Columbia & Snake Rivers Campaign www.wildsalmon.org
Urge Your Congressmember: Support Snake River Salmon

Nationwide last month, people like you pressured their Congressmembers in their district offices to restore the once-thriving Wild Snake River Salmon in America's Pacific Northwest. This summer's drought and federal energy policies have devastated salmon, and make the need for your help even more important. HELP: urge your Rep. to join our growing list of 44 Salmon Planning Act Co-sponsors.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Please Co-Sponsor the Salmon Planning Act Today

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I'm writing to urge you to join the growing bipartisan support for America's Northwest salmon and communities by immediately co-sponsoring the Salmon Planning Act, sponsored by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA). Wild Snake River Salmon and the communities that depend on them are running out of time.

The Salmon Planning Act, H.R. 2573, is a clear step in the right direction to restore the salmon, to honor our laws and our treaties with Native Americans whose lives and prosperity have depended on the salmon, and to plan for measures to support the Northwest communities that have relied on the Snake River dams.

HR 2573 provides a safety net with the following measures:

*Independent peer review of the Federal Salmon Plan by the National Academy of Sciences to examine the plan's biological standards. *Order engineering studies for partial dam removal and how best to help the affected communities once the dams are removed. *Grant authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partially remove the 4 Lower Snake River dams if other recovery measures fail AND this action is found necessary to halt extinction of the endangered wild Snake River salmon to meet federal laws and treaty obligations.

Please join Representative McDermott and the growing list of 44 Republicans and Democrats signed on to this very important effort to plan for our future. The health of rural communities AND this Northwest and national treasure must be a top priority.

Please let me know what you intend to do in this important effort.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
September 10, 2001


Background Information

After many years of study and delay, the federal government issued its Federal Columbia and Snake River Salmon Recovery Plan in December of 2000. It acknowledges that removal of the 4 Lower Snake River Dams would provide the greatest benefit for salmon, but it delayed a decision on dam removal for at least 5 years. The plan instead focuses on other expensive initiatives that may be helpful for salmon, but scientists generally agree will not be enough to reverse the slide towards extinction. And the Federal Salmon Plan will certainly not help us re-vitalize and strengthen the communities that are affected by this crucial issue.

You can help by asking your elected officials to join a growing list of bipartisan support (including Reps. Tom Petri (R-WI) and Jim McDermott (D-WA)) for planning efforts that will ensure salmon survival and meet requirements of important laws and treaties, should the alternatives in the federal plan fail to recover salmon. Both salmon and the affected communities need a safety net.

PLEASE ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO COSPONSOR THE *SALMON PLANNING ACT*

The Salmon Planning Act provides that safety net by asking Congress to order economic and transition, energy, and transportation studies to plan ahead if dam removal is found necessary to save salmon from extinction. The Act asks for the following measures:

*Independent peer review of the Federal Salmon Plan by the National Academy of Sciences to examine the plan's biological standards. *Order engineering studies for partial dam removal and how best to help the affected communities once the dams are removed. *Grant authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to partially remove the 4 Lower Snake River dams if other recovery measures fail AND this action is found necessary to halt extinction of the endangered wild Snake River salmon to meet federal lawsand treaty obligations.

For more information on what you can do to help, go to http://www.wildsalmon.org