keeping drinking water clean, defending at-risk populations of fish, and minimizing the impacts of dams on Idaho’s rivers. (JJ)

Spokane Riverkeeper

What They Do: Spokane Riverkeeper is a vigilant guardian and advocate for the Spokane River and its watershed.  The Spokane Riverkeeper works to protect the river’s ecological health, its aesthetic integrity, and the public uses of the river for future generations of our community. The end goal? A healthy, fishable and swimmable Spokane River. Spokaneriverkeeper.org

Local Supporter: FLOW Adventures

The Cause: The Spokane River is a beloved natural asset for the entire community, and the Spokane Riverkeeper’s first priority is to defend the river against pollution and to hold polluters accountable. Formed in 2009 to stop polluters from abusing the river, the group takes a hands-on approach that includes an active presence on the river and uncompromising advocacy.

In addition to regularly cleaning up thousands of pounds of trash from the river with help from volunteers, Spokane Riverkeeper has stopped millions of gallons of raw sewage from entering the river each year and created a pioneering effort to keep toxic pollution out of the river. Anyone who spends time on the river owes them a big thank you.

It’s no wonder that FLOW Adventures is a major supporter of Spokane Riverkeeper. The “FLOW” in the Spokane-based river outfitter’s name stand for “For Love Of Water.” FLOW takes clients on whitewater rafting trips on the Spokane and Salmon rivers, rents tubes and other inflatable craft, and runs tubing shuttles, and a clean river is essential to owners Jon and Jeanie Wilmot’s business.

“FLOW got started with Riverkeeper near the beginning,” says founder/owner Jon Wilmot. “It was a good fit, and the river is such a wonderful resource, and it needs all the help it can get.” FLOW helps out Spokane Riverkeeper in several ways, explains Wilmot, including having staff assist with cleanup projects on the river, using their rafts to haul out trash, donating auction items for fundraisers, and, more recently, donating a new raft to Spokane Riverkeeper to use for cleanups and other work to protect the river.

“I’ve been floating the river for a long time, and it’s been a wonderful place to play,” he says. “I want it to be a wonderful place to play forever and will do what I can to help keep it that way.”

Wilmot also emphasizes that Spokane Riverkeeper does a lot more than the important work of almost weekly volunteer-driven river cleanups, a sentiment that Riverkeeper program director Jule Schultz echoes. The organization spends the bulk of its efforts using science, education, advocacy, and the law to protect and clean up the Spokane River, he explains. And the organization’s citizen science program is a prime example.

Earlier this year Spokane Riverkeeper had volunteers out daily measuring sediment coming out of Hangman Creek during the rainy season when the creek regularly dumps tons of dirt into the Spokane River, says Schultz. This cloudy water is bad for fish, macroinvertebrates, and other wildlife that depend on them.

“We are taking that scientific data we collect with volunteer help and are using it for both advocacy and policy making to protect the river,” explains Schultz. Interest in all of Riverkeeper’s volunteer projects has been tremendous in recent years too, adds Schultz. “We are seeing more and more interest in the Spokane River and protecting it than ever before.” (DK)

Save Our Wild Salmon

What They Do: Save Our Wild Salmon (SOS) is a coalition of conservation organizations, recreational and commercial fishing associations, clean energy and orca advocates, and businesses and citizens committed to protecting and restoring abundant, self-sustaining fishable populations of salmon and steelhead to the Columbia-Snake River Basin. Wildsalmon.org

Local Supporter: Eco Depot

The Cause: The Columbia-Snake River Basin was once the most prolific salmon producing regions on the planet with returns of adult wild salmon and steelhead exceeding 16 million fish annually. In recent years those populations have plummeted, and SOS and many scientists lay the blame mainly on the many large dams built on the Columbia and Snake Rivers over the last century. Consequently, all four of the remaining salmon and steelhead populations in the Snake River Basin are at risk of extinction.

SOS works to restore salmon and steelhead in the Snake River Basin in two main ways: 1. Securing removal of the lower Snake River’s four high cost and low value dams and restoration of a free-flowing river as a cornerstone of a lawful Columbia Basin Salmon Plan along with other measures. And 2., securing a modernized U.S.—Canada Columbia River Treaty that expands its purpose to include ecosystem-based function or health of the river as co-equal with the treaty’s other purposes of energy production and flood management, as well as ensuring that Columbia Basin Tribes and First Nations are treated as full partners.

Bruce Gage, co-owner of Eco-Depot, a Spokane-based commercial and residential solar installer that’s been helping people create energy from the sun since 1999, was first introduced to the plight of Northwest salmon by Save Our Wild Salmon. Gage admits he didn’t know much about the campaign to remove the four Lower Snake River dams when he first met SOS’s Inland Northwest director Sam Mace, who is now his partner.

