Contact the White House CEQ - We need change for Snake River salmon!

Save Our Wild Salmon coalition partner, American Rivers, just ranked the lower Snake River as #3 on their list of America's Most Endangered Rivers for 2009!. This listing comes at a critical time - as a federal judge considers the adequacy of the 2008 Federal Salmon Plan for the Columbia & Snake Rivers. The judge's final ruling is expected this spring, and could lay the foundation for a stakeholder negotiation the brings together fishermen, farmers, and energy users in the Pacific Northwest to solve this long-running conflict. YOU CAN HELP - Please contact Nancy Sutley today! She is the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) - ask for leadership from the Obama Administration to change the failed policies of the past, restore science and the law, and bring change to the Snake River and its endangered salmon and steelhead.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: We need CHANGE for endangered Snake River salmon!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to urge you and the White House Council on Environmental Quality to take immediate action to protect and restore the Snake River and its legendary wild salmon and steelhead runs. Due to the threat posed by four dams on the lower Snake River, the Snake is listed this year as one of America's Most Endangered Rivers.

These four dams, combined with four additional dams downstream on the Columbia River, kill nearly 90 percent of young salmon as they migrate downstream to the ocean. Removing the four lower Snake River dams is the only action scientists have identified that will help these fish not only survive in the short term, but recover to healthy, sustainable numbers.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality can help restore the Snake River and its wild salmon fishery by calling for regional stakeholders and relevant federal agencies to discuss and determine how to remove the four lower Snake River dams and replace their limited benefits in a manner that enhances the quality of life in local communities, improves the region's freight transportation system, and modernizes the Northwest's energy supply in a way that is compatible with substantially reducing regional greenhouse gas emissions.

A restored Snake River salmon fishery would generate hundreds of millions of dollars per year for the recreational and commercial salmon and steelhead fishing industries. 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.

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, through a desert, and into the high mountains of central Idaho, eastern Oregon, and southeast Washington State. And thanks to the 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 survive their migration to the ocean and back.

Thank you in advance for your leadership on this important issue.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
April 08, 2009

Background Information

What's At Stake?

Wild salmon and steelhead of the Columbia and Snake Rivers are a treasure to our nation and the Northwest. Theirs is an epic journey - 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.

Yet these majestic fish more than mere symbols. Salmon are essential to the economy, culture, and ecosystem of the Northwest and the Nation. 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 reflects the health of our rivers and forests in which they flourish - their decline points to the challenges we face in restoring our backyards. In the Columbia-Snake River basin, the barometer indicates crisis. Today, all remaining runs of salmon and steelhead on the Snake River are in danger of extinction. The clock is ticking for these fish.

Right now, four costly, 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 their best chance at survival in a warming climate. After over $8 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars wasted on ineffective and illegal programs, the effects of this crisis can be felt across the country. It is time to remove these costly dams to restore salmon, create new family-wage jobs, and promote the development of a much-needed clean energy economy.

It is not too late to restore a free-flowing Snake River and recover wild salmon and the jobs that they support. 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.