Wild salmon and steelhead of the Columbia and Snake Rivers are a treasure to our nation and the Northwest's ambassadors to the world. Their epic voyage - traveling from a mountain stream to the far reaches of the Pacific Rim, only to return to that very stream in which they were born - is symbolic of the journeys we all make.

Yet these majestic fish cannot be reduced simply to symbols and icons. Salmon are essential to the economy, culture, and ecosystem of the Northwest. For centuries, wild salmon have supported rural communities and tribal cultures, stable jobs, world-renowned fishing opportunities and healthy food along the Pacific Coast and the inland West.

Salmon also act as a barometer for the Northwest ecosystem - their abundance describes the health of rivers and forests in which they flourish - their decline points to the challenges we face in restoring our backyards. In the Columbia-Snake basin the barometer points beyond decline and into crisis. Today, all runs of salmon and steelhead on the Snake River are either extinct or listed under the Endangered Species Act. Last year only three sockeye salmon returned to their spawning grounds in Idaho. The clock is ticking for these fish.

Right now, four outdated dams on the lower Snake River are holding back solutions to the crisis affecting salmon, salmon-dependent communities, and taxpayers nationwide. These four dams severely limit access to thousands of miles of pristine habitat that provide salmon the best chance at survival in a warming climate. After over $8 billion in US taxpayer dollars wasted on ineffective and illegal programs, the effects of this crisis can be felt across the country. The federal agencies in charge of managing this watershed continue to ignore the underlying fact: partial removal of the four lower Snake River dams is the best and most cost-effective way to recover wild salmon to abundance.

It is not too late to restore a free-flowing Snake River and recover wild Snake River salmon for generations to come.

Congress needs to hear from you today! Urge your members of Congress to save our wild salmon by removing the four lower Snake River dams. Send an email message today, and contact your legislator toll-free at: 1-877-851-6437