Fight continues against Trump’s War on Columbia Snake River Salmon
Fight continues against Trump’s War on the Columbia Snake River Salmon
Efforts to recover endangered Southern Resident Killer whales and threatened and endangered Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead are not surprisingly under attack by the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress.The Endangered Species Coalition, along with our conservation, faith, fishing, and Tribal allies, are fighting back at the local, state, and national level.
The Trump Administration negated the historic 2023 Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement between the U.S. government, states, and tribes, which aimed to restore salmon populations and explore the removal of Lower Snake River dams.
The Bonneville Power Administration called for eliminating long-standing Columbia River basin salmon recovery goals, over the objections of State and Tribal fisheries experts.
And Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) proposed legislation that would doom Idaho’s wild salmon and steelhead by locking in illegal operations at federal dams on the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
We responded at the grassroots level by getting our members to contact and weigh in against these proposals to our Pacific Northwest congressional representatives and senators, as well as Washington State’s new Governor Ferguson.
Volunteers and staff conducted outreach and education to the public about these threats during June’s Pacific Northwest Orca Month. We tabled at musical and community events, Seattle’s Orca Festival, and helped organize a scientist webinar. New congressional members, including Congresswoman Emily Randall of the Olympic Peninsula and Washington’s Governor Ferguson, were targeted. Action items for the public included postcards, QR codes, and text codes on stickers that were passed out.
We asked that state and congressional elected officials support the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, which was developed by Washington, Oregon, and four Columbia Basin Tribes. This initiative provides a comprehensive new roadmap for salmon recovery, including a call to replace the energy, transportation, irrigation, and recreation services provided by the lower Snake River dams so that they can be breached.
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