General Discussion

Friends in fishing,

You may know there is a proposal before Congress to remove 4 dams on the lower Snake River to help restore salmon runs through those waters. I hope you will read the following to become better informed, and then urge your representatives in Congress to support this proposal. Specifically, please:

· Go to https://www.tu.org/lowersnake/ to find out why this is important.

· Follow the link there to easily send a letter to your US Senators

· Ask your family, friends, and other contacts to do likewise.

Background:

I recently attended an event in Spokane, WA where the keynote speaker was Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. His core message was that these 4 dams on the lower Snake River in Washington must be removed if the salmon that spawn upstream of those dams – in the Salmon River, Clearwater/Lochsa/Selway, Grande Ronde, others - are to avoid extinction. You can read about the science behind his message here: Science-of-Dam-Removal-40921.pdf (tu.org)

Dam removal has been shown to work where other measures have failed: examples are dam removals on the Kennebec, Penobscot, and the Elwha. You're likely aware of the Elwha River salmon and steelhead recovery ( see this great video https://www.wildsteelheaders.org/the-elwha-rising-from-the-ashes/), where two dams built over 100 years ago had completely blocked steelhead passage to the Pacific Ocean. Before the dams were removed it was thought that Elwha steelhead were lost forever. Not so! Though taken virtually to the brink, these magnificent fish survived behind the dams and the population is recovering, now that their access to the salt water has been restored.

There are many issues to overcome. The dams provide electricity, irrigation water, and efficient downstream shipment of farmland crops. It will take work across interest groups, but all such concerns can be addressed. What cannot be otherwise resolved is that these fish need better access to their spawning habitats to avoid their eventual extinction.

Removing the dams literally requires an act of Congress. GOP Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho has introduced such a bill (https://www.opb.org/article/2021/02/08/snake-river-dams-breach-plan-salmon/). There is some momentum, but not enough. We need to tell our US Senators and Congressmen that this issue is important to us, and that we expect them to act. Please use the tool here https://www.tu.org/lowersnake/ to write to your elected representatives: this kind of direct communication is the best, and maybe the only way to get their attention.

Thank you for your help with this, and please – share this request freely with others!

Dean Campbell