Letter to the editor teaser graphic

Growing up in Alaska, our family relied heavily on salmon as a staple. I also was raised to respect and honor the Indigenous members within our community.

The value of increasing efforts to remove the four lower Snake River dams is immeasurable. As a sport fisherperson, I recognize the value of bringing native salmon and steelhead back from the brink of extinction as a moral and ethical endeavor. Bringing back Indigenous rights to their cultural heritage and meeting the treaties is a regional and national obligation.

With two state governors and several legislators supporting investigations to replace the services that these four dams provide is only a first step. Installations of these dams forced environmental and community transitions; removal also will have transient impacts to many. But evidence is mounting that the water, power and transportation concerns can be addressed.

The end goal is to restore a millenniums-old species to their native spawning grounds. To not do so can only be rationalized through humankind’s hubris. I urge all who wish to honor the treaty obligations to Indigenous Peoples, and who value restoring the habitat of endangered fish in order to bring them back, to contact your state and federal representatives.

Time is short. Once lost, these fish start an ecological downslide. Your voice matters.

Mike Dahlstrom

Tigard