New Friends at Outdoor Retailer

We're gearing up for some exciting days next week: Outdoor Retailer is here!  

The Outdoor Retailer Market is our chance to connect with all of the amazing outdoor recreation business allies we have gained over the years. These business leaders understand full well the economic value of healthy habitat, healthy salmon populations, and outdoor recreation.

For this year's summer market we are thrilled to link up with three great companies:  Alite, Boreas, and Light and Motion.  They're working on an awesome T-shirt to benefit Save Our Wild Salmon and we're gonna party down on Friday at the their booth (#39205) from 4pm - close. If you are in Salt Lake City please join us!

A bit more about the companies we're working with:

Alite Designs

Alite makes going outside simple. We want nothing to stand between you and everything beyond your front door.  We design products that make you wonder why you’re still inside. Like, right now.

We think the “great outdoors” is a stroll through the neighborhood. Or hoofing it up Everest. It’s all of that and anything in between. As long as you’re somewhere out there, we’re in the mood for high-fiving.

We practice ethical and sustainable manufacturing. Go us! We’re based in San Francisco and loving it! It’s pretty ridiculous. Come out and play with us sometime.

Your Alite stories and photos rock our world! Share them with us by emailing info [at] alitedesigns [daht] com. or holler at us on Twitter and Facebook!

Boreas

Boreas makes outdoor equipment you can use everyday: beautiful, practical, hardwearing stuff for passionate people with things to do.

We believe the best gear is neither complicated nor expensive, that it should be as versatile as the person using it, and that there’s no reason to compromise form for function.

If you have a favorite design you want to share, post it to our scrapbook.
Click here to submit something.

Light and Motion

Light and Motion has been designing and building lights for over 20 years. Our lights go 200 feet below the ocean and blaze trails wherever mountain bikes venture. We are riders who care deeply about building a great company that our employees and our community can be proud of. One that our customers can depend on for great products. We haven't shipped our jobs offshore either. We design and build our products in Monterey California because we do it better than anyone else can. Thanks for being part of our community.

Contact Light and Motion here.  You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Special thanks goes out to Max Davis at Light and Motion and Emily Nuchols at Under Solen Media for making this happen. 

Salmon, jobs, ESA defended; bad riders linger.

Thanks to today's House vote of 224-202, the bipartisan amendment from Rep. Norm Dicks (D-WA), Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) has eliminated the anti-salmon, jobs, and ESA "Extinction Rider" from the final spending bill (H.R. 2584). 

Here's a response from Pat Ford, executive director for Save Our Wild Salmon:

"Salmon defenders and salmon businesses thank the bi-partisan group of salmon state members of Congress who today voted to strip "the extinction rider" from the Interior Appropriations bill.  The vote succeeded; the provision suspending key parts of the Endangered Species Act has been stripped from the bill.  The outcome is a victory for salmon, salmon jobs, and salmon-dependent communities on the west coast.

We are grateful to, and we thank, the Democrats and Republicans from salmon states who successfully removed this provision.  We hope they now move forward to remove all other amendments that harm salmon and salmon jobs, and we hope that salmon state Senators and Representatives unite to fight any further efforts this Congress to attack salmon or the Endangered Species Act."

Other legislative threats to salmon and jobs still on the horizon:

Interior and Environment Appropriations Act (H.R. 2584)

Poisoned salmon, poisoned communities (Section 447) This amendment prohibits the EPA from implementing any measures recommended by federal wildlife experts to protect salmon and other endangered species from pesticides.

The EPA estimates that more than one billion tons of pesticides are used each year in the United States. These chemicals, which include broad spectrum killers dating back to World War II, seriously harm America’s endangered species including salmon, frogs, birds, and sea turtles. Pesticides also threaten human health, especially the health of young children. While pesticides in our waterways and air affect everyone, farmworkers and local communities are often at the greatest risk. Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, the EPA must consult with federal wildlife agencies to mitigate the harms that registered pesticides pose to threatened and endangered species. 

