Remove the Snake River dams to restore salmon

The lower Snake River dams are causing the river to overheat, killing salmon in hot water. The White House must support removal of these dams to save salmon and honor the rights of Northwest Tribes.

Salmon populations in the Columbia Basin have fallen to a small fraction of historic numbers since the construction of the Snake River dams. Not only has this caused orca populations to dwindle and fisheries to shut down, it has threatened the way of life, identity, and well-being of many Tribes in the region. The Nez Perce Tribe and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians have called for the removal of the lower Snake River dams. Send a message to the White House and Department of Interior to support a comprehensive plan to save salmon and restore the lower Snake River.

Send a message to the Biden administration now.

Four dams are causing the Snake River to overheat, killing migrating salmon. The White House must support removal of these dams to save salmon and honor the rights of Northwest Tribes.

Credit: Jordan Kim

Salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin have fallen to a small fraction of their historic numbers since the construction of the Snake River dams. The loss of salmon has had catastrophic and cascading impacts on the region. Not only has this caused orca populations to dwindle and fisheries to shut down, it has threatened the way of life, identity, and well-being of tribes in the region. The Nez Perce Tribe and the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians have called for the removal of the dams.

We have the opportunity now to restore the lower Snake River in a way that takes into consideration the needs of the many stakeholders in the region. The dams are an important source of energy, but with proper planning a mix of solar, wind, energy efficiency, demand-response, and storage would provide a clean replacement. We must also make sure we invest in infrastructure updates to support local farmers.

Send a message to the White House and Department of Interior to support a comprehensive plan to save salmon and honor commitments to Northwest Tribes by restoring a free-flowing Snake River.

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Your Message

Subject Save salmon and restore a free-flowing Snake River

Dear Elected Officials:

Message Body

I urge you to act now in support of a comprehensive plan to remove the lower Snake River dams and replace their energy services with clean alternatives. With your help, we can restore endangered Columbia River Basin salmon, protect imperiled Southern Resident orcas from extinction, and honor commitments to Northwest Tribes.

Since the construction of these dams, salmon populations in the region have declined dramatically. This has also resulted in the decimation of the critically endangered Southern Resident orcas, of which there are only 73 left.

And the orcas are not the only ones harmed by salmon declines. Northwest Tribes that depend on healthy salmon populations for their livelihood and well-being should not be forced to shoulder the economic costs and cultural losses due to disappearing salmon runs.

Please use your leadership to develop a comprehensive plan that will:

*  Honor the Treaties and protect Northwest Native Americans' needs and way of life
*  Restore abundant salmon populations in the Columbia River Basin by removing four dams on the lower Snake River that jeopardize the future survival of these fish
*  Invest in infrastructure upgrades for impacted farming communities
*  Sustain a reliable, affordable, and clean power system for the Pacific Northwest

Thank you,

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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