10 April
2003
Media Contact:
Charles Hudson, CRITFC,
(503) 731-1257
Rick Eichstaedt, Nez Perce Tribe, (208) 843-7355
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Snake River's No. 8 rank
on 'Endangered Rivers' list confirms fears
CRITFC, Nez Perce Tribe
say dam operators must act now to avoid salmon catastrophe
Portland, Oregon
- The Snake River's
No. 8 ranking in a stinging report that lists the nation's 10 most
endangered rivers was unavoidable, the region's treaty fishing tribes
say.
American Rivers' annual report, "America's Most Endangered Rivers,"
released today, blames hydropower dams for putting the fate of the
river and its wild salmon runs "increasingly in doubt."
The Snake River's listing, said Don Sampson, executive director of
the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, "calls national
attention to a crisis we've struggled with for decades."
"The only thing I am shocked about is that the Snake River isn't
ranked higher on American River's report," said Sampson, a member
of the Umatilla Tribe. "Salmon headed to the river's upper reaches
literally hit concrete walls."
The American Rivers report demonstrates that the Snake River is "sick
and needs everyone's help to be healed," said Anthony Johnson,
vice chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee.
Extending over a 285-mile stretch of the Snake River, the four federal
dams operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Ice Harbor,
Lower Monumental, Little Goose and Lower Granite — and the three
dams of the Hells Canyon Complex, owned and operated by Idaho Power
Co., have decimated Snake River salmon runs. The Hells Canyon Complex,
including the Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon dams, has been particularly
destructive since its structures stop fish passage.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reviewing Idaho Power's
request for a new, long-term license to operate the Hells Canyon Complex.
While the Hells Canyon dams produce plenty of electricity for southern
Idaho — a total generating capacity of 1,167 megawatts, according
to Idaho Power — they wreak havoc on fish and wildlife in the
region, and they have forever altered the tribes' ability to live
with and manage these and other resources.
"The dams operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Idaho
Power significantly impact fish, wildlife, cultural resources and
water quality. Extinction of species is not an acceptable option for
the Tribe. All dam operators must be held accountable for their impacts
to the river," said Johnson.
Tribal representatives concur with the American Rivers report in that
saving the Snake River in its fragile state will require Idaho Power
and federal agencies to immediately bolster funding to tribal projects
that protect, mitigate and enhance salmon runs and improve flow through
the dams during key migration periods.
Said Johnson: "Increased water flows to assist in salmon migration
and water quality improvements to address extremely high summer temperatures
are measures that are immediately needed to restore health of the
river."
Also, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should compel Idaho
Power to make "major structural improvements" to restore
passage through the Hells Canyon Complex by making it a condition
for relicensing the project, Sampson believes.
"Had Idaho Power and other federal agencies dealt with these
issues more than 40 years ago, these wouldn't seem like drastic measures,"
he said. "It is the responsibility of Idaho Power and federal
agencies to make themselves good with the Nez Perce and other tribes
in the region, and most importantly, the region's fish and wildlife.
"The Snake River has enormous potential, but it is being managed
into submission, and the salmon, as well as the river itself, are
nearing extinction as a result."
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About CRITFC
The Portland-based Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission is
the technical support and coordinating agency for fishery management
policies of the Columbia River Basin's four treaty tribes: the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes
of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes
and Bands of the Yakama Nation and the Nez Perce Tribe.
CRITFC, formed in 1977, employs biologists, other scientists, public
information specialists, policy analysts and administrators who work
in fisheries research and analyses, advocacy, planning and coordination,
harvest control and law enforcement. |
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