We just got this letter from Buster about his days off in Portland and restoration happening on the Sandy River in Oregon…
Dear Road Show Crew,
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to take a break back to my home waters. I miss you guys already and wanted to share some great news!
Yesterday I went down and celebrated the success-story-to-be that is the Sandy River with a bunch of friends in downtown Portland. The Western Rivers Conservancy helped host a celebration of the upcoming removal of both Marmot Dam and the Little Sandy River Dam that will bring salmon and steelhead back and allow for a free-flowing river in Portland’s backyard.
The Western Rivers Conservancy, along with American Rivers, Trout Unlimited and many other river and fishing groups, worked together with the owners of the dams, Portland General Electric (PGE), and numerous community groups to come up with a real solution that works. And at the end of the day, PGE made a business decision: the dams no longer made financial sense.
Though definitely not the case for all dams, this situation with the Sandy River is very similar to my home river, the Snake. By taking a collective look at the crisis on the Snake River we can find the opportunities for recovery of salmon and a diverse economy in the Northwest. And at the end of the day, our representatives in the House and Senate, and by extension U.S. taxpayers, can make a business decision on the Lower Snake River that restores salmon, rebuilds jobs, and saves taxpayer dollars. (For more on the dollars and sense of lower Snake dam removal, check out this report, called Revenue Stream.)
All in all it was a great event full of beautiful art, music, and people! It’s been lovely at home but I can’t wait to get back and spread the word on salmon recovery!
Keep on swimming,
Buster
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