Friend of Washington's Environment,

Salmon are vital to the present and future of Washington, and local Tribes have worked for generations to increase salmon runs for everyone. Teams of indigenous people, watershed restoration experts, and people who enjoy fishing know what needs to be done to protect and restore salmon habitat.

Budgets reflect priorities, and this is the year to substantially increase state funding to protect and restore salmon habitat. For decades, the Washington Legislature provided less than 20% of the project funds identified by local experts throughout Washington, from the upper Columbia River to coastal rivers to Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. That means every year, lack of funding stalls most locally vetted, and regionally prioritized, salmon recovery projects.

Please tell your legislators to secure the critical funds to protect and restore salmon habitat this legislative session!

What’s good for salmon is good for people. Preserving and restoring streamside vegetation to keep water cool, decreasing stormwater and sewage pollution, removing barriers like dams and culverts that keep fish from passing, and maintaining healthy coastal waters and estuaries will benefit future generations of people and salmon.

Contact your legislators and demand they right-size salmon investments in the budgets for the future. Sadly, every salmon recovery region in the state, including the waters around you, has a backlog of projects identified and vetted to ensure that future generations have access to salmon. We can’t let another year go by without addressing the salmon crisis.

Thanks for all you do,
Mindy Roberts
Puget Sound Program Director

Washington Conservation Action

Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters are now Washington Conservation Action.