BAKER CITY HERALD • SATuRDAY, JunE 11, 2022 A5
STATE & REGION
Replacing benefits of Snake River dams would cost billions
BY NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press
SPOKANE, Wash. — The
benefits provided by four gi-
ant hydroelectric dams on the
lower Snake River in Washing-
ton state can be replaced if the
dams are breached to save en-
dangered salmon runs, accord-
ing to a new report released
Thursday, June 9.
But it would be expensive.
Finding other ways to pro-
vide electricity, irrigation and
enabling commerce would cost
between $10.3 billion and $27.2
billion, said the report commis-
sioned by Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee, a Democrat, and U.S.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.
The draft report does not
make any recommendations on
whether the four dams should
be breached. A decision on that
divisive issue is expected later.
Instead, the report allows the
public, tribes, river users and
other stakeholders to provide
input over the next month that
will inform that decision.
“We continue to approach
the question of breaching with
open minds and without a
predetermined decision,” Ins-
lee and Murray said in a press
release.
“Every community in the
Pacific Northwest knows the
value and importance of our
iconic salmon runs — and ev-
ery community recognizes the
importance of salmon to our
economy and cultural heri-
tage,” they said. “We each re-
main firmly committed to sav-
ing our salmon.”
Breaching the dams would
significantly improve the abil-
ity of salmon and steelhead
to swim from their inland
spawning grounds to the Pa-
cific Ocean, where they spend
most of their lives, and then
back to their original spawning
grounds to procreate and die,
the report said.
Major benefits of the dams
Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press, File
The Lower Granite Dam on the Snake River is seen from the air near Colfax, Washington. The record-shattering heat wave in the Pacific North-
west has prompted fishing and conservation groups to ask a federal court to order more spill from dams on the lower Snake and Columbia Riv-
ers next spring to aid the migration of endangered salmon and steelhead runs.
include making the Snake
River navigable up to Lewiston,
Idaho, allowing barges to carry
wheat and other crops to ocean
ports. Eliminating the dams
would require truck and rail
transportation improvements
to move crops, the report said.
The dams also generate elec-
tricity, provide irrigation water
for farmers and recreation op-
portunities for people, the re-
port said.
The dams have many sup-
porters, including two GOP
members of Congress repre-
senting eastern Washington
state. The dams are also sup-
ported by barge companies,
farmers and other business in-
terests. Breaching them would
require an act of Congress.
Republican U.S. Reps. Dan
Newhouse and Cathy Mc-
Morris Rodgers of eastern
Washington introduced a bill
on Thursday to protect the
dams, which are located in
their districts. “Breaching the
four lower Snake River dams
would be harmful to our
communities, our environ-
ment, and our economy,” Ne-
whouse said.
“What’s alarming is trying
to breach them at a time when
families in Eastern Washington
are paying record-high energy
costs just to keep the lights on
this summer,” McMorris Rod-
gers said.
But the chairman of the Ya-
kama Nation said the dams
must be breached.
“Our people are salmon peo-
ple,” said tribal council chair-
man Delano Saluskin. “When
the salmon thrive, we thrive;
but when they suffer, our peo-
ple suffer too.”
Exploring the Columbia
River Basin in 1805, Lewis
and Clark wrote of waterways
so full with salmon that you
could all but walk across on
their backs.
In the late 1800s, up to 16
million salmon and steel-
head returned to the Colum-
bia River Basin every year to
spawn. Over the next century
and a half, overfishing whit-
tled that number down. By the
early 1950s, just under 130,000
Chinook were returning to the
Snake River.
Construction of the first
dam on the lower river, Ice
Harbor, began in 1955. Lower
Monumental followed in
1969, Little Goose in 1970,
and Lower Granite in 1975.
The dams stretch from Pasco,
Washington, to near Pullman,
Washington, and stand be-
tween migrating salmon and
5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers)
of spawning habitat in cen-
tral Idaho.
The dams have fish ladders,
but too many of the salmon die
as they swim through the dams
and across slackwater reser-
voirs on their migrations.
In 1991, Snake River
salmon and steelhead were
listed as endangered species,
requiring production of a fed-
Wildlife rehabilitation centers to stop
accepting waterfowl due to avian flu risk
BY CHARLET HOTCHKISS AND
JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Blue Moun-
tain Wildlife Executive Director
Lynn Tompkins said she is opti-
mistic the recent avian flu out-
break soon could come to an end.
The last time Oregon experi-
enced an avian influenza epidemic
was 2014-15, Tompkins said, and
it ran its course by the end of June.
