Lower Granite Dam

Little Goose Dam on the lower Snake River.

The Governor Inslee and Senator Murray Process and survey.

In October 2021 Governor Jay Inslee and Senator Patty Murray announced a joint federal-state process to determine whether there are reasonable means for replacing the benefits provided by the lower Snake River dams (LSRD), sufficient to support dam breaching as part of a salmon recovery strategy for the Snake River and the Pacific Northwest.

The push to remove four dams on the Klamath River in northern California cleared another hurdle in early March when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released a report that outlined the benefits dam removal would have for the river’s salmon.

This February marks the one-year anniversary of Congressman Mike Simpson’s Columbia Basin Initiative, a framework for salmon recovery, investment in infrastructure, and clean energy development across the Northwest.

The mining company Newcrest Mining Limited will end their gold exploration drilling program (approved in 2020) in the headwaters of the Jarbidge River and complete reclamation during the upcoming 2022 season.

Sign up for IRU’s Wild & Scenic Stewardship Guide Education Program for 2022!

Enormous releases of greenhouse gas emissions, species decline and extinction, and habitat fragmentation. While you’d be right if you assumed these were characteristics of fossil-fuel plants that have had devastating impacts on our planet, you might be surprised that these are also representative of the Hydrosystem.

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.