The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act is the nation’s preeminent river protection law, designed to safeguard values like native fish and clean water by maintaining rivers in their free-flowing condition. Our first conservation win, just one year after our formation, utilized this law to protect 1400 river miles on 40 iconic Oregon rivers. Currently, we have campaigns in Montana, Oregon, and Washington to designate more rivers under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
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.
|