A Review of Fish Passage Provisions in the License Application for the Hells Canyon Complex

Energy Storage in the 21st Century

Felt Dam Draft License Application Comment

EPA issues new definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act…again

(City Council members inspect pollution of the Cuyahoga River 1964 – Cleveland Press Collection, Cleveland State University Library) Just before the new year, the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers announced plans to formalize and clarify the definition of “waters of the United States”, or WOTUS, under the Clean Water Act […]

Honoring MLK Jr. Day: “A Dream for Re-wilding Wild Snake River Salmon and Steelhead”

by Bert Bowler – Snake River Salmon Solutions In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr’s 1963 – I Have a Dream Speech Ten millennia ago, a great resource was flourishing in the Columbia River basin in the form of ocean going fish. These magnificent creatures classified anadromous are salmon, steelhead and pacific lamprey. They […]

Bonneville Power Administration must get on board with salmon recovery & dam removal

The Biden Administration and Northwest politicians have shown a desire to lead the region beyond the status quo – which has for decades been a hydrosystem that is deadly to salmon and steelhead, Treaties and agreements between the U.S. government and Tribal nations that have not been upheld, and businesses and communities that rely on […]

Flight over Lower Snake River highlights agriculture & energy transitions

Aerial views of mainly wheat agricultural fields surround the Lower Snake River. Photo credit: IRU Staff On October 18th, regional stakeholders and conservation partners flew over the Lower Snake River outside of Lewiston, Idaho with EcoFlight to view the landscape surrounding the river and to learn more about energy solutions for a dam replacement plan. […]

NOAA Report Finds Lower Snake River Dam Breaching as “Centerpiece Action” for Salmon Recovery

Data from NOAA The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its final edition of the Rebuilding Salmon report last week that acts as a roadmap towards achieving regionally-established salmon recovery goals by 2050. The report compiles information on the status of wild, interior Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead populations (or “stocks”), threats and challenges […]

Celebrating “World Rivers Day” by highlighting the SF Salmon

Millions of people in over 100 countries on six continents will join together on this upcoming fourth Sunday of September every year to celebrate and participate in World Rivers Day. This year’s celebration is on September 25th.

Klamath River dam removal moves forward as the largest river restoration project in U.S. history

One of the four dams on the Klamath River that will be removed. PC: E&E News CALIFORNIA – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the removal of the lower four Klamath River dams, clearing the final hurdle to recovery of this river system and salmon fishery. This […]

Press Release: Murray / Inslee release their final report on LSRDs

Dams on the Columbia and Snake Rivers have long been fought over. Photo credit: Tess McEnroe, IRU staff SEATTLE – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray and Gov. Jay Inslee released the findings and recommendations of the months-long Joint Federal-State Process that evaluated the feasibility of breaching the Lower Snake River Dams as a way of […]

IRU & NGOs to stay in litigation for LSDRs

A lone steelhead jumps at Dagger Falls on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Photo credit: Neil Ever Osborne Conservation organizations and fishing groups, including IRU, have joined the State of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the United States in securing a further year-long pause or “stay” from the courts in the long […]

“High” salmon returns in 2022 are not a sign of true, sustainable numbers

This year is being pointed to as a banner year for salmon and steelhead returning to Idaho. Politicians and news outlets have been sharing the big bump in numbers in 2022, implying that it is a harbinger of good years ahead and a sign of salmon populations recovering, even though the Lower Snake River Dams remain in place.
However, the long-term reality for salmon runs remains one of steep decline towards extinction and dispels any meaning derived from recent short-term increases in return numbers.