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By Cathy Swirbul

The federal government released its final version of a long-term strategy to restore threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead throughout the Columbia-Snake River Basin of the Pacific Northwest. The strategy is intended to reverse the decline of these species over the next 10 years by restoring habitat, limiting harvest, reforming hatchery operations and reducing the impacts of hydropower.

Environmental groups asked the government to authorize breaching of four federal dams on the lower Snake River in Washington to protect the species. Instead, the federal government will implement this strategy and will review the results of the program in 2003, 2005 and 2008, with scientific peer review at the latter two checkpoints. If the anticipated objectives aren't met at these three checkpoints, the government likely will authorize breaching the Snake River dams, the report stated.

The Basin-wide Strategy, announced Dec. 21, provides a framework for federal activities over the next 10 years. The strategy is part of a larger salmon recovery plan created by eight federal agencies. A ninth federal agency—the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)—declined to sign a memorandum supporting the plan.

Measures outlined in the strategy will cost the Northwest and federal taxpayers between US$700 million and US$1 billion a year, including the cost of reduced electricity generation at dams where water is released to help salmon migrate to sea.

The National Marine Fisheries Service, the agency leading the federal government's restoration efforts, set specific performance standards to achieve survival of salmon and steelhead for habitat (based on environmental conditions), hydropower (based on juvenile and adult fish survivals), and hatchery reforms (based on hatchery genetic management plans). These performance standards will help measure progress and determine whether alternative strategies are needed to rebuild populations and achieve recovery.

In addition to federal actions, the strategy identifies a range of tribal, state and local actions necessary to ensure recovery. Specifically, the plan calls on states and the Northwest Power Planning Council to lead efforts to improve flows and water quality; protect and rebuild habitat in salmon-supporting tributaries; reform land-use statutes governing growth management, forestry and agricultural practices; and establish programs to screen all pumps and diversions. Progress in each of these areas will be reviewed at the three checkpoints.

The National Marine Fisheries Service didn't call for dam breaching because agency studies show that breaching alone wouldn't save Snake River salmon, according to Donna Darm, the agency's acting regional director. Also, breaching the Snake River dams wouldn't help all the endangered salmon in the Columbia Basin because only four of the 12 stocks pass the Snake River dams, agency officials concluded.

Environmental leaders say that while the plan is far from perfect, it warrants immediate funding and implementation. Environmentalists may seek additional measures through the courts.

Much of the program's success may depend on whether the incoming administration of President-elect Bush would fund the program at the levels specified by Clinton's staff.

Rebecca Wodder, president of American Rivers, a river conservation group leading the dam removal campaign, said, "Is this a good plan? That all depends on what the Bush Administration does. Clinton is leaving a framework that Bush will have to build on."

"The science tells us the only way to do that is to remove those dams, and that we need to begin planning now before it is too late," Wodder said. "We are committed to working with the Bush Administration to improve conditions for salmon, as long as preparations for dam removal begin, so the safety net will be ready when the time comes. It will be up to Bush to prove that the salmon can be saved without dam removal."

About the author: Swirbul serves as a technical writer for a variety of industries. She also writes content for business-to business and business-to-consumer websites. She can be reached at cswirbul@unicom.net. (Back to top)

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