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Sign the Petition urging Governor Ferguson to restore the lower Snake River and its endangered salmon!
Dear Governor Ferguson,
The Snake River used to be one of the world’s most productive salmon river systems. Millions of salmon would begin their life cycle in the rivers and streams of the Inland Northwest and travel downstream to the ocean, with just enough returning to their home rivers to spawn. During this journey the salmon feed the entire ecosystem, fertilizing entire forests when they die. Tribes all around the Pacific Northwest have sustainably fished these salmon since time immemorial, and are deeply culturally and spiritually tied to salmon.
Ever since the construction of dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers, however, the wild salmon population on these rivers has plummeted. The biggest salmon killers are the four federal dams on the lower Snake River. As the youth of the Pacific Northwest, we want to bring back the once healthy and abundant salmon promised.
The Southern Resident orcas rely on Columbia/Snake River Chinook for their outer coast diet, particularly during the winter. Along with the salmon they rely on, these orcas are speeding towards extinction. The next generation of orcas are not receiving the nutrition they need during their early years, most of them dying before they can bring up the generation after them. We saw this very acutely when J35 Talequah carried her dead calf on her head for 17 days in 2018, and when she did the same thing earlier this year.
Tribes all across the Pacific Northwest rely on salmon as a key part of their culture and livelihood. The right to fish at usual and accustomed grounds has been reaffirmed in treaties and legal precedent, including but not limited to the 1855 treaty of Walla Walla, the 1855 Nez Perce Treaty, and the Supreme Court Ruling with the Boldt Decision. Treaties are the supreme law of the land, elevated over the U.S. Constitution. The scientific consensus is and has been for decades that if the lower Snake River dams stay in place, Snake River salmon will go extinct. Salmon extinction would be in violation of multiple treaties and would take away the core of tribes’ livelihood and culture.
In addition to ecosystem health, Southern Resident Orca recovery, and Tribal justice, Snake River salmon are crucial for recreational and non-recreational fishing communities all throughout the Pacific Northwest. If this crucial population of salmon went extinct, it would cripple an entire economy.
A 2022 report done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration concluded that breaching the Snake River dams is “essential” and a “centerpiece action” for recovering salmon on the Snake River. These dams must come down before it is too late for salmon, and the dams’ services must be replaced. The lower Snake River dams contribute only 2-4% of our BPA's energy. According to the Northwest Energy Coalition’s Power Replacement Study, this energy is fully replaceable with other renewable power sources. Ultimately, our energy sources can be changed, but our salmon populations will not be able to recover if we do not remove these dams.
Salmon do not have much time left. According to a 2021 report done by the Nez Perce Tribe, 42% of spring and summer Chinook on the Snake River are already at the threshold for quasi extinction. We need to begin implementing solutions immediately and breach the lower Snake River dams as quickly as possible. As Washington's Governor, you have the ability to work with the state and federal government to bring about the change we need through a process that has already begun. The Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative gives us the ability to replace the services provided by these dams and gives Congress the opportunity to approve breaching. We must push for the implementation of this initiative and begin to build a Columbia-Snake River Basin that works for everyone and protects these cherished species for future generations to experience.
As youth of the Pacific Northwest, we will see the consequences of the decisions you make today. We will either see a bright future with abundant salmon, a healthy ecosystem, and prosperous communities, or we will be faced with the unacceptable outcome of salmon extinction. We ask that you choose abundance over extinction, that you support the continued implementation of the Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative, and that you defend this initiative and the Resilient Columbia Basin Agreement from attacks by the Trump Administration.
Sincerely,
[your name here]
NextGen Salmon Collective, is a student-led program of SOS, is a space for young advocates to harness their advocacy through education, skills, and community with the goal of restoring healthy and abundant salmon in the Columbia-Snake River Basin. Our mission is to foster meaningful connections, provide educational resources, facilitate mentorship, and offer logistical support for youth-led initiatives. By empowering the next generation of environmental leaders, we aim to expand and fortify the network of youth advocates across the Northwest and amplify their voices. The next generation of environmental stewards is among us, and we hope they choose to safeguard the future of Columbia River Basin salmon and all the species that depend on them.
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