“I was into solar and Sam was into salmon, and that’s kind of how I got interested in the whole idea of using solar to save salmon,” explains Gage.

Eco-Depot has been a financial sponsor of SOS and provided event support for all five years of the Free the Snake River Flotilla events (now known as the Nimiipuu River Rendezvous), where hundreds of salmon advocates gathered on the Snake River in boats to rally for dam removal. Gage says Eco Depot has also signed onto letters from business owners supporting dam removal, including hand delivering one such letter to Senator Murray’s office in Washington, D.C.

And then there’s the salmon and solar connection, adds Gage. “By installing more solar all around the Inland Northwest, we are helping to counter any argument that those four damns need to be kept for energy production, even though they produce so little power in the first place.” (DK)

The post Giving Back to Our Public Lands appeared first on Out There Venture.

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.]

The post Bold Proposal to Restore Snake River Salmon & Steelhead appeared first on Out There Venture.

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.

The post A Path Forward for Inland NW Salmon appeared first on Out There Venture.

By Sam Mace, Save Our Wild Salmon’s Inland NW Director

It’s not news that our Snake River salmon and steelhead runs are in steep decline, with the last few years being particularly devastating.  Fish biologists, anglers and conservation groups have long advocated for removal of the four lower Snake River dams in southeast Washington as a necessary action to restore healthy, harvestable runs.   

A month ago, under court order, the Trump Administration released its draft plan for restoring Columbia-Snake salmon. Called a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), it includes six different alternatives, including a dam removal option (which the judge requested). While admitting that dam removal was the best action for salmon, the agencies punted in favor of business-as-usual.   

While required by law to provide 90 days for public comment, the agencies released the 4000-plus page DEIS with a mere 45-day comment window. Then they refused to extend it past April 13 despite the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Even with the administration’s lackluster approach, there is hope! Benefits from these dams have been in steep decline for 20 years while their impacts to salmon and steelhead grow. Communities and businesses dependent on fisheries for jobs, tourism, and recreation are becoming strong voices for dam removal, while orca scientists urge it as a necessary action to get starving Puget Sound orcas more food. Responding to constituents, decision-makers are beginning to support discussions around dam removal and what it would mean for salmon and the Northwest.  

Washington Governor Inslee funded a stakeholder process to ask the “what if” question in 2019. Oregon Governor Brown supported that effort in a letter to Inslee, noting that the science supports a free-flowing river. And last year Idaho Republican Rep. Mike Simpson publicly called for putting dam removal on the table and looking at transportation, energy, and economic investments that can benefit our region far more than four aging concrete plugs in the river. 

The politicians are listening. The salmon, steelhead, and orca need our voices. Quarantined at home? Go to Wildsalmon.org and click on the resource page for information and to submit a comment. You can also review all the DEIS documents (and send comments) at Nwd.usace.army.mil/CRSO. 

And then take the most important action: Send your comments to your elected officials. We know the Trump Administration will not solve our salmon crisis. We need to call on our Northwest governors and members of Congress to lead.

For more information contact Save Our Wild Salmon’s Inland NW Director at sam@wildsalmon.org. 

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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.

The post Reckoning on The Snake River appeared first on Out There Venture.

Find out what local experts think about the state of, and future of, Eastern Washington’s environmental laws.

In a forum presented by the Spokane County Democrats, the Center for Justice and Gonzaga Law School, presenters will share their ideas on how to improve current policies. The event is from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on August 24th at the Barbieri Courtroom on the Gonzaga Campus. (Click here for a campus map.) Doors open at 3:30 p.m.

The panel is moderated by dean of Gonzaga Law School, Earl Martin and includes the following presenters:

Kitty Klitzche, Eastern Washington Coordinator of Futurewise, discussing the import of Washington’s Growth Management and presenting Growth Management 101.

Mike Chappell, Director of the GU Environmental Law Clinic, speaking on Clean Water Act 101 and the Spokane River.

Joel Merkel, Sen. Maria Cantwell‘s DC Legislative Aid on Environmental Issues, to discuss a Federal legislative update, funding as part of stimulus and how the Sentator’s work on the Energy Committee is resulting in local successes.

Bruce Howard, Director of Environmental Affairs for Avista, speaking on Local Business and Environmental Partnerships

Mike Petersen, Lands Council, presenting a national NEPA success story discussing National Forest collaboration and NEPA.

Sam Mace, Inland NW Director for Save Our Wild Salmon, speaking on Finding Common Ground on Salmon Recovery.

Breean Beggs, Chief Catalyst for the Center for Justice, speaking on local environmental issues and initiatives.

Send your RSVP to vote@spokanedemocrats.org.

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