PA C I F I C R I V E R S
Free Flow 08
Volume July
20 21
Season
No.
04
Summer
featured inside Nor thwest In Tr ansition S i m p s o n ’ s P l a n t o S a v e B PA How Many Dams Do We Really Need for Power? Stor ytelling Update T he Nor thwest Power and Conser vation Council River Democracy Act
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Fro m t h e E xecu ti ve D i rec to r Greg Haller - Executive Director
Why the Snake? What is it about that river basin, the largest tributary of the Columbia, that makes it a priority for Pacific Rivers? It’s a reasonable question given that in our 34 year history we’ve only recently engaged in the issues (dams and federal/state malfeasance) driving iconic Spring Chinook, Sockeye, and some of the largest steelhead on earth towards extinction. Of all the river basins we work in, the Snake, with millions of acres of pristine and near-pristine habitat in Idaho and Northeast Oregon, has the largest conservation and salmon recovery opportunity in North America. And, it is personal. Back in 1998, fresh out of graduate school at Cornell and determined to head west to work, fish and explore more of the places I had spent portions of my youth, I had the extreme good fortune of being offered a job by Gwen Carter, manager of the Nez Perce Tribe’s Water Resources Division, located in Lapwai, Idaho. Gwen had grown the program into a force for protecting the Nez Perce’s most important life source - clean water. I was thrilled by the opportunity to work for a proud people whose DNA is hard-wired to the lands, waters, plants, and animals of the Inland Northwest. In the Treaty of 1855, the Nez Perce ceded millions of acres of land to the United States but reserved the right to fish at all usual and accustomed places, and to hunt, gather roots and berries, and pasture horses and livestock on all open and unclaimed lands throughout their historic homelands. Faced with the inevitable expansion of the still-young United States, tribal leaders knew then that the future of their people, the Nimiipuu, was dependent on maintaining access to traditional life-sources and lifeways. The Tribe has been at the forefront of every major conservation initiative throughout their territory, including the reintroduction of grey wolves and large-scale salmon recovery efforts, while also fighting proposals that would undermine the ecosystems that support their way of life. The wisdom of the Nez Perce leaders who signed the Treaty of 1855 is reinforced each time a Nimiipuu digs Kouse roots in the spring, dip nets a Spring Chinook from a fast flowing tributary, brings down a bison in Yellowstone Country, or gathers huckleberries in the Bitteroots. It permeates the work of tribal leaders and staff who must contend with threats never envisioned when the treaty was signed, like hydropower dams and climate change. Over the next thirteen years, I learned much from the tribe and the people in my community. And the rivers that feed the lower Snake - the Salmon, Clearwater, Grande Ronde and Imnaha - seeped into my blood. Their seasonal rhythms dictated not only my work and free time, but also my relationship to people and place. As a “water and fish guy,” I was in my element. I learned how the vast system of federal and private dams have altered the flow, temperature, and species composition of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, driving salmon and lamprey towards extinction, and with it, the Nimipuu culture. Volume 08 No. 04 Summer 2021
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I worked on the Nez Perce Water Rights Agreement, the relicensing of the Hells Canyon Complex, seasonal operations of Dworshak Dam to assist salmon migration, and many other large and small projects. I witnessed the power of the Nimiipuu’s connection to their land and water, their passion for their rights, their pride in their history, and the generosity of their spirit. I observed leadership based on respect, humility, and confidence borne from generations of leaders that came before, always with an eye to the generations who will follow and live with the decisions made today. Today, this moment is a test of our collective will to change the status quo and create the conditions necessary for survival, not just for fish and wildlife, but for the Nimiipuu. This is why Pacific Rivers works in the Snake River Basin.
For the Rivers,
PR Executive Director Greg Haller on location at Idaho’s Little Salmon River with Nez Perce Cultural Resources Director Nakia Williamson. F R E E F LO W | 3
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Members of the Nez Perce Tribe and others gather for a photo following the First Foods Ceremony, where the relationship between the people and traditional foods like Spring Chinook salmon, Kouse roots, venison, and berries is reaffirmed and honored.
