USFWS Says ESA Protection For Northwest Freshwater Mussel May Be Warranted; Unexplained Die-Offs In Middle Fork John Day, Crooked Rivers
July 29th, 2021
Responding to a petition from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week announced that protection may be warranted for the western ridged mussel, and that it is initiating a status review of the species.
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Groups Seeks ESA Consultations Over Expansion Of Large Ship Traffic In Columbia/Snake Rivers; Says Wake Stranding Harms Listed Fish
July 29th, 2021
The Center for Biological Diversity is calling on the Biden Administration to engage in Endangered Species Act consultations on the impacts of the America’s Marine Highway Program on protected species, including salmon and steelhead in the Columbia and Snake rivers.
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Funded By Pacific Lamprey Conservation Initiative, Biologists Use E-DNA To Track Presence Of Lamprey In Deschutes River Basin
July 22nd, 2021
Pacific lamprey have lived in the Deschutes River basin for millennia and native peoples in the area have counted on the lamprey for thousands of years for their nutrient rich meat. The fish have a tribal significance in their teachings, in their stories and in their ceremonies, says Lyman Jim of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs.
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Federal Judge Orders Corps To Take Immediate Action To Protect ESA-Listed Willamette Valley Wild Spring Chinook, Steelhead; ‘No Patience For Further Delay’
July 15th, 2021
U.S. District Court Judge Marco Hernandez Wednesday outlined in a draft order Wednesday actions that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must take to protect threatened wild spring chinook and winter steelhead at its Willamette Valley dams. The case has been in the courts for three years.
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Corps’ Rejection Of Lowering Pool Level At Lower Granite Elevated To Higher-Ups; Fisheries Managers Say Will Help Fish, Corps Says Too Dangerous For Barges
July 15th, 2021
While agreeing to at least investigate most of a suite of water saving and temperature improvement modifications at lower Snake River dams proposed by Oregon last week, at this week’s meeting of the interagency Technical Management Team the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said one thing it can’t do because of safety concerns is to lower the pool level at Lower Granite Dam.
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With Hot, Dry Weather Since March, Columbia Basin Facing Reduced Water Supply, Low Flows; Washington Declares Statewide Drought Emergency
July 15th, 2021
At the end of February, much of the Columbia River basin showed near to above normal water supply forecasts. But with dry weather taking hold in March, and staying there, the picture now is quite dire, with some areas facing the driest April-September water volume on record.
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Columbia Basin Collaborative Issues More Details On Membership, Framework; NW RiverPartners Wants ‘Reset’
July 15th, 2021
The Columbia Basin Collaborative this week more clearly defined who in the region is invited to participate in a process aimed at improving salmon and steelhead recovery in the Columbia River basin.
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FRIDAY (July 2 )UPDATE: Hydro/Fisheries Managers Initiate More Changes At Lower Snake Dams To Cool Water, Aid Endangered Sockeye
July 2nd, 2021
Idaho proposed today (Friday, July 2) the first of what could be several changes at Lower Granite and Little Goose dams on the lower Snake River to maintain cooler water temperatures in a river facing extreme environmental conditions as endangered sockeye begin to move up the overheated river.
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High Temps Force Salmon Managers To Begin Sockeye Trap And Haul Next Week At Lower Granite Dam
July 1st, 2021
Idaho will begin a trap and haul operation at Lower Granite Dam July 6 to rescue endangered Snake River sockeye salmon, an operation they first did during the heat-caused sockeye die off in 2015.