Over the last month, we longed to connect to our communities. Wild salmon also share that longing to connect to their homewaters. The drive is so strong that they swim hundreds of miles, evade numerous predators and negotiate countless barriers to spawn in the place they were born.
In the Willamette River in Oregon, most wild salmon and steelhead fail to reach their home. Large dams, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, stand in the way blocking access to 70-90 percent of their spawning habitat. For 20 years, these iconic fish had some protections under the Endangered Species Act, but are still struggling to survive. The full protections of the Act are needed to halt this slide to extinction.
We need your voice to support uplisting salmon and steelhead on the Willamette River.
Salmon and steelhead demonstrate over and over how resilient they are, but they need our help. The National Marine Fisheries Service needs to hear from you that you support listing Upper Willamette River spring Chinook salmon and winter steelhead as endangered species and that protecting salmon will restore a living Willamette River. Your voice is key. Sign our letter below today.
From the oceans, salmon and steelhead carry an abundance of nutrients back to rivers that feed bald eagles, cedar trees and salmonberry plants. They sustained human cultures all around the Pacific Rim for thousands of years. They are a symbol of hope, tenacity and connection. Add your voice to the groundswell of public support; together, we can restore these iconic fish to abundance.