Photo: Shane Anderson
Nakia Williamson, Cultural Resources Director for the Nez Perce Tribe, dip netting for Spring Chinook at the confluence of the Little Salmon and Rapid Rivers in Idaho. Volume 08 No. 04 Summer 2021
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Nor t hwe s t I n Tra n si ti o n : O u r Po si ti on o n Co n gre s s ma n Si mpso n’s Pl a n to B re ach t h e Lower S n a ke R i ver D a ms By now, most people in our community have heard about Congressman’s Simpson’s plan to save Snake River salmon by breaching the four lower Snake River dams and investing $33.5 billion to replace the benefits the dams currently provide for regional energy, irrigation and transportation. No other Senator or Representative in the Northwest, Democrat or Republican, has ever called for breaching these dams. Simpson has correctly determined that while there are many ways to produce power, irrigate crops, and move goods to markets, there is only one way to save salmon in the Snake - by restoring a free flowing river. And he knows time is running out. With President Biden calling for a sweeping national infrastructure package, and the Pacific Northwest federal delegation leading powerful committees on spending, finance, and transportation, Simpson sees the opportunity to solve the salmon crisis.
Lower Granite, one of the four Lower Snake River Dams. Despite significant investments to improve juvenile fish passage at these dams, salmon continue to spiral towards extinction. F R E E F LO W | 5
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Pacific Rivers strongly supports the removal of these dams for ecological, moral, and economic reasons. And we believe Simpson’s comprehensive proposal is an excellent framework to craft legislation. We support mitigating the impacts that dam removal will have on irrigation, transportation and energy. Investments in battery technology will turn the massive wind farms throughout eastern Washington into reliable replacement power for the dams. As a river conservation group, we also believe modular reactors should be given due consideration, particularly if developing them would enable more dam removals in the basin. Simpson’s plan does include components we do not support. A 35-year moratorium on litigation related to anadromous fish under the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and National Environmental Policy Act throughout the basin is of primary concern. License extensions for private dams on the Snake and Columbia is also problematic. But we also understand that compromise will be necessary to breach the four Lower Snake Dams. While litigation has forced changes in hydropower operations, namely courtordered spill to help juvenile fish passage, the courts cannot order the removal of congressionally authorized dams. For several years, we’ve been asking our colleagues in the conservation community to have the hard conversations about what we would be willing to “give” to get the dams out. Simpson has put one option on the table. It doesn’t have to be, and it isn’t, a take it or leave it situation. We have the ability to shape the solution. And while there are many different opinions regarding litigation moratoriums, including their scope and timelines, ultimately conservation groups will have to make some sacrifice if we are going to take our best, and possibly only, shot for Snake dam removal and restoring the most productive salmon producing region in the world. We think it’s a no-brainer.
A Republican From Idaho Wants to Breach Dams and Spend Billions. Where are the Washington Democrats? The first response from WA Democrats to Congressman’s Simpson plan was a tepid, joint statement from Senators Murray, Cantwell, Wyden and Merkley calling for all communities to be heard and a science-based approach to salmon recovery. When tribes turned up the pressure, Senator Murray and Governor Inslee issued a statement rejecting Simpson’s proposal for inclusion in the Biden infrastructure package, as Simpson envisioned. Instead, they nodded to an asyet-undefined state led process which could consider dam removal. Senator Cantwell was least helpful, suggesting that infrastructure money would be better spent “fixing culverts in the salmon production powerhouse of the Puget Sound.” The tribes strongly protested these responses, and followed with a unanimous resolution co-signed by all 57 members of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians to support dam removal and Simpson’s proposal. The first Snake River Salmon stock was listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1992, one year before Patty Murray was elected to the Senate, and Maria Cantwell was elected to the House. Today, there are thirteen ESA listed stocks in the Columbia and Snake Basin. Cantwell has been lauded by the League of Conservation Voters for efforts to ban oil and gas drilling in the Arctic and restoring forest health on federal lands in Washington. But she has been a no-show on finding a solution for the Lower Snake. And while talk of social and environmental justice and equity is rightfully part of the lexicon of political speech, the reality is that dam removal and investing in communities is social justice and equity for the tribes who have lost the most from dam construction.
