Trail Runner features The Great Salmon Run

Luke Nelson and Ty Draney in the Snake River Basin © Matt Irving

Trail Runner Magazine recently published a great feature article from endurance runner Luke Nelson, telling the story of his truly epic journey, along with fellow ultrarunner Ty Draney, through some of the best salmon habitat left in the world: the Snake River Basin.

How epic?  We're talking about a "two-day run of well over 120 miles of rugged terrain with a total elevation gain of about 20,000 feet" kind of epic.

Here's the intro:

The cold penetrates to my core. I am lying underneath my giant Forest Service map as a rogue thunderstorm bathes the canyon, an intense deluge that lasts about 30 minutes. Ty Draney, my good friend and ultrarunner extraordinaire, who is under the other map that we brought, sounds like he is getting some rest. I am incredibly envious that he is able to doze off, as I am shivering far too hard to coax my body into even a light sleep. The rain quickly passes, and I endure the shivering for another 10 to 15 minutes. Then I crack. I wake Ty and again we force our depleted bodies to move.

Several years before I found myself sleeping under an oversize map, I worked on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River as a raft guide. That summer I often pondered what it would be like to travel through the heart of the Frank Church Wilderness along the river on the trail. I didn't run at the time, and it seemed impossible—80 miles of travel along the river followed by another 40 or so to get back to civilization. Yet the seed had been planted.

Read on over at Trail Runner

Men's Journal Features LSR Dam Removal

We highly recommend checking out the April issue of Men's Journal, which features an article by Kevin Gray examining the impact of the hydrosystem on salmon survival in the Columbia-Snake Basin.

Gray's piece points out that saving salmon is as much about saving local economies and jobs as it is about the fish themselves, saying that the four lower Snake River dams, "have resulted in the loss of approximately half of each year's outbound population, not to mention millions of dollars in revenue from once-thriving sport and commercial fishing industry small towns like Riggins [ID]."

He quotes Kerry Brennan, a 59-year-old fishing guide in Riggins who has spent his entire life on the river, "Dams are always thought of as progress and jobs. That's how they got them in in the first place. But now they're killing the fish, and they're killing towns like this. That ain't right."

No, Kerry, no it isn't. Especially not when taking the four lower Snake River dams out could result in the kind of economic development this region needs, through renewable energy, improved transportation infrastructure, and increases in wild fish supporting numerous industries.

Guides like Kerry deserve a say in the matter. That's why we're pushing for a stakeholder process that takes Kerry's opinion into account, as well as ratepayers, and commercial fishermen, and farmers, barge workers, tribes and all the other entities that have something major to lose if salmon go extinct (which, by the way, they're fast on their way towards becoming). Learn more about what we mean by a stakeholder process.

It's our last chance to save the salmon, and we need to move quickly before it's too late. JOIN US in asking for a solutions table.

Read the full article online, or pick up your copy in stores now.

Court-Ordered Spill Helps Salmon Returns and Jobs

Salmon projections still not meeting federal government's own recovery levels despite "record returns" spin.

Deschutes River steelhead, courtesy of David Farris

Listen to the story "Hard to Catch, Harder to Count" from Public News Service.

Portland, OR — Last week, Oregon and Washington Departments of Fish and Wildlife released projection estimates for spring returns of adult salmon. The numbers, certain to be adjusted as the fish start returning, indicate the potential for a stronger return in the Columbia and Snake Rivers than was seen in 2011. Scientists and fish biologists attribute these returns to ocean conditions, as well as due to in-river conditions including increases in court-ordered spill at the federal dams to support fish migration.

Projections are a valuable tool in setting fisheries policies, but they are only estimates and are subject to frequent adjustment. In 2009 and 2010, actual fish returns were significantly lower than projections indicated.

Read more from the SOS Press Release.

HB 4101: Serious Issue, Bad Bill

The Columbia River Gorge looking upstream towards Crown Point. by Eric Guinther

Oregon recently avoided legislative disaster when House Bill 4101 was sent to the Rules Committee, where it currently lives. And hopefully, it stays there because HB 4101 is nothing but all sorts of bad news for salmon. While the bill addresses a very serious issue that deserves attention, it does so in a way that is unscientific, inequitable, premature, and frankly, unnecessary.

We outlined our arguments against HB 4101 in an official letter submitted last week. Here are some excerpted highlights:

Our coalition of more than 50 organizations and 4 million members and supporters nationwide believes this bill, as written, will harm our efforts to protect and restore salmon and the family-wage jobs they support in the Columbia-Snake River Basin.

The question of how best to address water resource issues in a changing climate is a serious matter and deserves serious attention. We applaud the Oregon Legislature and the Governor’s office for looking ahead on this matter and seeking solutions to the challenge of meeting Oregon’s water needs. We are concerned that HB 4101, however, does not do justice to this complex issue, and may set up a dynamic that risks pitting interests against each other instead of finding ways to work together to solve our collective water issues. […]

The questions surrounding our state’s invaluable water resources are complex and they must be addressed carefully, thoughtfully, and rationally. Indeed, we need to get ahead of these issues and manage them proactively. However, HB 4101 misses the mark for achieving the shared goal of smart, science-based, forward-looking water resource management that protects Oregon’s greatest assets.

Read the full text of the letter.

Paul Fish: Salmon Super Hero

Mountain Gear and President Paul Fish of Spokane, WA were honored recently at the 2012 Winter Outdoor Retailer Show as the Sustainable Retailer of the Year. SNEWS and Backpacker Magazine presented the award, which honors outdoor retailers that embody the spirit of entrepreneurship and serve as visionaries for the outdoor market and as leaders in the communities they serve.

Said Fish of the award, “We follow sustainable models at Mountain Gear because it’s the right thing to do. But this award also serves notice that these initiatives are good for business. The notion of sustainability is more than the rainwater we reclaim to water our grounds, it’s more than our compost pile and our garden. It extends to the business model, too. If we’re ethical and transparent we earn the trust of our employees, customers, vendors, and communities. That is sustainability.”

Read the full article about the award at this link.

Save Our wild Salmon has been honored to have Paul’s support for many years. Paul knows that a health environment means a healthy economy, and that wild salmon are critical for both. He’s carried this philosophy through his business model and is a true shining example of a sustainable business.

Congratulations to Paul Fish and Mountain Gear!

Mountain Gear was one of nearly 1,200 American businesses that signed our Salmon Mean Business letter calling on President Obama to try a new approach in NW salmon restoration. You can also read Paul’s recent guest blog for us about why salmon restoration is so critical for our economy.