Will Obama save Salmon Industry, or Dam it?

It's Up to Us--Take Action Here, Today.

"Federal Defendants have spent the better part of the last decade treading water, and avoiding their obligations under the Endangered Species Act... We simply cannot afford to waste another decade." ~ U.S. District Court Judge James Redden to Counsel of Record in National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service May 15, 2009.

The Obama Administration will announce a big decision tomorrow--Thursday, May 20th--a decision that will impact nature, salmon, tourism dollars, a decision that will support science or merely follow the Bush Administration's policies. The Endangered Species Act could be threatened as a whole.

What can we do? Spread the word. Create buzz. Best of all, take action.

Yellowstone. White House photo: Pete Souza. Don't worry too much: it was catch and release.

Via Save our Wild Salmon:

Will Obama Dam Salmon to Extinction?

On the heels of the catastrophic oil spill that is crushing wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration is poised to make a decision this week that could change the fate of endangered species in this country.

On May 20, the Administration will release a federal salmon plan that will do one of two things for endangered wildlife: protect the Endangered Species Act, or weaken it.

A decision to weaken the ESA for the West's iconic Columbia and Snake River salmon could send an ecological ripple across the country -- affecting every endangered species in the nation.

And the situation doesn't look good. Instead of charting its own path, the administration is working off an illegal Bush administration plan for endangered salmon.

Because they return to the biggest, highest and best-protected habitat in America, endangered Snake River salmon are slated as the West's best chance to save salmon for future generations in an environment threatened by climate change. These cold, crisp waters of spanning three Western states -- Washington, Oregon and Idaho, will remain cold under warming climates, protecting these one-of-a-kind salmon with a one-of-a-kind habitat. Making the wrong decision on these rivers would effectively dam (pun fully intended) these salmon to extinction.

The Columbia-Snake Rivers may not be in your own backyard, but the effects of this decision certainly will be. Take action today to save salmon and protect America's endangered species.

These fish are fighting right now to survive -- tackling a gauntlet of dams, escaping predators and climbing higher than any salmon on Earth. They're doing their part. Now let's do ours.

Take Action.

~

"Conservation is a core priority for the outdoor industry, and wild salmon play an important role in the recreation economy. We simply can't afford to lose them."

-- Lisa Pike-Sheehy, Patagonia's Director of Environmental Initiatives. Patagonia has long supported restoring a free-flowing Snake River to recover salmon and steelhead, which the company has featured in their Freedom to Roam Campaign.

~

"The last cut at this plan largely ignored the impacts climate change will most certainly have on these salmon. And it ignored the unique habitat in the Snake Basin that these fish call home. The science tells us that getting these fish back home is the surest and perhaps only way to ensure salmon in the Columbia-Snake Basin under a warming world. Let's hope that in addition to protecting the ESA, the administration prepares for the current and future harms caused to these fish from global warming. Let's get these fish back to their habitat so we can ensure salmon in the Columbia-Snake Basin for generations to come."

-- John Kostyack, Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation and Global Warming for National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC. NWF is the lead plaintiff in the fight to protect Columbia-Snake salmon.

~

"What is at stake here goes far beyond the issue of salmon recovery. To me, it raises the question of whether we have the courage and the will to reconcile the growing contradiction between the world we say we want to leave our children and the one we are actually creating through the decisions we make today. And it calls into question our capacity to take explicit and intentional action to shape our own future rather than to simply react to circumstances, allowing by default our future to become a matter of chance. It's time to fight for salmon. It's time to fight for us. It's time to fight for our future."

-- John Kitzhaber, former governor of Oregon and currently running for a second term, said in a 2007 Sea Grant-hosted keynote address.

~

 

Follow Waylon Lewis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/elephantjournal

Comments

[stulips]

02:33 PM on 06/03/2010

Yes, Obama plan insane, please remove all dams so salmon can spawn and survive, enabling the web of life to continue unhindered­, thankyou. REMOVE ALL DAMS, THAT IS THE ANSWER TO SAVING SALMON, or create salmon safe ladders so salmon aren't blocked upon return.

[krkerler]

08:05 PM on 05/31/2010

I am disppointe­d, disgusted and frustrated­. I was born and raised in Oregon and would like to believe that you don't have to be from this part of the country to understand the importance of a healthy ecosystem and how it benefits the plants, animals and people who live in it. I voted for Obama, because I thought he shared my concerns for the world around us. Now I wonder...

[RJ Browne]

09:11 PM on 05/25/2010

Salmon are a major component of the food chain--so many animals depend on them. I am deeply disappoint­ed with the Obama administra­tion's plan as it lacks good science and ignores climate change. The US needs a plan that will ensure salmon survival and restore them. Extinction is not an option.

[runningfish]

06:47 PM on 05/25/2010

This decision by the administra­tion is heart-wren­ching. And, it seems even more frustratin­g and horrifying when you consider that these salmon are unique to this planet and we have a chance to save them from extinction­. How could we be so selfish? Doesn't the next generation deserve more? Check out this new National Geographic website about the issue - http://www­.actionatl­as.org/con­servation/­migrations­-corridors­/save-our-­wild-salmo­n/summary/­paaF7FA0C7­D721D59F72 - and see how you can help. I fanned these guys because I think it is time to send the Administra­tion a message that we al care about these critters. No more oil spills. No more big business over the environmen­t. I want a different future!