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It is unclear what, if anything, it will take for Senators Murray and Cantwell to embrace dam breaching on the Lower Snake. Who are they protecting and why? BPA? Irrigators? Grain growers and shippers? Simpson correctly says politicians are elected to solve problems. He’s offered a solution to save salmon and ensure affected industries are made whole (and then some). Murray and Cantwell have been on the job a long time, yet salmon continue to spiral towards extinction. The question for them is: if not a broad proposal like Simpson’s, then what? Either lead or follow. Salmon can’t wait any longer.
The Wallowa Lake Dam in Northeast Oregon extirpated Sockeye salmon at the turn of the 20th century. Costly repairs are needed to improve safety and install fish passage for the Nez Perce Tribe’s reintroduction of Sockeye to Wallowa Lake. F R E E F LO W | 7
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New renewable energy resources in the Palouse, around the four Lower Snake River Dams, are already making a large impact on the electric grid.
The Port of Lewiston, the furthest inland port on the West Coast, handles grain and other products that are barged downriver utilizing the locks at the dams. Some estimates suggest this system is subsidized to the tune of $20,000 per barge. Upgrading the rail lines that already follow the course of the river remains a viable shipping alternative. Volume 08 No. 04 Summer 2021
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S i m p s o n’s Pl a n to S ave B PA Guest Contributor - Anthony Jones A few months ago Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson debuted a sweeping economic development plan for the Pacific Northwest. The headline act featured the breaching of the Lower Snake River Dams (LSRDs) and the rescue of endangered salmon and steelhead. The usual suspects, and a few unusual ones, dug in their heels in support of both the dams and their marketing agency, the Bonneville Power Administration. Seldom have so many got it so wrong so quickly when the big tell was staring them in the face. Simpson stated out loud, and BPA let his statement stand, that his proposal was developed with their involvement. Simpson also said the quiet thing out loud: BPA is going broke trying to sell power that is no longer competitive. BPA will crash without a plan to modernize its system, shift to lower cost production, and free itself from mountains of debt. The Simpson-BPA plan provides BPA with an opportunity for a soft landing. Some facts: BPA exports 30% to 40% of the power it produces. In terms of competitively priced power, BPA has six “good” dams, the six dams on the main stem of the Columbia. Those same six dams produce nearly 80% of BPA’s power. The other 25 dams, including the LSRDs, are high-cost, low-production projects. The LSRDs struggle to produce 10% of BPA’s power on an annual basis. During BPA’s DecemberJanuary peak loads the LSRDs struggle to produce 6% of BPA’s production. For their subpar output the LSRDs account for 20% of BPA’s maintenance and operations costs. Factor in the LSRDs’ portion of fish and wildlife costs and the LSRDs account for ~30% of BPA’s annual costs. (That does not count the ~$1 Billion soon coming due to rehab turbines in the
LSRDs.) Finally, if that were not bad enough, the LSRDs’ electricity, which costs about $45/MWh to produce, is sold almost exclusively on the surplus market, largely to California, for about $19/MWh, a loss of $26/MWh subsidized by BPA ratepayers. At the same time, BPA is one of the highest leveraged power marketers in the country. It is near its borrowing limits to both the Treasury and to private lenders. BPA instituted an accelerated debt reduction program, an effort that raises rates, to enhance its borrowing potential. The reason for this program is to be able to borrow even more money to spend on its existing uncompetitive portfolio, a process that will also lead to higher electricity rates. To summarize: If BPA is to be saved, it needs to transition toward a state-of-the art, 21st Century utility model. It needs to develop an integrated resource-planning program that analyzes its entire generation portfolio for the purpose of decommissioning high-cost, lowproduction projects like the LSRDs in favor of lower cost projects whose production matches load. Breaching the four LSRDs, as outlined in the Simpson - BPA plan, provides a chance for BPA to shed billions in debt while also avoiding millions in annual costs, both of which will contribute to lower future power rates and enhance the reliability of BPA’s power service. Oh, I almost forgot. The Simpson - BPA plan may also save the salmon. Biography Mr. Jones is a native of Idaho and runs Rocky Mountain Econometrics. He is a former economist with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission and has been an expert on the financial and operational constraints of the NW energy industry for over three decades.
