Our Restoring the Snake River campaign is a multi-pronged approach that centers around connecting people and communities to the river in an effort to restore salmon and restore water quality. Removing the four federal dams on the lower Snake River in downstream Washington State is one of the Idaho Conservation League’s long-term goals, as is restoring the entire length of the river to a safe, fishable, and swimmable river again.
We are talking with the people of the Northwest who love the Snake River and connecting them with the people who manage it. Our message to Northwest leaders is salmon need their river back. The dams can be removed, and their services can be replaced. Together, we are raising our concerns to local, state, and federal policymakers and seeking innovative ‘win-win’ solutions that benefit both the river and farmers alike.
We are fortunate to be working in partnership with Tribes and other NGOs from all across the Northwest.
Wild salmon and steelhead are spiraling toward extinction in Idaho, and with this decline, the Southern Resident Orca population on the coast is in decline too. Removing the four federal dams on the lower Snake River in downstream Washington State must be the centerpiece of any successful effort to restore true abundance and honor Tribal treaty rights. We are seeking administrative and legislative action to replace these dams’ services through investment in energy, transportation, and irrigation infrastructure and the removal of these four federal dams. We are working for ‘win-win’ solutions that benefit salmon, orca, and communities alike.
Justin Hayes, Executive Director
Idaho Conservation League