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Restoring the Snake River Would Give Us Pride and Joy by David Cannamela Idaho Mountain Express, March 23, 2022

Spending $17 billion to save dams, while destroying cultures,
economies, and ecosystems is not "affordable" and certainly not wise.

The translation of Homo sapien is wise man, a painfully obvious misnomer given the failure of modern man to create social justice, live in peace, and care for our planet. However, we (some of "we") are committed to keep trying because there are wise things, big and small, that we can do, and quitting equals failure.

The lower Snake River dams were sold to us on promises of abundant fish, affordable power, and prosperity. Spending $17 billion to save dams, while destroying cultures, economies, and ecosystems is not "affordable" and certainly not wise.

With some 2,000 river restoration/dam removal projects completed, at a 100% success rate, and others on tap, this nugget of wisdom has finally hit the mainstream: rivers are just as valuable as rivers as they are as whatever dammed rivers are. This was no secret to Indigenous peoples.

Restoring the lower Snake would give us:

• Clean, affordable, climate friendly power (hydropower is neither cheap nor clean)

• Social justice, primarily, but not exclusively for native Americans (there are many who depend on the river and abundant sustainable salmon runs for their livelihood, and physical and emotional well-being)

• Economic and Ecological sustainability, diversity, and resilience.

• Pride and joy.