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H ow M any Da ms D o We R ea l l y N ee d fo r Power?
With the rapid development of low-cost solar power and emerging battery storage technology coming online, electricity produced at aging hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin is quickly losing its competitive edge in western energy markets. Add in the staggering social, ecological, and economic costs that near-extinct populations of salmon, steelhead, lamprey, and orca have wrought on Northwest Indian tribes and the region as a whole, the continued existence of some dams may no longer make sense, if they ever did. Back in the day, building dams was the porkiest of Pork Barrel politics. Both Presidents with the surname Roosevelt championed the construction of multi-purpose dams on the Columbia, both before the Great Depression and afterwards as a part of the New Deal. In 1920, while campaigning for the Vice Presidency, Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, arrived in Portland after traveling down the Columbia River Gorge. The great river made an impression on him, as he noted in a speech: When you cross the Mountain States and that portion of the Coast States that lies well back from the ocean, you are impressed by those great stretches of physical territory now practically unused but destined some day to contain the homes of thousands and hundreds of thousands of citizens like us, a territory to be developed by the Nation and for the Nation. As we were coming down the river today, I could not help thinking, as everyone does, of all that water running unchecked down to the sea.
Today, there are more than 250 reservoirs and 150 hydroelectric projects in the basin, including 18 mainstem dams on the Columbia and its main tributary, the Snake River. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), created by a 1937 Act of Congress, markets and transmits power from 31 federal dams in the basin to public and private utilities and industry in the region. It sells excess power to grids in California and Canada. By far, the biggest hydroelectric producers in the basin are Grand Coulee, Chief Joseph, The Dalles, and John Day dams. Grand Coulee is the workhorse, providing nearly 60% of the power produced in the basin. In contrast, the four lower Snake River dams produce just 900 megawatts annually, about one-third their peak capacity. Despite bitcoin mining and massive data servers owned by Google, Facebook and Amazon sucking up huge amounts of power produced at Columbia River dams, a debtladen BPA struggles to compete in the market. By law, BPA must sell power to its preferred customers in the Northwest at cost. In the past, it made its money selling excess power to California. With the solar boom driving down costs, that’s no longer a sure bet. Meanwhile, BPA’s Northwest customers are considering whether to renew long-term contracts with the agency or seek a better deal with alternative providers. This dynamic creates a unique opportunity to rethink how we power the Northwest grid.
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The Columbia River has been described as the “organic machine,” but today that machine is wearing out as the dams continue to kill off the greatest salmon runs in the world. Power, floodcontrol, transportation, and irrigation can be provided more efficiently by a better balance of regional options. A diversified clean energy portfolio that combines solar, wind, hydropower, advanced geothermal, improved energy efficiency, batteries, and small modular reactors could transform the organic machine and give salmon back the river they need to survive.
Photo: Jason Hartwick
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Sto r y tel l i n g Update Shane Anderson - Director of Storytelling Storytelling is an important part of Pacific Rivers’ advocacy and there has been no shortage of important stories to highlight and films to produce in 2021. Our latest short film Lostine tells the story of an inspiring collaboration between the Nez Perce Tribe and farmers in Northeast Oregon. Together, they are working to restore chinook salmon to a headwaters tributary of the Grande Ronde River. The film reminds viewers that, ultimately, the greatest opportunity for the basin’s rivers, fish, and communities is to breach the four Lower Snake River Dams. Collaborations like the one featured in “Lostine,” can help guide this restorative work. In February, Senator Ron Wyden invited us into his home to interview him for our new short film River Democracy. We had a great conversation about his long commitment to protecting Oregon’s rivers, how our fellow citizens nominated their favorite rivers for protection in his new legislation, and how the River Democracy Act would make Oregon the undisputed leader in Wild and Scenic River protections by including nearly 4700 miles of watershed segments throughout the state. In the meantime, work on our upcoming production, tentatively titled “The Lost Salmon” resumed. This new film will tell the story of Spring Chinook and the new genetic discovery that could help save them. We traveled back to the Chehalis River to document a project the Quinault Indian Nation is working on with Dr. Mike Miller’s lab at UC Davis. They are sampling chinook salmon fry to estimate how many true Spring Chinook remain in the Chehalis Basin. As climate impacts and loss of habitat continue to bear down on these fish populations, Spring and Fall Chinook have been hybridizing, creating offspring that are
known as “heterozygotes” by geneticists. These “Hets” are a threat to the future of true Spring Chinook genetics in rivers like the Chehalis where no physical barriers prevent an overlap in spawn timing or habitat. The threat is that the Fall Chinook genetics usually dominates in these exchanges and could literally replace the unique Springer GREB1L gene. We also spent some time on the Willamette River with Dr. Miller. It was here, at a young age, that he was first inspired by Spring Chinook. His passion continues to this day, even as he explains that the Willamette River Basin offers a cautionary tale. It is a watershed representing nearly everything humans have done to industrialize salmon production and damage our river ecosystems with dams. In addition to our film on Spring Chinook, we have also recently started another new feature film in collaboration with the Nez Perce Tribe. This exciting project will celebrate the Tribe’s culture, treaties, relationship with salmon, and explain why removing the four Lower Snake River Dams is the last viable option for salmon recovery in the watershed. In the wake of the Tribe’s recent extinction report, and their decades of recovery efforts, it is an important time to document their tireless work to preserve the keystone of their culture. On our first shoot, we interviewed Nez Perce Elder and historian Alan Pinkham Sr. and shot a scene surrounding the First Foods Ceremony. This ancient tradition includes catching Spring Chinook in the Columbia River, gathering the Kouse root on the hillsides above the South Fork Clearwater, and preparation for the annual feast. Our crews were not allowed to film the actual ceremony, but we were invited to the longhouse afterwards.
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During our trip, we also visited the ancient petroglyphs at Buffalo Eddy on the Snake River and Lower Granite Dam, one of the four Lower Snake River dams. At Pacific Rivers, we believe there has never been a more important time for our efforts to educate and advocate through our storytelling. As climate impacts continue to accelerate the
extinction of Spring Chinook, and the effects of resource extraction along our rivers continues to intensify, these important stories point to a better way forward. We know these stories will inspire, educate and activate people to take action and hold our elected officials accountable. Together, we are all working to restore these watersheds and their priceless salmon runs.
PR’s Director of Storytelling Shane Anderson on location with members of the Nez Perce Tribe as they gather Kouse roots for the First Foods Ceremony.
Documentary filmmakers Seth Hahn and Maya Craig on location filming for our upcoming Nez Perce film project.
The Nez Perce petroglyphs at Buffalo Eddy. Using carbon dating to measure artifacts dating back 16,500 years, making the Nez Perce one of the oldest civilizations documented in North America.
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Tyler Higheagle and his family fish at their usual and accustomed area on the Columbia River.
Nakia Williamson dip nets for Spring Chinook.
Tyler Higheagle with a hatchery Spring Chinook destined for the First Foods Ceremony. Tribal fishers like Tyler provide for the ceremonial and subsistence needs of the Tribe and its members.
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Chinook Salmon fry from the Chehalis River were collected and genetic samples sent to Dr. Miller’s lab at UC Davis. Recent analysis suggests Spring and Fall Chinook populations are hybridizing in the Chehalis and the population of true Spring Chinook, those with the GREB 1L gene, is much lower than previously thought.
UC Davis Professor and genetic scientist Dr. Mike Miller on location at Willamette Falls, Oregon where he first found his passion for Spring Chinook salmon as a child.
A Chinook fry trap on the Chehalis River, approximately 15 miles downstream from the proposed dam site. The Quinault Indian Nation is leading this important project. F R E E F LO W | 15
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Th e N o r t hwe s t Power an d Co n ser vat io n Co u nc il : An E pi c B e trayal o f t h e Pub lic Trust By Ed Chaney - Northwest Resource Information Center We are eyewitnesses to an epic ecological crime against humanity—the craven devastation and threatened extinction of one of the world’s unique, perpetually renewable resources: the wild salmon produced in pristine headwaters of the Snake River Basin. The resulting ecological, economic, and social damage is so great and widespread it is nearly incomprehensible.
Washington and Oregon. The Council was given two primary mandates: 1] within one year—hold that thought—develop a plan to restore Snake River salmon (and other salmon devastated by the federal dams), and 2] based on that salmon restoration plan, develop a power plan to ensure that salmon protection measures did not jeopardize an economical and reliable regional energy supply.
This disaster has been happening in plain sight for decades. So it is a long story. One which is quickly coming to an end and it’s not looking good for a happy ending. In short, the disaster was caused by four Army Corps of Engineers pork barrel dams built between 1961-1975 on the lower Snake River in southeastern Washington. The Corps ignored repeated warnings that the dams would destroy salmon runs produced in the largest pristine and near-pristine habitat in the continental United States. The dams were designed and built with no—you read that right—no provision for juvenile salmon to pass from vast spawning headwaters of the Snake River Basin downstream to the ocean. Before the concrete was dry on the last dam constructed, Congress recognized that disaster was imminent and urgent action was required. What is commonly called the Northwest Power Act of 1980 was enacted into law with strong, no-nonsense salmon protection measures. The Act created what is now called the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, composed of two Governor-appointed representatives each from Idaho, Montana,
Spilling water over the forebay of the dams has been a strategy for reducing mortality of juvenile salmon during their passage downstream.
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The Council simply refused to create the mandated salmon restoration plan. In turn, it was impossible to do the legally-required power plan, because it was supposed to be built on the salmon plan. (This yet to be successfully litigated, in case there are lawyers reading this.) Earthjustice filed suit for Northwest Resource Information Center in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals charging the Council with dereliction of duty—and won. In addition to affirming dereliction of duty, in 1995 the Court held that the Act prevents “. . . power losses and economic costs . . . from precluding biologically sound restoration of anadromous fish in the Columbia River Basin . . . so long as an adequate, efficient, economical, and reliable power supply is assured.” The Council appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court—and lost. Embarrassed (but not reformed) the Council grudgingly asked the Corps to study how to improve juvenile fish passage at the Lower Snake River Dams. After a few years and more than $20 million spent, the Corps declared, in effect, that the dams could not be made safe for juvenile fish passage. Either the dams or the salmon had to be removed from the river. So, for years they tried removing the salmon. Some of the juvenile salmon that managed to survive the series of reservoirs and dams were strained out of the river, put into trucks, airplanes—you read that right—and barges and transported to the Columbia River estuary for release. That didn’t work out so well. But the Council still refused to do its job. By the 1990s all Snake River salmon were declared threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
members would continue to get well paid, of course). It formally turned over the fate of Snake River salmon—the Council’s raison d’etre—to the Bonneville Power Administration, Army Corps of Engineers, and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the same federal agencies responsible for driving them toward extinction. Fast forward to 2020. The Snake River salmon-killing federal agencies released the results of a court-ordered $70 million study of breaching the dams. It revealed to the discerning eye the same conclusion the Corps reached 18 years earlier, that ONLY breaching the dams could possibly achieve the salmon restoration mandate of the Northwest Power Act. Before the study began, it was a given that the corrupt agencies would stack the deck against breaching and propose more magical thinking about tinkering with the dam operations that drove Snake River salmon to the brink of extinction. The regional pork barrel apologists for extinction roared their approval, which the mainstream news media helpfully spread throughout the region and nation with no mention of the study’s revelation about breaching. Then came a black swan. U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) stunned the region with a proposal to save Snake River salmon from extinction by breaching the four Lower Snake River dams as part of a multi-billion dollar economic development plan. Simpson’s breaching proposal seemed to be a perfect fit for President Biden’s proposed national infrastructure investment initiative. Breaching the lower Snake River dams would produce enormous immediate and perpetual economic benefits. No matter.
