[altasnob]

[Ski]

^ The tribes have better lawyers.

[altasnob]

[altasnob]

There's some answers to my questions in the 9th Circuit opinion:

[Schroder]

[treeswarper]

[Chief Joseph]

Benson creek borders my property in Verlot, it is designated as a fish stream, a F&G worker walks it in the spring and sometimes they mark what they think are redds. When I bought the place about 12 years ago there were small smolts in the creek and the occasional salmon, smaller species maybe pink or sockeye. I haven't seen a fish in the creek for nearly 10 years and it is frequently bone dry now from July-Sept. My property is designated as recreational and I can't build a permitted living structure because of the close proximity to the creek. Not sure if that can or ever will be changed due to there no longer is any fish activity.

[Pyrites]

The State’s attorney was impaired by facts, The WADOT has long claimed they were removing obstructions to salmon movement in streams. We don’t need the Courts interfering with the engineers. The problem was there was finally a comprehensive culvert survey done to a generally accepted method. A baseline was created. So in court WADOT had to testify that they were replacing culverts at a something like a one or two percent per biennium. It’s common that streams continue to down cut below outfall, and so that a passable culvert can become impassable at a later date. So the Tribes’ attorney asked WADOT how much progress had been made on reducing the backlog over the many years the case took from filing to end of appeals. The answer was more culverts became impaired in those years than were fixed. The WADOT witness of course was asked what year based on that evidence he expected the backlog to be eliminated. There was no answer based on the facts. I don’t know what the Court would have done if access to 5% or 10% net of the blocked habitat was being restored per biennium. It wasn’t even keeping even. The State really gave the Court no choice.

[Anne Elk]

The politics of salmon habitat restoration in Puget Sound is going to do what it has to do for optics sake, no matter how asinine and expensive. I'm more pessimistic than most: I put salmon recovery in the same statistical bin of improbabilities as reversing climate change. Mainly because the numbers needed to achieve reasonable survival of the species (like the bald eagle coming back from the brink) isn't going to happen. Too much of human behavior would have to change. I'm not saying don't do anything, but when I keep seeing reports of even orcas being visibly underweight b/c they can't find enough food, well, do the math for what "acceptable" numbers of salmon populations would have to be for a meaningful, sustainable recovery. To reiterate:

[Ski]

[Ski]

@Anne Elk - your comments lean more toward "realism" than "curmudgeon". @Chief Joseph - Interesting point. What happens to owners of parcels of land that have tiny streams on them that dry up due to climate change due to not enough snowpack/rainfall to keep them running year round (if at all?) Does that lower their property taxes? Does that change the local zoning and building codes? That goes into a whole new can of worms there.

[Anne Elk]

[treeswarper]

"They" did outlaw fish wheels after figuring out those might could be a problem. OK, so instead of concentrating on culverts, why not design fish ladders/detours around dams? That way, salmon could access the habitat that isn't so degraded and has actually had some projects on it. I'd volunteer the Cowlitz as a start and after learning on that, hit Chief Joeseph (on the Columbia) and eventually the big plug, Grand Coulee. We have the Snake River also. Wouldn't a very expensive system of fish ladders or detours be a win win, except for the cost, with everybody? Think of it as a huge river restoration that won't wipe out hydropower, barging and irrigation. We're going to throw mass quantities of money at this, why not do something that's likely to help? A "moon shot". Meanwhile, I see where we are now encouraged to fish for, and eat more Walleye.

[Ski]

^ or farm-raised Tilapia, which I understand is now a big seller in western Europe for those who cannot afford the price of the farm-raised Norwegian salmon. Yes, fish ladders would be an enormous help, but that would have to go through the U.S. Congress, Senate, USFWS, DNR, EPA, DOE, all the Oregon State agencies, and all the involved tribes first. I'm not sure the planet will still be around by the time you get all those parties to even agree on seating arrangements. or... alternatively... we could just push the magic button...