[ampeach]

04:28 PM on 05/24/2010

Snake River salmon are vitally important, and this may be our last chance to restore them. I honestly can't believe that the Obama administra­tion is no better than Bush on this one. Can we please bring sound science back into the picture here?

[Jeff Cole]

02:38 PM on 05/24/2010

President Obama failed to fulfill the inaugural promise to let science drive policy. It's time to let science not politics determine our policies!

[nonydog]

01:50 PM on 05/24/2010

One can understand that the salmon problem, like the Gulf oil catastroph­e, does not lend itself to a quick and easy solution. The problem is that the Administra­tion does not even seem inclined to grapple hard, work hard, push hard on getting down the difficult road to a viable solution. Instead we hear what amounts to "trust us." And on salmon, especially­, we know better than to trust BPA and NOAA's NW Region.

[derek curtis johnson]

01:30 PM on 05/24/2010

We have the ability to save the salmon, create new energy sources and move goods to market. All we need is the political will to make the changes. What a legacy it would be if this generation had the will to restore these magnificen­t fish, symbols of wildness, abundance and ecological health. Come on, Obama, let's get it done!

[cusquena]

01:20 PM on 05/24/2010

Awhile ago I watched the most incredible documentar­y called "Nature's Most Amazing Events" from the BBC Earth Series. There was an episode called "The Great Salmon Run". I wish Obama and every government official could/woul­d see this. I learned fromt this documentar­y that salmon are one of the key players to our existence on this planet. Almost every living creature relies on salmon from humans, bears, birds, to our forests and our ecosystem making the air we breathe healthy. I am so grateful for the salmon I have been fortunate enough to enjoy. It truly saddens me to think future generation­s may not have this gift from mother nature due to the administra­tions lack of compassion towards the salmon.

[Muriel Roberts]

09:14 PM on 05/23/2010

I just returned from the Idaho Conservati­on League annual meeting at which Russ Turlow, Research Scientist at the USDA-FS talked about the possible recovery of the Wild Chinook Salmon in Central Idaho. It is clear from his presentati­on of the facts, that without the removal of the four lower Snake River dams, wild salmon face extinction­. I am very disappoint­ed that the Obama administra­tion has not listened to the scientists in proposing the latest plan for salmon recovery.

[fishingfool]

04:27 PM on 05/23/2010

It’s unfortunat­e and deeply disappoint­ing that this administra­tion, like the prior Bush administra­tion, continues to ignore good science and marginaliz­e the Endangered Species Act. I had hoped for better leadership from Obama. Migrating salmon and steelhead throughout the Columbia River drainage, which includes the Snake River, are a National treasure worth fighting to protect, not just for their unquestion­able recreation­al and emotional value to us, but for the economic value derived from commercial fisheries as well.
Removing the four lower Snake River dams would cost relatively little in the long run. The benefit to spawning wild salmon and steelhead is expected to be very significan­t, and may be even greater than expected.
If we permit our government to continue making decisions that hinder salmon recovery, we must expect the ultimate demise of this fishery. What will the Northwest be like when mankind has finally destroyed our salmon runs? Don’t think this can happen? Think again. Is this the kind of legacy our children deserve? The price is high.

[thewestisthebest]

03:14 PM on 05/23/2010

It will be a sad day when salmon are gone, and we look back and see how easy it could have been to prevent it from happenning­. Once again, greed, political posturing, and special interests rule the day. Bring back the monkey wrench gang, with heavy explosives­!!!

[Denayone]

12:57 PM on 05/23/2010

Is there even a single issue, problem or crisis where "follow the Money" is NOT applicable­? Inevitably­, there is some corporate interest or backing somewhere in the picture with a not-so-hid­den agenda. I live in Oregon, I have watched the power plays shift back and forth around what 'they' call resources and 'we' experience as Home. Endangered species such as salmon, our native frogs and owls and our trees referred to in corporate-­speak as 'timber', have value only as money and pawn pieces to get more money and power. I suspect that President Obama is PRETENDING that this abandonmen­t of wildlife and ultimately humans, is NOT a betrayal, not a cop out. The power of rationaliz­ation/just­ification trumps 'critical thinking' every time so.....why should this president be any different (?)

It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environmen­t. -- Ansel Adams

[DCforever]

09:23 AM on 05/23/2010

I worked on the Obama campaign in '08 as paid staff and to say I'm pissed is only the begining. Guys, I know you have to figure out the political calculus, but you better figure this into the formula: I ain't working working for you out of state next time if your anti-wildl­ife conservati­on continues. Enough said...

[Larry Meyer]

09:33 PM on 05/22/2010

I live hundreds of miles away from the nearest wild salmon habitat, but realize how important a species they are\or in this case were the cornerston­e of an ecosystem. It is unbelievab­le how disappoint­ing this new plan is, how it lacks good science and largely ignores climate change, that this plan only puts salmon at further risk of extinction­. This is canary in a coalmine stuff!