By David Kinney / TU. The lower Snake River dams are Ice Harbor, Lower Monumental, Little Goose, and Lower Granite, all located in southeastern Washington. The term breach refers to removing river barriers, such as the earth-filled embankments that create reservoirs. Suggs, a first-year council member and restoration planner for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, said Snake River dam removal would benefit the Olympic Peninsula. Inslee (see also link) to support Obama taking executive action to breach the lower Snake River dams. In July, the economic consulting firm ECONorthwest (ECONW) issued a new independent analysis funded by the philanthropic arm of the late Paul Allen’s Vulcan Inc. on the benefits and costs of restoring the river. About 40% of people surveyed said they were in favor of dam removal on the lower Snake River to aid salmon recovery. The petition's initial target is four dams on the lower Snake River in Washington state. The lower Snake River dams also contain a series of locks that provide a 465-mile navigable waterway from Lewiston, Idaho, to the Pacific Ocean. The debate over removing the four dams on the lower Snake River has simmered for decades.. Petition to Remove Lower Snake River Dams that Harm Salmon and Whales. Endangered resident Pacific Northwest killer whales are missing the natural abundance of a key food source: chinook salmon. Reality: Many claim that removing the four lower Snake dams will only help four of the thirteen ESA-listed species in the Columbia-Snake Basin. “The Snake River dams were built to provide several benefits to the region, including a clean, carbon-free renewable source of electricity, barge transportation, and irrigation for crops in the Columbia River Basin. Groups petition for removal of lower Snake River dams. We know that removing these four dams is the centerpiece of any serious effort to prevent the extinction of Snake River salmon and Southern Resident orcas. The salmon populations suffer due to the four lower Snake River dams that make salmon passage too difficult – adult salmon struggle to make … Orcas rely on salmon for up to ninety percent their diet, but these fish are in rapid decline. The folks behind the now award-winning documentary, DamNation, are asking more people to sign a petition calling on President Obama to begin removing obsolete dams throughout the US. Removing carbon-free hydro on the Snake River is the first step toward tearing out hydro on the Columbia River. Earlier this year, the Yurok Tribal Council passed a resolution recognizing Rights of the Klamath River, as a major part of the plan for the largest dam removal and river restoration in the country. Please sign the White House petition here. The four dams on the lower Snake River are part of a vast and complex hydroelectric power system operated by the federal government in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Sign our Snake River Dam Removal Petition; Ask Your Electeds to Restore the Lower Snake; Sign Up for Snake River Campaign Notices; Hatcheries; Columbia River Management Reform. The White House petition, which has only been in circulation for a couple of weeks, has generated 390 signatures so far and asks President Obama to issue an executive order to remove the four dams on the lower Snake River. Patagonia has launched a campaign to remove Snake River dams in the Pacific Northwest. Become a Columbia River Defender; Quest for 100K; Public Access & River Rights; GET INVOLVED. The Association of Northwest Steelheaders is dedicated to removing the Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, and Ice Harbor dams on the lower Snake River, which have been decimating endangered fish populations since they were built between 1955-1975. Lower Snake River dams at center of debate to save endangered orcas ICE HARBOR DAM, S.E. If the dams are removed, how will farmers who use these dams’ reservoirs to ship in crops in barges deliver their products to market? Posted on December 17, 2014 by flyfishingtravel. Download the PDF on fishing and salmon numbers. Sat Jan 13th, 2018 1:30am; News ; Submitted by Center for Whale Research and DamSense.org. In an open letter to the governors of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, published recently, a group of scientists with several hundred years of collective experience in fisheries conservation wrote that research overwhelmingly shows that Snake River wild salmon and steelhead populations cannot be recovered without the removal of four dams on the lower river. (photo: Matt Stoecker) … Remove means that, along with the earth filled embankment, the … Lower Snake River dam removal is the surest way to recover all of these salmon and steelhead species so all anglers can again have an opportunity to fish. Advocates for breaching the dams have long argued that their removal is necessary to help several endangered salmon species that must navigate the dam system. Become a Volunteer ; Log Volunteer Hours; Sponsor Us; Internships; … They filed a federal petition in 1990 asking that the Snake River sockeye salmon be listed as endangered. Myth 5: Removal of the Snake River dams will benefit only 4 of 13 ESA-listed fish populations in the Columbia-Snake Basin and there is no science or data suggesting that dam removal would restore them anyway. There are differing perspectives on how breaching and removing or retaining the lower Snake River dams will affect salmon and orcas as well as agricultural, transportation, power and recreation interests. Snake River Salmon and Steelhead are Counting on Us. If given legal rights, the Snake River would not be the first in the United States. "Removing the four lower Snake dams must be part of any real salmon and steelhead restoration strategy. Subject: President Obama: Protect Orcas by Removing Four Lower Snake River Dams Hi, President Obama is considering taking bold, needed action that would help to save orcas (killer whales) in the Pacific. However, opponents have emphasized the many benefits provided by the dams, including a … Click here to sign our petition and to offer your perspective on the value of Snake River salmon and steelhead and why removing the lower four Snake River dams is crucial to ensure their populations thrive in the future. And studies show that we can remove these dams without resorting to dirty fossil fuels or breaking the bank. There are at least 7 other dam removal petitions that I am aware of which is listed at: The Legislature provided funding to the governor’s office in the 2019-21 operating budget to conduct a stakeholder process to understand the views of Washingtonians on breaching and removing, or retaining, the lower Snake River dams. The second dam removal petition is" Support removing the four Lower Snake River dams to save the Southern Resident Killer Whales from being dammed to extinction " they have close to 17,000 signers. Not only will 140 miles of the lower Snake once again turn into a free-€‹flowing river with habitat complexity, but 5,500 miles of high-elevation spawning habitat will become more accessible to salmon and steelhead. Remove the Dams on the lower Snake River - “It’s not just a biological crisis we’re having out here. Membership; Planned Giving; Donate; Volunteer. Add your name to this petition for federal agencies and Northwest policymakers: re: the federal government's 2020 FEIS for Snake-Columbia Salmon and Steelhead Scientists have been talking about Snake River dam removal for decades. OUTLINE OF LOWER SNAKE DAM REMOVAL PETITIONS Petition Author Petition Name Petitionee Total (06/01/16) Comments Date Southern Resident Killer Whale Chinook Salmon Initiative Free the Snake, Feed the Orcas - Ask Gov. The draft report, Lower Snake River Dams Stakeholder Engagement Report, is available for public comment until January 24, 2020. 8. US: Snake River dams will not be removed to save salmon The U.S. government says four huge dams on the Snake River in Washington state will not be … Though seeking the same outcomes, the petitions ask for different political tactics. About 38% of people were opposed. The Free the Snake campaign seeks to store salmon populations. From: Joseph Bogaard To: sos at wildsalmon_org Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 16:13:58 -0800 Subject: Please Sign New Online Petition for Snake River Salmon Recovery! Governor Jay Inslee, President Obama, Senator Patty Murray, … With both salmon and Southern Resident orcas in dire need of help, local students and experts are filing a petition to save these species by taking down dams along the Lower Snake River. Representatives from the Center for Whale Research and DamSense.org prepared an ad campaign due to begin running in the Jan. 7 Seattle Times Sunday edition. Remove Snake River - “ It ’ s not just a biological crisis we ’ re having out.... 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