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  Salmon ARE endangered; 4 dams replaceable.

  In these conversations, it is important to define our terms. All wild salmon populations on the Snake River are in BIG trouble. (Any Columbia Basin salmon population increases anyone mentions here or elsewhere is due to almost entirely to artificial hatchery production, mostly elsewhere in the Columbia Basin- not in the Snake River). All remaining stocks (Snake River coho went extinct in the 1980s) on the Snake River are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. 3 sockeye salmon returned to Idaho in 2007. 3 individual fish! The steelhead and chinoook runs have been in steady decline since the 1970s when the 4 dams on the lower Snake River were completed. Less than 10,000 Snake River spring/summer chinook are expected to return to the Snake River in '07. It used to be more than a million each and every year.

  The feds' own scientists tell us that real lasting recovery would mean an annual return of 42,000 adult salmon to the Snake River for eight consecutive years. The numbers above show clearly that we are not even close and in fact heading in the wrong direction.

  Removing the 4 lower Snake River (4LSR) dams will provide the greatest benefits for all these endangered Snake River stocks than any other single action, but there will be a bunch of other benefits too. All fish in the mighty Columbia and Snake Rivers use the lower Columbia River for migration and rearing and removing the 4LSR dams will improve water quality and habitat for all these stocks here. Fishing communities, american taxpayers, our tribal neighbors, and fish and wildlife populations that depend on salmon will also benefit for reasons below.

  The feds have failed us - both the communities of the Northwest and citizens of the Nation. The federal government has abandoned all science and common sense and any shred of fiscal responsibility as it written up a series of wasteful and failing (and illegal) plans that the government admits won't reverse population declines. It brags about its 10 year plan that costs $6 billion ("it's big money, so it MUST be a  big commitment"); it also admits when asked that their plans wont protect the fish or reverse population declines!

  The government I believe in ought to be in the business of solving problems not making them worse. The federal government has this responsibility. And it/we are not doing that now.

  But let's not lose one of the essential messages of the Lost River poster --> that we need to be talking to each other, putting good information on the table, and solving problems together.

  It is undeniable:  we have a big problem in the Pacific Northwest - we are at risk of losing an amazing, inspiring, and economically and culturally valuable natural resource. We need citizens and elected officials pushing for and leading conversations with the government, scientists, fishermen, tribes, farmers, energy producers and users and others to explore and develop a plan that serves the Northwest and the Nation.

  That is a key message of this poster.

  We will lose Snake River salmon unless we decide upon a new approach that relies on good science and good economics.

  The best available info that we have shows that we can remove these 4 dams and replace their limited benefits for a whole lot less money than we (you and me as taxpayers) are spending today. If we can replace the energy with clean alternative sources and keep farmers farming while we save money and restore healthy runs of salmon and revitalize Northwest fishing and tribal communities, we should put together a plan that works for our communities, and we should do it.On David James Duncan rows through a wheat field to save salmon -- and we've got pictures posted 2 years, 9 months ago 16 Responses