IRU Member Highlight: Throughout the year we will be highlighting different Idaho Rivers United members, from folks who have been with us since the beginning (32 years!) to brand new members. This month, we are excited to highlight Tricia Matthews, IRU member since 2018!

The Priest River in northern Idaho has suffered for decades due to management practices that disregard the health of the river system. The outlet dam on Priest Lake was constructed in 1950 to maintain the lake level, and each summer the dam creates artificially low stream flows and warm temperatures on the 44 miles of the Priest River from the lake to the confluence with the Pend Oreille River.

Years of collaborative research and discussion between scientists, stakeholders, and decision makers culminated last year with Montana adopting a more stringent selenium pollution rule for the Kootenai River and Lake Koocanusa. The effort to establish stronger selenium limits has long been led by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and the Ktunaxa Nation Council. Canadian coal mining company Teck Resources, whose operations are responsible for the high levels of selenium in the river, recently petitioned to overturn the new limits.

Each year, IRU’s annual awards recognize outstanding members, supporters, businesses, and partners that further IRU’s mission and work. We are excited to present to you the 2021 award recipients!

This summer, I was fortunate to be the Idaho Rivers United staff representative on our Main Salmon IRU raft trip. For five glorious days, I was able to immerse myself in the river and reconnect with the “why” behind IRU’s conservation efforts

The Columbia Basin Collaborative’s (CBC) Integration and Recommendations Group held its first official meeting late last month virtually over Zoom. This was the first of a year-long series of meetings focused on regional salmon recovery that originated from a four-state agreement signed last fall.

The historical record of dam building in the US shows that dam malfunctions and failures are a frequent occurrence. Dam failures that result in an uncontrolled release of water average 10 per year, and while you may attribute this to old technology, the decades with the greatest number of failures were the 1990s, 2000s, and 1970s.

In 2021, Idaho’s salmon and steelhead returns continued to follow the declining population trends of the last few years, resulting in another year of very low abundance.

We invite you to review several opportunities for you to invest in Idaho Rivers United’s mission with a lasting gift. Planned gifts provide funding for our mission today and into the future.

Science has consistently demonstrated for three decades that removal of the Lower Snake River Dams is imperative to save Idaho’s wild salmon populations. But what actually happens to fish populations when dams are removed? What do dam removal projects on other rivers show us about how anadromous fish populations respond to this event?

In September the EPA issued discharge permits to the Army Corps of Engineers that will limit hot water and oil pollution stemming from the four Lower Snake River dams. This is a significant step in the effort to cool down river temperatures that are lethal to migrating salmon and steelhead, and a culmination of IRU’s work over the last 30 years to hold dam operators accountable to the Endangered Species Act.

However, recent activity has not only renewed hopes of restoring the lower Snake River to a free-flowing river and saving endangered salmon and steelhead, but has signaled that “The times they are a-changing.”

Loon Outdoors is a business that believes in rivers and fish, believes in being stewards of the outdoors, and gives back to like-minded organizations like Idaho Rivers United. This family-owned business uses a methodical approach to create quality products that are safe for the environment, designing products to make your day on the water spectacular.

Idaho Rivers United’s 27th Annual Auction for the Rivers concluded last Friday and we are immensely grateful for the support of our members and partners!

Portland, OR – Earthjustice, on behalf of a coalition of fishing and conservation groups, today joined with Biden administration agencies, the State of Oregon and the Nez Perce Tribe to seek a pause until next summer in litigation challenging the latest federal plan for hydropower operations on the Snake and Columbia Rivers. The request for a stay includes an agreement for specific dam operations in 2022. If the Court grants the stay, these parties have committed to use the time to work together to develop and implement a comprehensive, long-term solution that could resolve the long-running litigation over dam operations in National Wildlife Federation v. National Marine Fisheries Service.

Fishing and recreation advocates won a significant victory for clean water when a federal district court threw out (vacated) a critical Trump Clean Water Act rule. The order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California restores state and Tribal authority to ensure federally permitted activities in rivers and lakes comply fully with state and tribal law.

With its incredible characteristics, along with an assemblage of wild native fish species prized by anglers, one would think that the Priest River would be a destination for anglers and paddlers both near and far. However, low stream flows and warm temperatures have made the river unsuitable for coldwater-dependent fish. Can the river recover?

Columbia Basin steelhead returns are the lowest ever recorded since salmon run counts began at Bonneville Dam in 1945. A desperate attempt was made to capture a few sockeye and bring them to Idaho fish hatcheries because returns were so low. What is happening?

You’ve provided security for yourself in the future, now you can plan to provide security for Idaho’s rivers. Your retirement plan is a simple, tax-efficient way to invest in Idaho’s rivers, helping secure the future of our fisheries and waterways.

IRU staff and several other organizations and members of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes recently had the opportunity to tour the Owyhee canyonlands by air, courtesy of Ecoflight. This vast sagebrush steppe and remote river canyon covers parts of Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon and is home to over 600,000 acres of Wilderness and 324 miles of Wild and Scenic rivers. It’s Wild and Scenic Values are currently threatened by proposed flight operation changes over the canyons.