In 2009 the Council finally stopped pretending it was going to do its job (but F R E E F LO W | 17
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The proposal exposed and humiliated Washington Governor Inslee—directly responsible for threatened extinction— and Washington U.S. Senators Murray and Cantwell—indirectly responsible by covering for Inslee and the federal salmon killing agencies. Rabid public apologists for extinction, Representatives Newhouse and McMorris-Rogers are, of course, incapable of humiliation. Idaho politicians freaked out. Agricultural interests dominate Idaho politics. Dams anywhere, even other states, no matter how much damage they do to the public now, or to future generations, are worshiped as idols. In spite of the enormous potential economic benefits to Idaho from breaching the lower Snake River dams in southeastern Washington, Idaho Governor Little quickly opposed Simpson’s proposal. The Idaho Legislature voted to censure Simpson. Idaho was upfront with its masochistic opposition to breaching. By contrast, the reaction of Washington elected apologists for extinction was pathetic and craven. They opposed breaching, instead calling for –wait for it—installing more culverts in Puget Sound salmon streams (Senator Cantwell); holding more pro forma public meetings—the four Governors’ Columbia Basin Collaborative— seeking a magical kumbaya “consensus” on something (Governor Inslee and Senators Murray and Cantwell); foaming at the mouth to kill more sea lions and scaring their constituents with the mythical Breaching Boogeyman (Representatives McMorrisRodgers and Newhouse). Oh my.
Instead of being restored as mandated by the Act, Snake River salmon are threatened with extinction. Instead of an economic and reliable regional power supply, it is arguably the most costly in the nation due to unaccounted-for ecological and economic damage. Bonneville Power Administration— the extinction ringleader—is threatened with financial insolvency. Weep for Snake River salmon. Ed Chaney Northwest Resource Information Center Details on history of the Council @ http:// nwric.org/documents/Comments_draft_ amendments_2009_program.pdf Biography Ed Chaney has 50 years of professional experience with Snake River salmon. He founded the non-profit Northwest Resource Information Center in 1976 in response to their then-perilous status. He is author of numerous regional and subregional natural resource managers. He has served as consultant to agencies of the United States Government, to agencies of state governments, to governors of states, to Native American Indian tribes, to regional intergovernmental councils and commissions across the Pacific Northwest.
December 30, 2020 was the 40th anniversary of the Northwest Power Act of 1980. Billions of public dollars have been wasted trying to protect the destructive money-losing lower Snake River dams. More billions of dollars in damage suffered and billions more in economic benefits lost; thousands of livelihoods damaged and destroyed. Volume 08 No. 04 Summer 2021
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The Army Corps of Engineers collects juvenile salmon at Lower Granite and barges them downriver in an attempt to prevent mortality from the dams.