This amendment prohibits the EPA from implementing any measures recommended by federal wildlife experts to protect endangered species from pesticides. This spells disaster for species that are already on the brink of extinction due to pesticides and other harms. For example, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has found that the use of 24 particularly toxic pesticides and herbicides is harming listed Pacific salmon. NMFS has recommended reasonable mitigation measures such as no-spray buffer zones around waterways to protect endangered salmon from these particular poisons. This amendment would prevent the EPA from implementing any of NMFS’s recommendations, further harming not only imperiled salmon and fishing jobs, but also human health.

The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2354)

Section 203 - Undermining the Consensus Agreement to Restore California’s San Joaquin River, Hurting Jobs, Wasting Taxpayer Dollars

Section 203 would block implementation of the San Joaquin River Restoration Agreement, which balances salmon restoration with the water supply needs of agricultural users. This provision would prevent the restoration of flows and salmon to California’s second largest river and undermine efforts to revive the state’s beleaguered commercial salmon fishing industry, while also blocking flood management and water supply projects that would benefit the region’s farmers.

Additionally, this provision would order the Bureau of Reclamation to permanently maintain the river in a degraded state, thereby impacting downstream water quality for millions of Californians. The bipartisan settlement agreement ended 18 years of litigation and initiated one of the largest river restoration and water supply programs in the nation. Passage of this provision could force all parties back into court resulting in a waste years of effort and millions of dollars that are already available - funds that would create water supply projects, habitat projects, flood protection improvements and jobs.

Amendment: Threatening Salmon Restoration in the San Joaquin River 

This amendment blocks funding to reintroduce salmon to the San Joaquin River – a key component of the 2006 bipartisan settlement agreement to restore the river. After the completion of Friant Dam by the federal government in the 1940’s, nearly 95% of the San Joaquin River's flow was diverted, drying up the river and devastating salmon populations and commercial fisheries jobs. Passage of the amendment will undermine the settlement agreement and could force the case back into court. If the court takes over river restoration, water users and local farmers would be at risk of losing water supply and flood management projects provided by the settlement.


Contact Congress Now: (202) 224-3121 - give your zip code

Ask your representative to fight any further efforts in Congress to attack salmon, jobs, and the Endangered Species Act.

Riders on the Storm

Lightning on the Columbia - Astoria, Oregon - by Ian Boggs

The Interior and Environment Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012, H.R. 2584, currently moving through the House of Representatives includes an "Extinction Rider" with language that, if signed into law, will paralyze our nation’s ability to protect hundreds of imperiled wildlife and plant species under the Endangered Species Act.

Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) and Congressman Norm Dicks (WA-6) have introduced an important amendment to the Interior Appropriations bill that would strike the "Extinction Rider" from the final bill.

Please send a message to your representative in support of the Dicks-Thompson Amendment.

As it stands, the current bill would prevent the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) from protecting any new or additional endangered species, designate or update critical habitat for any currently-listed species, or upgrade the status of a species from threatened to endangered. Unless a species is already listed, it would receive no protection under the ESA. And for listed species, prohibiting USFWS from designating critical habitat would eliminate the most effective means of endangered species protection under the ESA, inevitably leading to the non-recovery, and possible extinction, of plants and animals across the country.

When it comes to wild salmon, protecting the Endangered Species Act is about more than saving critters; it's about jobs and livelihoods in our communities and about what we truly value. Thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs are supported by salmon and steelhead.  Laws and policies like the ESA help communities prosper by protecting our land, water, air, and wildlife.

That's why it's encouraging to see leaders such as Congressman Dicks and Congressman Thompson taking a stand to protect the Endangered Species Act, wild salmon and steelhead, and the communities and jobs that rely on them. 

TAKE ACTION TODAY. 

Wind, Salmon and FERC

Portland, Ore. – Today, salmon advocates joined the wind energy industry in a public battle against the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). Their support comes following an official complaint by wind energy groups having lost millions in revenue this summer due to a recent policy implemented by BPA limiting their ability to sell power. BPA has attempted to pit the wind industry and salmon groups against each other, claiming the protection of endangered salmon as its motivation for curtailing the wind industry. Salmon advocates dispute the scientific support for such a claim. In fact, salmon groups assert that increasing spill over the dams a bit and supporting the renewable wind sector are in fact a “wind-win” for salmon, despite BPA’s claims.

The situation is a result of unusually high water levels in the rivers due to abundant snowfall this past winter. Consequently, surplus energy was created via hydro power, resulting in overgeneration on the power grid. Rather than implement numerous other options for handling the overgeneration, BPA’s decision was to shut off wind, contrary to existing contracts wind producers had with BPA. The wind industry has responded via an official complaint with the Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC). Salmon advocates have filed a motion to intervene in the filing to support the wind-industry and protect endangered salmon, which benefit from safe spill at the dams.

"There is just no justification for BPA to curtail the whole region's wind power, costing wind investors many millions of dollars, just so they can maximize unneeded power generation at the dams," noted Glen Spain of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, a commercial fishing industry trade association and one of the intervening groups.  

“There’s more at stake here than just supporting the renewable energy sector and wind-industry, which is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Northwest,” said Kevin Lewis, Conservation Policy Director at Idaho Rivers United. “This short-sighted policy also hurts fish, and therefore, all the thousands of jobs and families that depend on those fish for their livelihoods.”

The organizations moving to intervene in the FERC proceeding include Save our Wild Salmon, Idaho Rivers United, American Rivers, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, and the Institute for Fisheries Resources. 

Full text of comments submitted to FERC available here.

While BPA announced this morning that it was ending this season’s curtailment of wind energy, the long term implications are serious and broad reaching, both for investment in the renewable energy sector and for salmon. With scientifically driven change in federal policy, we know we can restore salmon, increase clean energy such as wind energy, and create jobs.  Read more in the NW Energy Coalition report “Bright Future.”

ICAST: Where Salmon Mean Business

This week in sunny Las Vegas, Save Our Wild Salmon was on hand for ICAST, the world's largest sportfishing trade show, hosted by our friends at the American Sportfishing Association.  ASA represents the interests of America’s 60 million anglers who generate over $45 billion in retail sales with a $125 billion impact on the nation’s economy creating employment for over one million people. 

Buyers, sellers, manufacturers, and even bloggers of all kinds come from all corners of the globe to view what's new in the industry.  ICAST provides SOS with a great way to connect with business leaders whose very livelihoods depend on healthy rivers, oceans, and abundant fishing opportunities.  Also, having ICAST in Las Vegas gives us a chance to both spread the word nationally about our campaign to restore Columbia-Snake Basin salmon and steelhead and dish out a bit of history regarding salmon in Nevada.

Wha?

Yes, that's right.  Northern Nevada was once home to abundant salmon and steelhead populations.  Along with beef and produce, many ranchers brought salmon to market, plucked from their local stream.  Read more about the salmon and steelhead connection in Nevada.

The show was a great success.  A HUGE thank you to American Sportfishing Association, the Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association, and all of the businesses that are helping move our campaign forward to restore Columbia-Snake basin salmon and steelhead.  Check out a few photo highlights from the show:

Ron and Dave at Easy2Hook (out of Las Vegas!) were pleased to hear about the salmon / Nevada connection, and they were selling some pretty nifty hooks at the show.

Met with Mike and Lance at Chums.  Both were jazzed (different ways of showing it).

Chatted with Chris Timmerman from The Creek Company out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Chris talked up the benefits of free-flowing rivers. 

 

Met w/ Kelly Marble and Jeff Kolodzinski (not pictured) from Frabill out of Jackson, Wisconsin.  These folks were so nice and very supportive.  Frabill won this year's Best New Apparel Award (see the mannequin).  And PS: Why is everyone from Wisconsin so nice?  Probably makes sense to link to the work of Congressman Tom Petri (R-WI) here too.

