Pacific Wild Salmon Recovery Update
Chinook salmon © Idaho Rivers United
Just over 100 days remain until the July 31st deadline that regional decision makers have set for taking action on salmon recovery. Wild Snake River spring Chinook are swimming upriver into headwaters streams to spawn as they have done annually for millenia. To ensure the annual rhythms of wild salmon and steelhead migrations continue into the future, this brief window of just 100 days must lead to agreement on a comprehensive salmon recovery and regional investment plan from both Northwestern members of Congress and our federal government.
Senator Patty Murray and Governor Jay Inslee, both of Washington state, are in the midst of developing a report outlining what replacement services would look like in the event of Lower Snake River dam removal. The report will examine irrigated agriculture, transportation, energy, tourism and recreation, community well-being, and economic prosperity as they relate to the four dams, and how these same sectors would benefit from replacement services if the dams are breached.
Right now, a survey is available to the public that will help inform the contents of this report. This is an important opportunity to advocate for Lower Snake River dam removal and river restoration as a means of recovering our wild salmon populations. For more info on the survey and sample messaging to use when filling it out, click here. A draft of the “Murray/Inslee” report is planned to be published in the middle of May for public comment.
The White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) emphasized the work being done on a federal level on Columbia Basin salmon populations in a recent blog post. The piece outlined the listening sessions the Council has held with various stakeholder groups, and acknowledged the obligation the government has to uphold the sovereign rights of Tribes to harvest from abundant salmon runs. This strong language must be met with equally strong action by the federal government. As their blog noted, “...the Basin faces not only an environmental crisis, but an environmental justice crisis too.” Read IRU’s blog on the White House’s statement here.
Please join IRU and our conservation, fishing, and Tribal partners in building public momentum towards a big date for salmon recovery and dam removal this summer. Share the massive opportunity we have in front of us to recover Snake River salmon, support Tribal rights, and invest in clean energy and infrastructure across the Northwest with your family, friends, and coworkers.
You can take action right now, here: