From: Justin Hayes, American Rivers & Benjamin Smith,
Environmental Defense
Date: March 8, 2000
Subject: Help save our endangered salmon!
Salmon, though once abundant in the United States, are now
endangered, and our friends at American Rivers have asked
for your help in saving them. Between now and March 31, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is accepting the public's
comments on how best to save these endangered fish. Indeed,
this may be our last chance to help them.
Independent, state, and federal biologists agree that
removing the four lower Snake River dams is the best way of
restoring Snake River salmon. Why? Because the Snake River
dams kill salmon by delaying the migration of young fish to
the sea-thereby exposing them to predators and disease-and
blocking adult salmon returning to spawn. Young salmon are
also killed after being drawn into a dam's deadly turbines.
Furthermore, removing dams is far less costly than other
salmon recovery options, such as imposing new restrictions
on farmers, loggers, and commercial fishermen. In addition,
acquiring water from irrigators to rush young salmon to the
sea could cost more than $1 billion and eliminate more than
6,000 farming jobs. However, according to experts,
restoring the Lower Snake River would create more than 3,100
recreation-related jobs and generate more than $200 million
in annual economic benefits. Finally, by investing in
highways and rail, upgrading irrigation equipment, and
building new sources of clean power, we could replace the
benefits now provided by the dams.
Studies by the National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, state and tribal fisheries agencies,
and independent scientific committees all agree that
removing the dams must be the cornerstone of the salmon
recovery strategy. And according to the National Marine
Fisheries Service, any delay will significantly increase the
risk of the Snake River salmon's extinction.
By following the simple instructions below, send the
following sample letter-and feel free to change it or add
your own comments-now to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
asking them to remove the four lower Snake River dams and to
give the Snake River salmon a chance to survive. For more
information about removing the four lower Snake River dams,
visit the American Rivers website at
http://www.amrivers.org.
Thank you for helping!
----------------------
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA THE WEB:
If you have access to a web browser, you can take action on this
alert by going to the following URL:
http://actionnetwork.org/take-action.tcl?key=466660A5408B952562433C39259
INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPOND VIA EMAIL:
Copy and paste the letter below into
a new email message and mail it to
alert-response-466660A5408B952562433C39259_at_actionnetwork.org.
You must include the whole letter in your response including "-YOU MAY
EDIT THE LETTER BELOW-" and "-END OF LETTER-". Please do not
add your name and address to your letter. Action Network automatically
does this for you.
We STRONGLY encourage you to make edits directly to our sample letter
below, and put the alert talking points into your own words. An
individualized letter is worth ten computer generated letters. Of
course, hundreds of unedited letters will still create a large impact,
so please reply even if you don't have time to personalize the letter.
Your letter will be addressed and sent to:
U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Walla Walla District
Federal Caucus Comment Record
-------YOU MAY EDIT THE LETTER BELOW---------
I urge you to recommend removing the dams in the Final Lower
Snake River Salmon Migration Feasibility Report and
Environmental Impact Statement and the Columbia Basin Fish
Plan, for the following reasons:
1. The dams block the migrating salmon.
2. Removing the dams is a measure supported by scientific
research.
3. Removing the dams is less costly than other options.
4. Removing the dams will create new, recreation-related
jobs and provide other economic benefits.
5. The benefits now provided by the dams can be replaced
less expensively by investing in highways and rail,
upgrading irrigation equipment, and building new sources of
clean power.
Removing the four dams on the Lower Snake River in
Washington must be part of the Snake River salmon and
steelhead recovery strategy. Thank you.
-------END OF LETTER-------------------------
Sincerely yours,
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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