The fishing opportunity on the Columbia River — once world-renowned — is today marked by closure after closure. In short, there are few fish to catch. Why? Because the four lower Snake River dams have turned a free-flowing river into an environmental disaster, taking the salmon runs that made the region famous to extinction.
This is not only devastating to local small businesses like mine, but it cannot be the future we leave our children.
The time to act is now if we want to recover abundant salmon runs and uphold our moral obligation to the next generation.
Sen. Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee have committed to exploring a working plan by July. They’ve delivered the draft report to identify how to replace the services currently provided by the four federal dams on the lower Snake River — mainly energy, irrigation and transportation.
The dams need to come out. Tribes, communities, and families across the state are counting on Sen. Murray and Gov. Inslee to lead the way to save our salmon. Anglers are, too.