Some friends from back home: longtime SOS supporter Randy Woolsey from the Tom Posey Co. and Kari McClellan Swigart from NSIA (Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association) at the Okuma booth.  Kari was SUPER helpful and introduced me to several new people.  Thanks a million Kari! 

And thank you to everyone at ICAST!

Still Making Summer Plans?

Idaho Salmon River Trips available to benefit SOS

Float the Salmon River and Help Protect and Restore Wild Salmon and Steelhead at the Same Time!

Dustin Aherin, a good friend of Save Our Wild Salmon and owner of Salmon River Outfitters, has offered to donate to SOS $500 for any SOS supporters and their families and friends that join one of his summer trips on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River this summer. These are epic trips through some of the most beautiful, wild and storied country remaining in the Lower 48.

As of today, Dustin still has availability on three 6-day trips beginning on July 30, August 7, and August 15. There are currently multiple slots available, so you can bring your whole family to visit what was once  - and can still be again - some of the most productive salmon habitat in the Pacific Northwest.

Magnificent river. Excellent food. Rollicking rafting. Very fun and professional treatment.

The trips normally run for $1975 per person. Dustin has offered to lower the price to $1850 and donate $500 to SOS for each person that takes advantage of this opportunity.

Go here to learn more:

Salmon River Outfitters

Thanks for your support!

Joseph Bogaard

206-286-4455, x103

Congressman Dicks defends the ESA

Congressman Norm Dicks

Congressman Norm Dicks, from Washington State's 6th Congressional District, is working in Congress this month to protect the integrity of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). At an important hearing this week, Congressman Dicks led the charge to defend the ESA and oppose the many anti-environmental provisions or legislative "riders" and cuts that made it into the House Interior Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012.

Please take just a few minutes to call his office and thank Congressman Dicks now: 202-225-5916

After you do, please send me a quick email - joseph@wildsalmon.org - confirming that you made a call. Thank you!

Some important points to make:
    * Thank you for your work to defend the Endangered Species Act from attacks in Congress by opposing the addition of anti-environmental provisions in the Interior Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012. Please know that you have my support as you continue to work to improve the Interior bill as it moves forward in the House.
    * In the Northwest, the recovery of ESA-listed species - wild salmon and steelhead in particular - is directly tied to the health of our economy. 
    * Salmon and steelhead mean business and jobs.  Please keep this connection between the ESA and job recovery in mind in the 112th Congress and work towards solutions that bring lasting recovery for wild salmon and steelhead - and for coastal communities and the salmon economy.

Here in the Pacific Northwest - salmon country - protecting the Endangered Species Act is about more than saving critters; it's about jobs and livelihoods in our communities and about what we truly value in our region. Thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs are supported by salmon and steelhead.  Laws and policies like the ESA help communities prosper by protecting our land, water, air, and wildlife.

The Interior Appropriations bill currently moving through the House includes language that, if signed into law, will paralyze our nation’s ability to protect hundreds of imperiled wildlife and plant species under the ESA. The bill would prevent the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) from protecting any new or additional endangered species, designate or update critical habitat for any currently-listed species, or upgrade the status of a species from threatened to endangered. Unless a species is already listed, it would receive no protection under the ESA. And for listed species, prohibiting USFWS from designating critical habitat would eliminate the most effective means of endangered species protection under the ESA, inevitably leading to the non-recovery, and possible extinction, of plants and animals across the country.

Those who have followed salmon recovery in the Pacific Northwest for years already know these "non-recovery" and "possible extinction" scenarios all too well.  The last thing we need is another attack on our invaluable natural resources.

That's why it's encouraging to see leaders such as Congressman Dicks taking a stand to protect the Endangered Species Act, our salmon and steelhead, and the communities and jobs that rely on them.

Again, please take a moment to thank Congressman Dicks by calling 202-225-5916.