Currently browsing… snake river dams
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Time to Stop the Bullying of Salmon
The moment remains etched in memory. We hiked in neoprene wetsuits pulled down to our waists because it was 85 degrees, but the rivers we snorkeled in were a LOT colder. The stream, a tributary of the South Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, was small, perhaps 10 yards wide. I recall how my…
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Salmon Recovery Must be Built on Ambitious, Achievable Goals Instead of Bare Minimums
The communities and ecosystem of the Columbia River Basin need healthy and harvestable salmon and steelhead populations. Haley Ohms and Rob Masonis Efforts to recover salmon in the Columbia River Basin have been ongoing for more than three decades, since Snake River sockeye salmon were first protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1991. …
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The call for rapid change
The call for rapid change Greg McReynolds Dec 12, 2022 Beneath the slack water, it’s all still there. The main channel, braided in places, lined with reef and rock, hemmed in with granite and the dark loam that fueled the old orchards. Only 100 feet of water, less in most places, inundates the river below.…
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Steel dreams: Driving home what’s at stake on the Snake
People often refer to rivers of the Northwest as some of the last truly “wild” places in the Lower 48. The Clearwater River in Idaho is one of those places. The Clearwater is well known throughout the Northwest for its iconic salmon and steelhead runs, particularly its B-run steelhead that spend approximately two years in…
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Your Snake Questions – Answered
Here are six frequently asked questions about taking down the dams and restoring critical populations of wild fish in the Basin.
We are experiencing some of our worst returns on record for wild salmon and steelhead. Over the past 25 years, the Snake Basin has averaged less than two returning adults for every 100 smolt. Biologists from Oregon and Idaho, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and various tribes estimate that Snake River dam breaching will…
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Bridging differences on the Snake
Working to change minds and save wild salmon in the Pacific Northwest Last week, I visited Lewiston, Idaho, where visitors are greeted with a sign proclaiming, “Thank you for visiting Idaho’s only seaport.” Lewiston is some 345 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. What makes it a “seaport” are the reservoirs formed by a series…
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The Snake needs your help
Lower Snake Dam Removal campaign is seeking applicants for the new Snake River Ambassador Program By 2080, the Snake River Basin will contain an astounding 65% of all coldwater habitat available to salmon and steelhead in the Lower 48. The scientific evidence is clear: a free-flowing Lower Snake River is necessary to recover wild salmon…