American Rivers names the Snake as #2 on the Most Endangered Rivers® List of 2022
© Alison Meyer Photography, courtesy of American Rivers
APRIL 19th, 2022 – American Rivers released their annual list of The Most Endangered Rivers® of 2022 with an urgent call to action that “sounds the alarm that our nation’s rivers and clean waters are in crisis. Climate change and racial injustice are putting rivers and communities nationwide at risk,” says the organization in their press release out today.
“Each of the ten rivers on the list is at a tipping point, facing an urgent decision in the coming months. With leadership from Tribal Nations and frontline partners on the ten rivers, we are shining a spotlight on solutions, and a positive path forward,” according to American Rivers.
The Snake River is listed at #2, after the Colorado River at #1. The Snake flows through three states: Idaho, Oregon and Washington. American Rivers lists the four federal dams on the Lower Snake River which are Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, Lower Granite as the major threat, putting it high on the list. Tribal Treaty rights and culture, rural communities, and local economies are at risk of losing some of the most historically prolific salmon and steelhead runs in the Columbia River Basin. This keystone species is now on the brink of extinction, impacting more than 130 other species that rely on salmon for survival.
“While the Snake has been listed as one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers ® for the second year in a row, we finally sit on the precipice of getting legislation to remove the Lower Snake River dams and undertake history’s largest river restoration campaign. However, your voice is more important now than ever, and we all must act together to let our legislators know that removal of these dams is paramount to any successful salmon recovery strategy. The Snake River can move from the most endangered river list to a model for collaborative conservation,” said Nic Nelson, Executive Director of Idaho Rivers United.
“The Snake River can move from the most endangered river list to a model for collaborative conservation.””
The Lower Snake River in Eastern Washington is the gateway for salmon migrating to over 3,000 river miles of pristine habitat in Central Idaho and Eastern Oregon. The four dams on the Lower Snake have turned the river into a series of slackwater reservoirs and have pushed Snake River salmon and steelhead to the brink of extinction. Scientific data shows that wild salmon numbers today are at 1- 2% of historical runs. The smolt-to-adult return rate (SAR) for wild Idaho Chinook salmon is 0.7%, meaning that less than one adult fish returns to spawn for every 100 smolts that migrate out to the ocean. The four dams on the Lower Snake are a “recovery bottleneck,” and salmon survival metrics will not improve until the dams are removed.
Humans have relied on salmon for thousands of years. Today as the planet faces direct environmental devastation from climate change including droughts and floods, pollution and a lack of access to clean water are issues that impact certain socioeconomic groups disproportionately, according to American Rivers. Specifically Black, Latino and Indigenous communities, Tribal Nations and other communities of color are facing more economic upheaval and racial injustice related to the climate crisis that is also a water crisis.
Julian Matthews, a tribal leader and representative for the Nez Perce tribe, emphasizes how critical recovery of the Snake River is from a cultural and tribal justice perspective. “The importance of Salmon to the Nimiipuu is to me one of the most important cultural aspects, although there are many other fishermen who fish for salmon. The Nez Perce, or Nimiipuu, have been fishing for salmon [and eels] for generations – my uncles and my grandfathers did – and I want to be able to hear the same thing from those who come after me. The dams are creating many problems, but the impact on our Nimiipuu culture is being felt by the lack of salmon for our people to eat and have at our ceremonies throughout the year. As a first food for the Nimiipuu, it is critical that the dams are breached and the salmon are allowed to return to their native spawning grounds as they once did.”
According to American Rivers, by removing the four dams on the Lower Snake River and replacing their services, “the Northwest has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore Snake River salmon to healthy, harvestable levels, honor our commitments and treaties with Northwest tribes, create jobs for rural economies across the region and modernize the infrastructure of the Pacific Northwest. The region’s congressional delegation and the Biden administration must take action to develop and implement a plan to remove the dams in an expedient fashion.”
We need rivers for our economies, environments and a healthy future for all. To learn more about equitable solutions and to take action, visit these links below:
