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| Dear Friend, |
| After decades of hard work, we are making progress in the fight to restore the Snake River. Senator Murray and Governor Inslee published their report on the issue, and 24,472 Earthjustice supporters called for the government to pursue the only real solution to the crisis the salmon are facing — breaching the dams. Now, it’s up to us to convince Congress to authorize the Army Corps to breach the dams. |
| The dams are a physical manifestation of the harmful, colonialist mindset that drives the biodiversity crisis. They are pushing what was once one of the most prolific salmon runs in the world towards extinction and continue to violate the Nez Perce Tribe’s treaty rights — and there’s no amount of money the government can spend to adequately mitigate those issues while the dams remain in place. |
| The facts are on our side, but that’s not enough to make Congress act — we need sustained public pressure. Help us get the job done by sending a letter to your members of Congress. |
| We don’t have any more time to waste. These salmon populations and the highly endangered orcas that rely on them are headed towards extinction, but we can restore thriving salmon runs and literally pump life into Northwest ecosystems if we breach four dams on the lower Snake River. The dams stop salmon from accessing millions of acres of prime spawning habitat and make the lower Snake River a lethally hot gauntlet for these fish. |
| Opponents of dam breaching point to the predicted cost of breaching the dams and investing in Snake River communities over the next 50 years as reasons to maintain the status quo. The truth is, the cost of keeping the dams and failing to make those investments is far higher — extinction of Snake River salmon and steelhead, destruction of a way of life for Native Americans, loss of fishing jobs, and billions more in spending to keep the aging dams providing the limited services they offer. The federal government has already squandered some $20 billion on failed plans to restore healthy salmon populations in the Snake and Columbia basin. It’s time we stop pouring more good money into bad ideas and invest in solutions that will actually work. |
| For better or for worse, it’s up to Congress now. Join us in contacting your members of Congress to urge them to authorize dam breaching and investments in Snake River communities as soon as possible. |
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Sincerely,
Todd True
Senior Attorney |
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| Photo Credits: East fork of the Salmon River, one of the major tributaries of the Snake River. The four dams impede the migration of adult salmon trying to return to spawn in the clean, cold waters of high elevation tributaries. (Neil Ever Osborne / Save Our Wild Salmon / ILCP) |
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