The mighty Columbia and Snake Rivers once produced the most abundant salmon runs on Earth. Today 13 different populations of salmon are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, primarily due to the presence and operation of dams. We have a multi-pronged, basin-wide strategy to help salmon that includes modernization of the Columbia River Treaty, removal of four dams on the lower Snake River, improving water quality and restoring fish passage at the three dams that make up the Hells Canyon Complex.
TAKE ACTION
Today, throughout the Snake River Basin, imperiled populations of salmon continue to die at rates far below sustainable replacement levels. Scientists have told us for decades that breaching the four federal dams in the lower Snake River. Congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho has an ambitious proposal to remove the dams and invest billions in energy, irrigation and transportation infrastructure. But elected leaders in Washington and Oregon must step up too before we lose the fish that define the region’s ecology and cultural heritage. Good work is happening in places like the Lostine, but ultimately, the success of those collaborations depend on restoring a free-flowing Snake River.
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