Propoganda won’t change the facts. Idaho’s salmon are in deep trouble | Opinion

On May 14 this paper published a response by Will Hart and Clark Mather to my April 20 op-ed. In that column, I called for Idaho’s Gov. Brad Little to “think like a mountain” for the benefit of Idaho and its wild salmon, which are on the brink of extinction.

In response, Hart and Mather indicate they too want robust salmon populations. But instead of using science and facts, they seem to believe magical thinking is enough to bring Idaho’s wild salmon back from the brink of extinction.

Hart and Mather’s magical thinking is their claim that there are more salmon in the Lower Snake River and the Columbia River than ever before, even as hydropower, climate change and human impacts identified by science continue. But I think Hart and Mather underestimate the arithmetic skills of Idahoans.

They have long known our wild salmon are on the edge of extinction. And not because of seals, birds, or fish. Idahoans know full well that the four hydropower projects on the Lower Snake River in Washington are driving Idaho’s wild salmon to extinction. These four dams, the last to be built on the Snake River in Washington, were the straw that broke the back of Idaho’s wild fish.

And no matter how many barges, bypasses, screens or other ornaments of “mitigation” the Bonneville Power Administration or Army Corps of Engineers hang are on these dams; Idahoan’s know their wild fish are falling towards extinction. That fall is now so desperate they propose putting fish in boats or shooting them through tubes rather than face the reality that we must repair the Lower Snake River to recover Idaho’s wild salmon.

Hart and Mather state they are ready to work towards science-based solutions. That sounds good to me. I will put the decades of Columbia River salmon and fisheries science and traditional ecological knowledge on the table to devise the solutions that recover wild salmon in Idaho. On top of that, I will make sure we make good business decisions to save Idaho’s wild salmon. This includes modernizing our grid and electrical system for the benefit of ratepayers while holding BPA accountable. And because the Columbia River connects us all, the solutions can be done in collaboration with Washington, Oregon and tribes.

Hart, Mather and I are in agreement on most of what is needed. What I disagree with is: 1) Magical thinking cannot be used to recover salmon or predict electricity outputs or costs for ratepayers. We must use real numbers, science and good business decisions. 2) Leadership not stepping forward on behalf of Idaho’s wild salmon and steelhead to hand off that legacy to future generations.

Little and our own Northwest Power and Conservation Council representatives should be insisting we take the necessary actions to prevent Idaho’s wild fish from winking out. This leadership should insist on being directed by the science, tribal treaties and the benefits that Idaho anglers, rural communities, ecosystems and future generations will gain from recovery of wild salmon and steelhead in Idaho.

Idaho has the greatest salmon and steelhead habitat in the country. But it is becoming increasingly vacant. Made so by dams outside our state. Idaho leadership can change this. It can tip the scales, devise real solutions, overcome inertia and help us all think like a mountain for the future we deserve.

Gregg Servheen is a 43-year-plus hunting, fishing, camping, hiking and wildlife-loving resident of the state of Idaho.