“This time it’s worse,” she said.
“This is a lot more significant out-
break.”
The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife on Thursday,
June 2, reported many wildlife re-
habilitators are not accepting wa-
terfowl due to the spread of avian
flu in wild birds. Because water-
fowl can carry the virus without
showing symptoms, allowing
them into rehabilitation facilities
can put all the birds at the facility
at risk.
“I’m really hoping the summer
heat will help,” she said.
Tompkins said Blue Moun-
tain Wildlife doesn’t normally get
much waterfowl in this area, but
the Tri-Cities do. She also stated
Blue Mountain Wildlife no longer
is accepting sick birds of any kind,
due to the risk of avian influenza.
Tompkins is trying to change
this by adding three sheds out-
side their clinic for intake, evalu-
ation and quarantine. That way,
they can see which are sick and
get them tested for avian influ-
enza without jeopardizing the
health of the other birds being
seen at the clinic.
All birds tested for avian influ-
enza first have their preliminary
results confirmed by a state lab,
according to Tompkins. In Ore-
gon, that testing is in Corvallis at
the Oregon Veterinary Diagnos-
tic Lab, and in Washington, it’s in
Pullman at the Washington An-
imal Disease Diagnostic Labora-
tory. Labs then send results to the
national center for confirmation,
where they will be added to the
USDA website.
Tompkins has tested only a few
birds for avian influenza this year
in Washington: two goslings, a
Mallard duckling and a crow. She
also said ODFW recently sent off a
test for a bald eagle that was found
at McCormack Slough in Morrow
County near Irrigon. Results are
pending for all of those tests.
Goslings, ducklings and adult
waterfowl all can carry the virus.
If you find healthy ducklings or
goslings without a parent nearby,
leave them alone and allow the
parents to find them, ODFW re-
quested. If you choose to interfere,
they can be released at the nearest
waterway. Injured ducks and geese
eral recovery plan. Over the
next three decades, environ-
mental organizations sued the
federal government six times,
arguing that the recovery plan
was inadequate.
The most recent lawsuit, in
2016, resulted in a four-year
study of the environmental im-
pact of the dams. Although it
found that breaching the dams
would be the most effective
salmon recovery action, federal
agencies ultimately decided
against it.
The U.S. government has
spent more than $17 billion
trying to recover Snake River
salmon, through improve-
ments to fish ladders and
other measures, with little
to show for it. In 2017, the
number of Chinook salmon
returning to the Snake River
dropped below 10,000.
The loss of the salmon
population also hurt the en-
dangered Southern Resident
killer whale population. More
than 90% of the whales’ diet is
salmon, and they need to eat
between 350 and 450 pounds
(158 and 204 kilograms) of
fish a day to survive.
Dam supporters blame de-
clining salmon runs on other
factors, such as changing ocean
conditions.
Last year, U.S. Rep. Mike
Simpson, R-Idaho, unveiled a
competing $33.5 billion plan to
bring back Snake River salmon.
It has bogged down, failing to
win support from other Repub-
licans, Democrats and some
environmental groups.
The centerpiece of Simp-
son’s plan is breaching the four
dams, at a cost of up to $1.4
billion. The rest of the money
would go toward replacing the
renewable electricity the dams
generate, improving salmon
habitat, and helping farmers
who rely on the dams for irri-
gation and barge transport of
their crops.
Commissioners
consider applying
funds to BMCC
BY JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Samantha Castoldi, left, and Blue Mountain Wildlife Director Lynn Tompkins on Thursday, June 2, 2022, prepare to
put a band on the leg of a healthy American kestral at the Pendleton bird rehabilitation center. Construction dis-
placed the bird from its nest.
Background on the avian flu
In Oregon, wild avian flu was first detected in Canada goose goslings at Alton Baker Park in Eugene, then in several
red-tailed hawks in May. Detection of the highly pathogenic virus has occurred only in Linn and Lane counties, but the
biologists expect it to spread over the next several weeks.
This virus has been documented in more than 100 species of wild birds worldwide since it was first detected in De-
cember 2021 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It was believed to have entered North America in an infected
wild seabird or migrating waterfowl.
The virus circulating in Oregon and other parts of the world is very contagious among birds. It can sicken and even
kill many species, including chickens, ducks and turkeys. Infected birds can shed avian influenza A viruses in their saliva,
nasal secretions and feces. Susceptible species become infected by the virus after it is shed by afflicted birds.
