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Take Action: We Need Science and Solutions for Snake River Salmon!
Obama's team needs to hear from you - contact NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley today!
The Northwest and the nation need a new way forward for Columbia & Snake River salmon that will restore science to decision-making, protect the integrity of the Endangered Species Act, and wisely invest American taxpayer dollars into revitalizing our communities. A lasting solution will recover salmon, create jobs, and help build a clean energy future.
Please Take Action by sending the letter below.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Restore science and recover Columbia & Snake River wild salmon and steelhead!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to urge the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to lead an effort with the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to protect and restore the lower Snake River and its legendary wild salmon and steelhead runs. All four remaining populations of Snake River wild salmon and steelhead are in danger of extinction.
Working together, NOAA and CEQ can help restore the Snake River wild salmon fishery and make local communities whole again by bringing together key stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest as part of a much-needed settlement process. We strongly believe that representatives of differing interests can work together to craft an effective, legal, and science-based blueprint to resolve this long-standing debate in a manner that produces healthy salmon populations, sustainable new jobs, healthy economies, an improved transportation system, and clean and affordable energy. This type of approach would properly frame the discussion around real solutions and empower those who are most affected by ongoing disputes.
The recovery of a Snake River salmon fishery through the removal of the four lower Snake River dams would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in jobs and income every year through restoration of the recreational, commercial, and tribal fishing communities. Similarly, a restored lower Snake River would provide an estimated $310 million annually in new non-fishing recreational opportunities such as boating, hiking, hunting, and camping. In addition to these types of significant economic benefits, dam removal itself and replacement of their limited services with alternatives would generate many thousands of jobs and would be expected to save many millions of taxpayer dollars over the long-run.
There are no other fish in the world like those that return to the Snake River and its tributaries. These unique fish runs migrate nearly 1,000 miles from the ocean and rise almost 7,000 feet in elevation, through the desert and into the largest, wildest, and best-protected salmon habitat remaining in the continental United States. Thanks to their high elevation spawning grounds, Snake River salmon and steelhead are well positioned to thrive in spite of global warming as long as sufficient numbers are able to survive the migration to the Pacific ocean and back.
Thank you in advance for your leadership on this important issue.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
April 25, 2009
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Wild Snake and Columbia River salmon and steelhead are at a crossroads today. Our nation faces a critical decision. We can "stay the course" - an approach that has failed both salmon and people - or chart a new path that helps both flourish.
Over the last several decades, the federal government has failed repeatedly to develop a lawful, science-based, and economical plan to restore endangered salmon and steelhead to abundance. A lack of leadership from many elected officials has left our wild salmon and West Coast communities that rely on them high and dry.
Through its inaction today, the government is allowing wild salmon to swim quietly toward extinction - devastating scores of fishing communities across the West Coast in order to preserve four costly, out-dated dams on the lower Snake River. Completed in the 1970s, these dams are primarily used for barge transportation. Immediately after completion, wild Snake River salmon and steelhead populations plummeted. The best available science today demonstrates that dam removal must be at the heart of any effective recovery plan.
The impacts of the Northwest salmon crisis reach across the Pacific Coast economy, ecology and culture. Healthy salmon runs support this region's unique way of life. A world-class fishery once fed the nation, generating billions of dollars in jobs and income for commercial, recreational and tribal fishing communities. But in a sharp reversal, endangered Snake River stocks now limit fishing opportunities on the Pacific Coast, reducing the availability of healthy food, and crushing communities from California to Alaska and inland to Idaho and Nevada.
A changed political landscape - a new Administration and Congress - offers us a fresh opportunity to bring people together to craft an effective plan that recovers endangered wild salmon, creates family-wage jobs, invests in our fishing and farming communities, and encourages the development of truly clean energy resources. Using the best scientific and economic information, President Obama and Congress have an opportunity to bring together fishing, farming, and energy interests to tackle the crisis in the Columbia Basin and restore wild Snake River salmon and steelhead to healthy, abundant levels.
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