Salmon Need Rivers Too!

Winter has finally turned to spring here in the Pacific Northwest, and we’re getting out to celebrate! During an after work run of the Little White Salmon last week, I had the chance to share the river with a school of salmon smolt making their way down through the churning whitewater. As I charged full speed at one of the river’s must-make boofs, the excited baby salmon flitted into the air right in front of me, distracting me to the point of nearly missing my line. Watching them temporarily churn helplessly in the boils below the drop, I gave them a chuckle and paddled off.

For these salmon, the Little White Salmon River is the artery that connects the headwaters where they are born, to the ocean where they spend the majority of their lives. Without a healthy river to careen down each spring, they might not be able to complete the essential journey that they are genetically hard-wired to complete in order to survive.

Unfortunately, wildlife that depend on healthy rivers are often a low priority for those who manage our country’s rivers. On the Snake River in Idaho, for example, an iconic salmon species has been driven to extinction by four dams that allow for barge transportation and generate hydroelectricity, while also blocking the salmon migration route. A bitter fight has ensued between environmental advocates, who want to remove the dams that kill upwards of 90% of the fish, and the federal government, who generates only a negligible amount of power each year with the dams. In this region, where we have more energy than we can use, the case for dam removal is clear. But the federal government will battle until the bitter end while salmon remain on life support.

These environment-versus-economy battles are taking place on rivers all across our country right now, and the species that depend on these aquatic arteries are consistently the ones who are affected most. As river enthusiasts, we are more tuned into the health of our local waterways than nearly anyone. So in many cases, it’s up to us to step up and fight to protect the rivers that we love.

So what can you do?

1. Check out American Rivers’ top 10 most endangered rivers list. Did a river in your area make the list? Offer to support an organization working to protect it.

2. Organize a river cleanup. Wildlife need clean rivers too!

3. Check out the 2010 Mountainfilm in Telluride festival or attend one of the many world tour stops. The theme this year is Extinction, and the film lineup looks to be incredible. Our own Flathead Wild even made the cut.
4. Go paddling! Cultivate the love.