HISTORY

How we began

Two whitewater rafting guides — Bob Doppelt and Rick George — had witnessed the destruction of Oregon’s rivers first-hand, and started Pacific Rivers (then Oregon Rivers Council) in 1987.

Pacific Rivers went on to:

  • Help pass the largest Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation in the lower 48 states.
  • Became the first to advocate for protecting salmon throughout their range, not just in isolated locations.
  • Among the first to realize how much rivers are harmed by roads.

Pacific Rivers has led the way in:

  • Protecting rivers, clean water, and fish in the landmark Northwest Forest Plan.
  • Launching one of the world’s longest-running stream monitoring programs.
  • Revealing the economic benefits of watershed protection.

A HISTORY OF PACIFIC RIVERS - OVER 30 YEARS OF IMPACT

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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