The state-of-the-art, Rube Goldberg-esque juvenile salmon bypass system has failed to reverse the trajectory towards extinction. F R E E F LO W | 19
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Th e R i ve r D e m o c ra c y Ac t: S en ato r Wyden’s Leg ac y R i ve r Pro tec ti o n Legi sl ati o n Oregon’s senior Senator made good on his promise to make Oregon the nation’s leader in Wild and Scenic Rivers when he introduced the unprecedented River Democracy Act of 2021. By asking the citizens of Oregon to nominate river segments for protection, the River Democracy Act builds a fresh approach to river protection. Wyden’s office received a whopping 15,000 nominations from nearly 2,500 Oregonians from across the state. From these nominations, nearly 4,700 miles of rivers were chosen from every nook and cranny throughout Oregon’s diverse landscape. Senator Wyden and Pacific Rivers have a shared legacy in protecting Oregon’s rivers. In 1988, we helped craft and pass the Oregon Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. While serving as a Congressman, Wyden was there doing his part, working with Senator Hatfield to create the largest river protection bill (1,400 river miles) in the lower 48 states. Over the following years, Senator Wyden has been a force for river protection, including many other Wild and Scenic rivers and the establishment of the Frank and Jeanne Moore Wild Steelhead Sanctuary. We applaud Senator Wyden’s desire to go big with his River Democracy Act and are doing our part to help cement his legacy as a champion for Oregon’s beautiful rivers.
Proposed for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, Drift Creek, on Oregon’s North Coast, is one of the last watersheds containing old growth forest in the Siuslaw National Forest. Volume 08 No. 04 Summer 2021
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Included in the River Democracy Act, the Williamson River in Southern Oregon is one of the headwater tributaries of the Klamath River. Known for its giant redband trout, the Williamson’s clear, spring fed waters are awaiting the return of Chinook salmon. They’ve been blocked by the Klamath dams for a century.
The Pistol River’s headwaters, on Oregon’s Southern Coast, are included in the River Democracy Act, which would protect them from proposed nickel strip mines. F R E E F LO W | 21
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The Little North Fork of the Wilson River, on Oregon’s North Coast, flows out of state forest lands and would be protected from logging by half-mile riparian buffers in the River Democracy Act.
Proposed for Wild and Scenic designation, Big Alvord Creek flows from the Steen Mountains in Southeast Oregon.
Proposed for Wild and Scenic designation, the Winchuck River straddles the Oregon-California border and supports wild Steelhead and Chinook salmon.
Proposed for Wild and Scenic designation, the South Fork Santiam flows from the Cascade Mountains.
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Proposed for Wild and Scenic designation, the Breitenbush River flows from the Cascades. This watershed was hit hard by wildfires of 2020 and is now being aggressively logged.
Photo:Shane ShaneAnderson Anderson photo:
Proposed for Wild and Scenic designation, the South Fork Chetco River saw aggressive salvage-logging after the wildfires of 2017. F R E E F LO W | 23
PA C I F I C R I V E R S
T HA N K YO U F OR YOUR SUP P OR T! paci f ic r iv e r s m atc h gra nt In celebration of National Rivers Month and the launch of our two new films, Lostine and River Democracy, the Pacific Rivers Board of Directors has generously offered to match up to $10,000 of donations made online or mailed in by the second week in July. This is a powerful opportunity to double the impact of a donation and support our work to: * Impact - Recover the Snake River’s endangered salmon before it is too late * Impact - Advocate for Wild and Scenic river protections * Impact - Build fire resilient forested watersheds
Thank you for your contribution! Your support makes our work possible.
PAC I F I C RI VERs Y ETI win e mugs a nd water B OTTLE s Pacific Rivers is excited to team up with Yeti to make these beautiful Pacific Rivers branded insulated wine tumblers and water bottles! All of the proceeds will go towards supporting Pacific Rivers’ work to ensure free-flowing, clean water; advocate for Wild and Scenic river protections; build fire resilient forested watersheds; and recover the Snake River’s endangered salmon before it is too late.
WWW. PACIFICRIVERS.ORG The Siltcoos River flows into the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and is proposed for protection in the River Democracy Act.
1001 SE Water Ave., Suite 450
Volume 08 No. 04 Summer 2021
Portland, OR 97214 info@pacificrivers.org