By Brian Brooks / For The Herald
The modern geo-political landscapes of Idaho and Washington can often appear worlds apart.
However, the truth is, we in each state are naturally and deeply connected in a number of ways. At the core of both of our state’s iconic fish and wildlife, sporting traditions and even top-of-class agricultural landscapes, is the network of rivers and streams that feed the Columbia River basin. This unparalleled ecosystem stretches more than 900 miles, passing into the Pacific along the length of Washington right from my backyard here in Idaho. It is a connection that has been the source of life for Northwest Tribes for millenia, continues to be for riverside communities that live alongside it today, and hopefully for the future.
But, celebration of intense connections such as these requires a shared consideration of consequences. What happens in Washington state has cascading impacts here in Idaho. I was reminded of this once again last summer, when I went out with my wife, my 2-year-old son and my infant daughter to float on the river and to take part in our annual fishing trip. I was hopeful, but I had to be realistic. Salmon and steelhead have steadily declined toward extinction my whole life as a direct result of the completion of the four dams on the lower Snake River in the early 1970s.
It broke my heart to know handing down this generational pastime was at risk.
But, this week, after a thoughtful, deliberate process led by Northwest Tribes, the Biden administration announced Thursday a package of actions and commitments to specific dam operations on the lower Snake River. This will support the restoration of threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead runs while forging a durable, long-term solution to strengthen Northwest communities.
The salmon and steelhead runs of the Columbia River Basin — historically numbering in the millions, the largest in North America — have defined our Northwest way of life. To lose these storied fish runs would be to lose a vital regional resource as well as a national treasure. Tribes throughout the Columbia River Basin are deeply connected with salmon, and if they were to disappear, the impact would be incalculable. From Washington, to Oregon, to Idaho and beyond, this agreement provides opportunities for ecological and economic revitalization, benefiting the environment, wildlife and communities.
For me personally, it restores hope. The chance to continue a family tradition: fishing with my son and daughter and the dream that they can do the same with their own kids one day.
But, I am also proud to share with my children that this agreement is not just about fish.
This agreement offers our region a stronger energy grid and abundant power as we move to decarbonize our future. It will translate to improved infrastructure for transportation and irrigation — and community preparedness in the face of growing wildlife risks. As drought deepens in the West, this agreement will provide security for the farming communities that have worked the land to feed the region, the country and beyond. While we still have work to do, this agreement moves us toward recognizing the legally binding treaties and commitments that our nation has made with Northwest Tribes.
Our opportunity to act toward a prosperous regional future has come. The idea that hydropower is exclusively a clean, renewable resource is of a bygone era. We need to recognize the difference between valuable dams and dams that do more harm than good.
Energy isn’t clean if it’s killing fish, wildlife and the ecosystem and cultures that depend on it. Hydropower isn’t clean when dam reservoirs are heating our rivers to lethal temperatures and fueling toxic algal blooms that lead to liver damage and kill our pets, as we saw this summer. Often referred to as a “renewable” resource, hydropower is not renewable when drought and changing climate have diminished snowpack and our drained river flows of their potential to create power.
The time for change we need is now. The way to move forward is together.
The lower Snake River dams have reached — have surpassed — their life span, benefitting fewer and fewer at too high a cost. It’s no longer fiscally rational, culturally responsible or environmentally feasible to continue to rely on the lower Snake River dams. It’s quite simple. Idahoans want their fish back and we don’t want to keep paying the high price of the status quo.
Idahoans are deeply grateful to Rep. Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, who led the charge in 2021 to find durable solutions to the crisis. Now we are thankful to the Biden administration for its work with the Tribes and partners to put the Northwest on the right path toward only a closer, but healthier connection.
Brian Brooks is executive director of Idaho Wildlife Federation.
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