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| Dear Friend, |
| The Salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest are facing extinction. We’re in court to save them. |
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Last week, conservation, fishing, and clean energy groups represented by Earthjustice asked a court for emergency measures to protect endangered salmon and steelhead in the Columbia Basin.
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| Here’s how we got to this point: |
| In December 2023, after three decades of litigation, the federal government, the states of Oregon and Washington, four Northwest Tribes, and groups represented by Earthjustice finalized a hard‑won, science‑based plan to restore salmon health, habitat, and river operations called the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement. It gave salmon a realistic path to recovery after years of unlawful management plans that failed to protect them from dams. |
| In June of this year, the Trump administration abruptly pulled the plug on this agreement. Without that agreement, salmon populations already on the brink now have NO viable plan in place to protect them. |
| Now: In a new court filing, we are demanding that the federal government immediately: |
- Increase spill over dams (so juvenile salmon can bypass deadly turbines)
- Lower reservoir elevations to reduce migration time through warm, stagnant stretches that harm fish
- Remove migration barriers in critical tributaries
- Ramp up predator control (e.g., invasive walleye and predatory birds)
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| This case is not just about salmon — it’s also about justice and a way of life. The Trump administration’s decision to tear apart this carefully crafted agreement is another dark chapter in the federal government’s history of betraying Tribes. The salmon populations our lawsuit seeks to restore are key to the region’s ecosystem, economy, and Tribal cultures. |
| For 30 years and through five different administrations, Earthjustice has represented conservation, fishing and renewable energy groups — alongside the Nez Perce Tribe, other Columbia Basin Tribes, and the State of Oregon — in court battles to protect threatened and endangered salmon in the Columbia River Basin. These fights are not won overnight, and your support has made this work possible. Will you give today and help us in the next chapter of this fight? |
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In partnership,
The Team at Earthjustice |
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| Make a tax-deductible gift to help us take on the fights ahead! |
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| Photo Credit: Neil Ever Osborne, Save Our Wild Salmon, iLCP |
| © 2025 |
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