Setting a new nignwater mark for idiocy in
journalism, the state s largest daily offered
recent editorial thougnts on the effects of dams
on Columbia Basin salmon runs The piece,
entitled le t Science Save Salmon (it's done such
a great job so far), cautioned against listening to
those (including the Governor of Idaho) who
a<Jvocate increasing river flow by drawing down
reservoirs
'Drawing down the reservoirs would speed the
flow of water in the Snake River, supposedly
aiding young salmon on their long and perilous
swim to the ocean'
Supposedly?
‘ The theory driving the drawdown strategy is
that if you can accelerate the velocity of the
water, then the fish are less exposed to
predators and other problems ’
Theory?
Another theory holds that the extra water is
needed to get these ancient species from their
streams of origin to the ocean in a certain period
of tim e '
Theory?
'Some biologists believe that if that m igration
is extended too much, not only w ill the juveniles
be exposed to predators and disease-causing
warmer water, but they also may have trouble
making the biological adjustment of going from
fresh to s a lt "
Believe?
"Biologists have been consulted far and wide
on the issue, but The Oregonian s t ill cannot get a
de finitive answer that would support Idaho s
aggressive drawdown strategy as the solution
the region ought to persue"
Especially since the salmon are thriving
“ Indeed, there is no convincing evidence to
show that drawdowns would do more good than
harm We just don t know '
Forget that salmon are indissolubly linked to
the river system Forget that their evolution did
not include genetic instructions on how to leap
ten story concrete w alls Or evade turbines Or
reason w ith n itw it humans who happen to own
printing presses and do lunch w ith u tility
executives The editorial fin a lly gets to the
meat
'The Army Corps of Engineers this summer
issued a report to the Northwest Power Planning
Council (the folks who d love to sell
hydro-electric power to Southern California),
estim ating cost of from $, 3 b illio n to $49
b illio n to modify the dams so that reservoirs
could be lowered each spring to aid salmon
m ig ra tio n '
This is the same Army Corps of Engineers who
promised new homes for Indians drowned out by
construction of Bonneville Dam f if t y years ago
Maybe they deal straignter now
Before the region sets course on permanent
m odification of dams--a construction process
that would take 14 to 17 years and result in
annual e le c tric ity rate increases of 5 percent to
10 percent after construction--the drawdown
theory should a least be tested to see if it
w o rks'
That should take a decade or so
Whether drawdowns should be part of the
region's salmon recover plan remains debatable '
To who? Certainly not the salmon
'However, looking at the science, which
provides mere snapshots of salmon m igration
behavior, it appears that Idaho exaggerates the
value of drawdowns, especially compared to the
cost of doing them '
Business is business
Tick. tick, tick
& I
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Organized Christianity has probably
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ts founders than any other agency in the
world
Richard 1 e (ìa llien n e
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Manny got the word from a union memo A
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ja il Relations would grow cold, he might
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substances into the temple that was her
body Hmmmm
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round of testing Time passed The
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There was a sealed note attached to his
clean b ill of of (?) Manny opened and
read
Dear M r________ ,
Congratulations on your negative drug
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Labs automatically tests a ll samples for
the fu ll spectra of conditions that may be
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you see your personal physician and
consider calling a press conference? You
appear to be pregnant
Philip Thompson
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