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Dear Mr. Walker:
I wish to make some recommendations concerning amendments to the Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program, but first a little background. I represent no organized group, but I do represent many Idaho residents who have grown up and raised families in this state, but who will probably not write you to express their views. A lot of them feel the same way I do about what has happened to our historic salmon and steelhead runs into this state. What has happened, and continues to happen to our anadromous fish runs, is no less than a national tragedy, caused by greed, indifference, and our habit of giving all commodity interests higher priority than a natural free flowing river and the magnificent fish runs we used to have. I am not a raving environmentalist either. I work for a Timber Protective Association and am a strong supporter of the need to wisely utilize our natural resources. I want to see the needs of the fish and wildlife of the Columbia River Basin, and especially the salmon and steelhead runs, given a higher priority than they have been in recent years. And if that costs people more for power, water, aluminum, transportation, etc. than it has, then so be it. It is what we should have been doing all along and we wouldn’t be in the crisis mode that we are today. I believe we are capable of having strong sustainable fish runs and other wildlife benefits, while still wisely utilizing the water available in the Basin, for many beneficial purposes. To that end, I make the following recommendations:
1. Amend the Council’s current fish and wildlife program goal statement on salmon/steelhead with a greatly shortened time line. Our vision should be to stabilize, protect, and restore the runs, not by the year 2194, but by 2025. And doubling the runs isn’t what I want to see. Doubling the run of sockeye to Idaho will still not get them off the endangered species list. I want to see those runs restored to the 1940’s level, and all major fish runs on the Columbia removed from the endangered or threatened specie lists.
2. When you get to the level of planning objectives and strategies, it is critical that you try to restore a free flowing river to the extent possible, by breaching the four lower Snake River Dams. I have read all of the research and talked to a lot of knowledgeable people about it. I also remember when those dams were built, and what happened to the fish runs as soon as they were completed. It is pretty clear to me that we will never get our fish runs back to the 1940’s level without removing those dams. They should never have been built in the first place. Hopefully, we are wise enough now to recognize our mistake and correct it.
In conclusion I would like to thank you for the chance to comment. I know your task will not be easy, but it is vital to the Northwest and to the nation that these magnificent anadromous fish be given every chance to survive and increase. Our great grandchildren will celebrate our success in saving them, or condemn our failure to do so.
Sincerely,
Bill E. Williams
307 Burns RD.
P.O. Box 1625
McCall, ID 83638
Phone 208-634-5381