VOICES FOR THE WEST — A DAM PROBLEM: FIGHTING TO SAVE SALMON IN OREGON’S WILLAMETTE RIVER BASIN

Historically, hundreds of thousands of Chinook salmon and steelheadmigrated up Oregon’s Willamette River to spawn in the cold, high-elevation habitats of the upper river basins. These numbers have plummeted in recent years. The current 5-year average annual return is about 30,000 Chinook and 3,000 steelhead and both species are trending toward extinction.

One of the main drivers of the species’ sharp decline is the Army Corps of Engineers’ poor management of dams on the Upper Willamette River and its tributaries. These dams, along with their large reservoirs, block up to 90% of spawning habitat in some rivers and severely hinder fish migration both upstream and downstream.

Years of inaction by the Corps has led to rapidly dwindling numbers of spring Chinook salmon and winter steelhead, both protected by the Endangered Species Act. In 2021, in a case brought by Advocates for the West and our partners, a federal court directed the Corps to immediately undertake new measures at Willamette River Basin dams, changing dam operations in numerous ways to improve fish migration and water quality.

Since then, the Corps has repeatedly missed deadlines set by Congress to produce reports that consider whether deauthorizing hydropower production at the dams is in the federal interest. In addition to harming salmon and steelhead, the Willamette dams are uneconomical. They account for less than 2% of total power produced by the Federal Columbia River Power System and the Corps’ own analysis found that the dams would lose a stunning $939 million over the next 30 years because the cost of generation far outweighs the revenue.

Join our next Voices for the West webinar on April 30 at 12 p.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Mountain for a discussion with Kathleen George, Council Member for the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde; Jennifer Fairbrother, Legislative & Policy Director at Native Fish Society; and Laurie Rule, Senior Attorney at Advocates for the West, about ongoing efforts to save native fish in the Willamette River Basin from the threat of extinction.

Register here to attend.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

Kathleen George has spent her career helping tribal governments accomplish their goals and build their future. This work is the foundation to her deep commitment to ensuring that tribal leaders have a seat at the table when decisions are being made that affect tribal people and tribal resources. Prior to being elected to Tribal Council, Kathleen was the Director of Spirit Mountain Community Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Tribe. This position also provided opportunities to educate the world of philanthropy about the significant needs and tremendous opportunities in Indian Country today. Before working in philanthropy, she partnered with tribal communities throughout Oregon and Washington on efforts to restore healthy environments to protect tribal people and their resources. Kathleen’s consulting firm, Cedar Consulting, worked in natural resources policy and strategic planning.

Kathleen was awarded the “Columbia River Hero Award” by the Columbia River Toxics Reduction Working Group for her work to protect the health of tribal people who eat fish from Oregon rivers. She is also a graduate of Dominican University where she majored in Environmental Biology and studied Public Administration in Graduate School.

Jennifer Fairbrother joined Native Fish Society in 2018 in the role of Campaign & Columbia Regional Director before becoming the organization’s Conservation Director in 2020 and then Legislative and Policy Director in 2024. Jennifer’s previous experience includes nonprofit environmental advocacy relating to federal public lands, assessing program outcomes for the EPA Office of Research & Development, and serving as a graduate intern to U.S. Congressman Peter DeFazio. Jennifer received her M.A. in Public Policy from The George Washington University in 2009.

A childhood spent in rural Oregon inspired Jennifer’s passion for the outdoors and the meaningful relationships that can develop between people and the places they inhabit. Jennifer maintains her connections to place and the Pacific Northwest through backpacking, hunting, fishing, and gardening. When not out adventuring, she and her husband work to restore their 130-year-old farmhouse.

Laurie Rule has been with Advocates for the West since its inception in 2003. She has been the lead attorney on our successful efforts protecting salmon and other native fish in Oregon’s Willamette River Basin; endangered Selkirk woodland caribou from winter motorized recreation impacts; defending bighorn sheep from threats posed by domestic sheep grazing in Hells Canyon, Salmon River, and central Idaho regions; and preserving quiet open spaces for non-motorized winter recreation and critical habitat areas. Laurie has also won precedent-setting cases on grazing management and CAFO regulation under the Clean Air Act, among others.

Laurie heads our Portland, Oregon office where she works with and supervises Staff Attorneys Lizzy Potter, Andrew Missel, and Hannah (Clements) Goldblatt, and manages a broad portfolio of cases protecting public lands and wildlife in Oregon and California, as well as Idaho.