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Breach the Dams Now to Save Salmon from Extinction by Julie Sheen Idaho Statesman, September 1, 2020

Gov. Brad Little's salmon work group is meeting to discuss restoring salmon populations in Idaho. I am writing to urge U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and U.S. Rep. Russ Fulcher to join U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and Little in committing to taking a results-oriented approach to saving our salmon. The only action that will yield results and not continue to waste taxpayer dollars on halfhearted conservation measures is removal of the four federal dams on the lower Snake. The science is simple: Water behind these dams is too warm for the salmon, and the species faces extinction.

In school, I learned about the tremendous migration of the salmon, who through an instinctual force known only to them are able to return to their natal spawning grounds. To a child, the concept of home as a place of safety resonates strongly. As we watched these red and white fish swimming upstream to reach home, we suddenly felt so related to a species that had seemed so different from us.

Idaho is our home. Rivers provide for Idaho, sustaining everything from rural economies, to the natural ecosystems we take pride in. Salmon are key to a healthy Snake.