Wild birds typically carrying the virus include waterbirds (such as ducks, geese, swans, gulls and terns), shorebirds
(such as sandpipers), pelicans and cormorants. Dabbling ducks (such as mallards, pintails and wigeons) serve as reser-
voir hosts for avian influenza A viruses, although it often does not cause disease in these species.
The disease also can infect raptors (hawks, eagles) that prey on or consume sick or dead waterfowl. The wild bird spe-
cies in Oregon most at risk from this strain of virus currently appear to be all waterfowl, shorebirds, eagles and scaveng-
ing species, such as crows and turkey vultures.
While very contagious and deadly for some birds, the risk to human health is low, according to the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
To see all confirmed cases of avian influenza in wild birds and domestic birds, visit the USDA’s website at bit.ly/3zcD-
Dzw.
— Source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
may be brought to an ODFW of-
fice for euthanasia. Call ahead
if you are bringing in an injured
duck or goose.
State fish and wildlife also urged
the public not to collect or han-
dle sick or dead wild birds but re-
port the incident directly to a local
ODFW office, the Wildlife Health
lab at 866-968-2600 or email at
Wildlife.Health@odfw.oregon.gov.
Fish and wildlife staff will conduct
surveillance and collecting/testing
sick and dead wild birds to moni-
tor for the presence of the disease.
This is the time of year when
goslings, ducklings and other
young birds are commonly
picked up and brought into
rehab centers, according to
ODFW. Well-intentioned people
mistakenly think these young
birds are orphaned because they
may be temporarily separated
from their parents.
“This year more than ever, it
is important to leave wild birds
in the wild to give them the best
chance for survival,” the state fish
and game department urged. “If
you see young ducks or geese,
please keep pets under tight con-
trol. Not feeding waterfowl is also
especially important during this
time. In addition to commonly
causing nutritional issues, feeding
congregates animals and results in
overcrowding and increased risk
of disease spread.”
PENDLETON — Umatilla County com-
missioners are considering giving a possible
second round of American Recovery Plan Act
funding to Blue Mountain Community Col-
lege.
The board discussed the matter at its meet-
ing Wednesday, June 1, in Pendleton.
In discussions with the White House and the
National Association of Counties, commission-
ers learned the goals of proposed new ARA
funding. One of three major goals is workforce
development.
The commissioners recognized considerable
news about the financial status of Blue Moun-
tain Community College, Umatilla County’s
major source of workforce training. They dis-
cussed the status of workforce training oppor-
tunities to meet local economic needs, and how
that related to the budget issues at the college.
“(Considering) workforce investment and
BMCC’s funding problem, we might possi-
bly want to do that with emergency funding,”
Commissioner Dan Dorran said. “This is a
great conversation. Columbia Basin economic
indicators show where job needs are. BMCC
does a great job. Their criminal justice training
program is great. Besides their college trans-
fer programs, they offer targeted training pro-
grams.”
The criminal justice program is one of the
areas the college administration is proposing
to eliminate to close what it says is a $2 million
gap in the 2022-23 budget. The administra-
tion’s proposal would eliminate 10 full-time in-
structor positions and several part-time teach-
ers as well.
Dorran noted signs in Hermiston offering
truck drivers $80,000 to $100,000. If the county
were able to invest in BMCC, the school could
partner with businesses in training programs.
Commissioner John Shafer agreed Blue
Mountain is a “huge driver” of the area’s econ-
omy, citing Morrow County’s application of its
gift from Amazon Web Services to the college.
“You see help wanted signs all over,” Shafer
said. “We have county positions open.”
Shafer said the commissioners have expected
the second half of Umatilla County’s $15.1 mil-
lion ARA grant since May 11. However, the
county still is waiting for that $7.5 million to
arrive.
“They’re losing enrollment in some pro-
grams,” Commissioner George Murdock said
of BMCC’s budget situation.
Given Murdock’s “strong conduit” to the col-
lege, his fellow commissioners suggested he
open discussions with BMCC President Mark
Browning. Murdock preferred that all three
commissioners sit down with Browning.
“We need to make it clear that we don’t want
to get in the middle of negotiations,” he said.
The Blue Mountain Faculty Association, the
union representing instructors at the college,
and the administration have been trying to
reach a compromise on the upcoming budget.
The faculty contends it has a plan to avoid lay-
offs; the administration argues the instruction
is top heavy, with more teachers than the col-
lege needs for the demand it has.
The BMCC board is scheduled to approve a
new budget on Monday, June 6.