SEATTLE -- If the Pacific Northwest has a taste, it's for the region's salmon, but as the iconic fish species dwindles, it also effects a food chain that brings the salmon from boats to plates.

A Northwest infrastructure proposal is seen by some as a lifeline to industries across the region.

John Sundstrom, award-winning owner/chef of Lark, a Seattle restaurant, serves wild salmon when it's in season during the summer months, but noted a number of factors are hurting the species' survival chances right now.

"The main thing that it comes down to is how do we relieve pressure on the whole region?" Sundstrom explained. "You know, there's more and more people in the world that want fish."

The Columbia Basin Fund, proposed by Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson, is a $33 billion plan to remove four dams on the lower Snake River to help recover endangered salmon and steelhead, and replace the energy and agriculture benefits they provide for the region.

Sundstrom noted some larger restaurants feel the need to sell salmon year-round, because the fish is so emblematic of the region, and others secure their catches months in advance. He doesn't feel that pressure.

But Sundstrom believes the region does need a plan to preserve native salmon, as well as aid other stakeholders who would be affected if the dams are breached.

"I want this to be a resource that's around for my grandkids and for everybody down the road," Sundstrom stressed. "So, to me it's really, how do we balance the different needs?"

Amy Grondin, a commercial fisher based in Port Townsend, Washington, believes the best chance of restoring salmon and the northwest fishing industry is by removing the lower Snake River dams.

But Grondin appreciated under Rep. Simpson's plan, it wouldn't come at the expense of food producers east of the Cascades.

"We need to work together on this one," Grondin contended. "And also, when I eat salmon, I usually eat it with some vegetables, a glass of wine and some bread. That's not something I can do on a boat. I need farmers to do that."

While the plan is getting some pushback and details are still being hashed out, Simpson's Columbia Basin Fund could be included in a larger infrastructure bill in Congress later this year.


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A report from leaders in Washington state lays out how the services of four dams on the lower Snake River could be replaced in order to save ailing salmon species in the region. Now, the public has an opportunity to comment on it.

The draft report comes from Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and found it is plausible to replace the dams and the services they provide, including to agriculture, transportation and energy production.

Erin Farris-Olsen, Northern Rockies and Prairies regional executive director for the National Wildlife Federation, explained her organization favors removing the dams.

"The report itself is not surprising for many of us who have seen the lower Snake River dams as being an opportunity for our Northwest future," Farris-Olsen noted. "Removing the dams is in fact possible, and that it's really essential to avoid the extinction of salmon."

The plan's estimated cost is between $10 billion and $27 billion. A rally this Saturday in Portland will call for dam removal to save salmon. Supporters of the dams include Washington state Republicans, who say now is not the time to remove dams producing reliable power, especially with soaring energy prices across the country.

The report pointed out climate change could affect how productive the hydroelectric dams are. It said drought and low snowpack already are affecting their usefulness, and suggests replacing the dams with other renewable energy sources.

Farris-Olsen pointed out the region has spent billions of dollars on salmon restoration efforts that have not worked, and believes it should be taken into account when looking at the price tag for dam removal.

"It's also not just a cost to remove the dams," Farris-Olsen contended. "It's an investment in energy infrastructure that's going to be the future for the Northwest."

Farris-Olsen added the region is lucky there still are salmon to protect, but will not have that luxury if action is not taken soon.

"As a salmon fisher myself, it's been tough to kind of articulate the sense of urgency because the species themselves are so resilient," Farris-Olsen acknowledged. "They keep coming back, even if they're coming back in record-low numbers."

Public comment on Inslee and Murray's draft report is due by July 11. Ultimately, the power lies with Congress to approve breaching the federally-operated dams.

A measure in Congress which would fund local efforts to protect animal and plant species before they become endangered has passed the U.S. House and moved on to the Senate.

The Recovering America's Wildlife Act would dedicate $1.4 billion to the work of states and tribes, to prevent vulnerable species from declining.

Montana would receive $27 million a year to conserve nearly 130 species identified as being at risk, including bull trout and sharp-tailed grouse.

Alec Underwood, senior policy and development director for the Montana Wildlife Federation, explained the benefits of the legislation.

"There's a reason that every major hunting and fishing group in the country is backing this bill, and it's because hunters and anglers, and outdoor recreationists, for that matter, want to see our at-risk species recovered," Underwood asserted. "And ultimately, restoring their habitat will, of course, benefit the species that we like to hunt and fish."

Montana's outdoor industry provides more than $2 billion to the economy each year. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., has been a leading voice on the measure, but its critics have called it flawed because it would create a spending program without a dedicated revenue source.

Collin O'Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, which supports the bill, said his organization has been speaking with members of the House and Senate to identify additional revenue sources. He also noted proactive measures to protect wildlife save money.

"If a species declines to the point where they need listing protections under the Endangered Species Act, it can be very expensive to try to recover the species at that point," O'Mara explained. "And it's a little like health care, right? It's a lot more expensive to wind up in the emergency room than it is to do your annual checkup to make sure that everything's working well."

O'Mara believes it is the most significant conservation legislation in 50 years.

"Right now, the one-third of all species that are at heightened risk of extinction, the 12,000 species of greatest conservation need -- desperately need -- action, and inaction is the greatest ally of extinction," O'Mara contended. "This bill is a solution that's of the magnitude of the crisis."

The bill passed in the House with bipartisan support. The Senate version already has 35 co-sponsors, nearly half of whom are Republicans.

Americans are hitting the road for summer vacation, and many will be headed to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks via U.S. Highway 26.

Daryl Lutz - Lander region wildlife management coordinator with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department - said biologists and Department of Transportation engineers are narrowing in on plans to reduce wildlife vehicle collisions along a 35 mile stretch near Dubois.

Lutz said state-of-the-art radio Global Positioning System collars helped finalize the best spots for wildlife crossings.

"Literally tens of thousands of location datapoints," said Lutz, "from elk, mule deer and bighorn sheep. That has helped us delineate where wildlife most frequently approach and/or cross the highway."

Wildlife-vehicle collisions along this section of Highway 26 kill up to 250 animals each year, at a cost of more than $800,000 in property damage, emergency response and cleanup.

After engineering plans are set - Lutz said they expect workers to break ground on one overpass, three underpasses, and modifications to four other structures within the next year or two.

Tourism and recreation is Wyoming's second-largest industry, adding $1.7 billion to the state's economy in 2019.

Grand Teton National Park superintendent Chip Jenkins said a large part of that economic activity depends on strong wildlife populations.

"People coming to see, people coming to hunt, people coming to photograph wildlife," said Jenkins. "So, these wildlife migration corridors are absolutely critical to maintain, not just for the health of the ecosystem but also for helping to support the state's economy."

Lutz said while overpasses and fencing that separate animals from vehicles are expensive, they enable herds to maintain access to critical habitat on both sides of the road. He said he believes they are a good investment.

"It's anticipated that we will have paid for them, given the number of collisions that happen and the costs associated with those collisions, in about 30 years," said Lutz. "And then the longevity of those structures is at least 75 years."

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.