On Oct 22, fifty-five unaffiliated scientists sent a letter to policymakers in Washington State, Idaho, and Oregon urging action to address high water temperatures resulting from reservoirs behind dams that severely impact salmon in the Columbia and Lower Snake Rivers.

IRU was excited to honor our 2019 Award Recipients at our 25th Annual Gala for the Rivers hosted at JUMP! on Oct. 17th, 2019. Each of these individuals and organizations has made invaluable contributions to IRU over the last year and has been integral to our work.

Thank you to everyone who helped make our 25th Annual Gala for the Rivers a success!

We had a full house at JUMP! for live music, auctions, drinks, raffles, dinner, and more.  This year’s event had a new feel with an elevated space, fun raffles, new auction items, and lots of energy!

Idaho Rivers United has stood shoulder to shoulder with Tribal leadership on restoring salmon and steelhead populations to Idaho. As co-managers of fish and wildlife resources in the Pacific Northwest, Indigenous people provide unique expertise in the management of these resources, balancing it with cultural traditions. Collaboration with Tribal partners is a cornerstone of our work and lies at the heart of solving the salmon crisis.

On September 12, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rolled back protections for waterways, headwaters, and wetlands.

If you care about Idaho salmon and steelhead, come show your support at the state house on Tuesday, the 24th of September.

The time has come to tell the Governor that Idaho needs bold leadership in order to recover our salmon and steelhead runs. We have been collecting postcards signed by folks across Idaho and the nation addressed to our governor and now we need your help in delivering them straight to his desk.

On Monday, August 26th, Idaho Rivers United and many of our partners in conservation are fighting for our salmon and steelhead before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals during oral arguments in Seattle.  We are fighting for the cool, clean water that these imperiled fish require. 

Governor Little’s  Salmon Work Group reconvened in Salmon on July 30th and 31st for its second round of discussion and meetings.

IRU and Pacific Rivers have filed a petition to challenge the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Water Act certification of the Hells Canyon Complex of dams on the Snake River.

Idaho Rivers United has been dedicated to our Guide Education program for over 15 years; this tradition allows us to build stronger relationships with river lovers from all over the United States.  As the Outreach and Education Coordinator for Idaho Rivers United I was given the opportunity to travel along Idaho’s rivers educating guides for the last two months.

For The River’s,

Danielle Warnke

Governor Brad Little convened his Salmon Work Group for their first meeting Friday, June 28, in Boise. His opening remarks rang hollow as he stated, “I remain unconvinced at this time that breaching the dams will recover salmon in Idaho. In order to keep this diverse group of stakeholders (together), we will put polarizing issues aside and focus on pragmatic, achievable solutions." IRU, and other conservation partners remain steadfast, however, that the work group must address dam breaching as a viable option in their deliberations. To not do so would be to ignore sound science on salmon hydrosystem mortality and invite the recycling of decades of failed recovery plans. 

We are pleased with the recent announcement concerning the first meeting of the Governor’s Salmon Workgroup in Boise. Governor Little has assumed a position of leadership on the recovery of our native salmon and steelhead, an issue IRU has been passionately involved in for the last two and a half decades.