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Oregon’s Lostine River is a headwater stream of the Grand Ronde River watershed, which in turn is a major tributary of the Snake River Basin. In addition to the conservation easements within the Wolfe Century Ranch, sixteen miles of the upper Lostine River are also permanently protected by National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act designation.
While the Lostine River still contains exceptional salmon habitat, and the remarkable recent success of Chinook Salmon in the river is profoundly encouraging, the largest challenge still facing these incredible fish remains their dangerous journey through the eight massive hydropower dams on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. The Lostine River Weir is located 600 miles from the Pacific Ocean and every salmon returning here makes that journey twice: once as a juvenile and once as a returning adult.
The Snake River Basin’s Spring and Fall Chinook are both listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists have been telling us for decades that the best chance to recover these fish before they slip further towards extinction is to remove the four destructive dams on the Lower Snake River. This would vastly improve the survival rates of juvenile fish during their migration to sea.
Today, throughout the Snake River Watershed, imperiled populations of salmon continue to die at rates far below sustainable replacement levels. Because the stagnant reservoirs behind the dams roast in the sun all Summer long, the water frequently hits temperatures lethal to salmon. A free-flowing lower Snake River would be substantially cooler during crucial months for juvenile and adult salmon migration, an important consideration for the future of these fish as the climate continues to warm.
After generations of lost time and billions of dollars of failed mitigation efforts, the time has come for elected leaders to finally take the steps necessary to breach these unnecessary dams and restore the region’s salmon before we lose the fish that define the region’s ecology and cultural heritage. We can’t allow efforts and collaborations like those occurring on the Lostine River to be wasted.
While the Lostine River still contains exceptional salmon habitat, and the remarkable recent success of Chinook Salmon in the river is profoundly encouraging, the largest challenge still facing these incredible fish remains their dangerous journey through the eight massive hydropower dams on the Lower Snake and Columbia Rivers. The Lostine River Weir is located 600 miles from the Pacific Ocean and every salmon returning here makes that journey twice: once as a juvenile and once as a returning adult.
The Snake River Basin’s Spring and Fall Chinook are both listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Scientists have been telling us for decades that the best chance to recover these fish before they slip further towards extinction is to remove the four destructive dams on the Lower Snake River. This would vastly improve the survival rates of juvenile fish during their migration to sea.
Today, throughout the Snake River Watershed, imperiled populations of salmon continue to die at rates far below sustainable replacement levels. Because the stagnant reservoirs behind the dams roast in the sun all Summer long, the water frequently hits temperatures lethal to salmon. A free-flowing lower Snake River would be substantially cooler during crucial months for juvenile and adult salmon migration, an important consideration for the future of these fish as the climate continues to warm.
After generations of lost time and billions of dollars of failed mitigation efforts, the time has come for elected leaders to finally take the steps necessary to breach these unnecessary dams and restore the region’s salmon before we lose the fish that define the region’s ecology and cultural heritage. We can’t allow efforts and collaborations like those occurring on the Lostine River to be wasted.
