November 2011 CUJ - Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian ...

Condit Dam breached; White Salmon runs freeBy SHANNON DININNY, Associated PressA muddy stew of black silt and waterroared through a hole breached by workersin a nearly century-old dam Oct. 26 inWashington’s south Cascades, markinganother step in ongoing efforts to restorehabitat for threatened and endangeredfish in the Pacific Northwest.The more than 12-story Condit Damon the White Salmon River is the secondtallestdam in U.S. history to be breachedfor fish passage, according to the advocacygroup American Rivers.Its two turbines produced about 14megawatts of power, enough for 7,000homes. But its owner, Portland-basedutility PacifiCorp, elected to remove thedam rather than install cost-prohibitivefish passage structures that would havebeen required for relicensing.``This is a very important day for theriver and the community,’’ AmericanRivers spokeswoman Amy Kober said.``We’re not just talking about restoringvital fish runs in the region but improvinga nationally renowned whitewater area.’’The White Salmon River winds fromits headwaters on the slopes of MountAdams through steep, forested canyonsto its confluence with the ColumbiaRiver, the largest river in the PacificNorthwest.The 125-foot Condit Dam, which wasbuilt in 1913, blocked fish passage for nativespecies of Pacific salmon and otheranadromous fish that mature in the oceanand return to rivers to spawn, confiningthem to the lower 3.3 miles of the river.Removing the dam and restoring aPLEASE SUPPORTBOB SHIPPENTOWERFOR RE-ELECTION TO BOT ON NOV. 15• ANALYTICAL/CONCEPTUAL AND WRITING SKILLS• EXPERIENCE – CURRENT TERO COMMISSION CHAIRMAN, HEALTHCOMMISSION MEMBER, LAND ACQUISITION COMMITTEE MEMBER,BOT VETERANS DELEGATE, BOT TRANSPOR-TATION DELEGATE, YELLOWHAWK PROJECTTEAM MEMBER, FORMER EDUCATION COM-MITTEE, FORMER ENROLLMENT COMMIT-TEE MEMBER, FORMER WATER COMMITTEECHAIRMAN• EDUCATION – COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OFOREGON. GRADUATE SCHOOL, UNIVERSITYOF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY• MILITARY SERVICE – VIETNAM VETERAN,NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER IN COMBATINFANTRY UNIT.Emily Washines, a tribal member andremediation and restoration coordinator forYakama fisheries, said her grandfather, bornin 1915, never saw the free-flowing river.‘My sister and I will be able to see the riverthe way our great-grandparents saw it. Theresurgence of cultural activities and renewinga sense of what that means for our futuregenerations is on the brink of happening.’free-flowing river will open up milesof new habitat for fish and likely createadditional recreational opportunities forkayakers and rafters in a region alreadyknown among whitewater enthusiasts.Sirens sounded several times to warnabout the impending blast shortly afternoon, then black silt and water beganpouring through the hole that wasbreached with 700 pounds of explosives,splashing up the sides of the rocky canyon.PacifiCorp posted a live video feedof the event on its website, and localresidents, conservation groups, and recreationenthusiasts held viewing partiesto celebrate the event.More than 100 people downed pizzaand beer at Wet Planet Whitewater, ariver rafting and guiding company. Theyscreamed and whooped as the dam blew,then a great cheer went through the tentset up for the party.Alexa Williams, 26, was born in thecommunity of White Salmon and lives inHusum, working at Wet Planet, duringthe summer season. An avid rafter andbeginning kayaker, she first floated theriver when she was 10 years old.``It’s going to be neat to see what’sunderneath the water,’’ she said in atelephone interview from the partyin Husum. ``Not that I’m the level ofkayaker who could kayak it yet, but itwould be pretty cool if there were somebig drops in there.’’Yakama tribal members viewed a livefeed of the event in an auditorium ontheir reservation. Area biologists did thesame at the Spring Creek National FishHatchery.About 150 people gathered at the damto watch the blast, including the triballeaders of four area tribes - Umatilla,Yakama, Warm Spring and Nez Perce.Some were visibly moved by the event.Yakama Nation tribal elders havecalled the area a ``paradise,’’ recallingstories about tribal members fishing,hunting and gathering berries and othernative plants before the dam was built.Tribal houses and drying sheds sat atthe confluence with the Columbia forprocessing abundant salmon, steelheadand lamprey.Emily Washines, a tribal member andremediation and restoration coordinatorfor Yakama fisheries, said her grandfather,born in 1915, never saw the freeflowingriver.``My sister and I will be able to see theriver the way our great-grandparents sawit,’’ she said. ``The resurgence of culturalactivities and renewing a sense of whatthat means for our future generations ison the brink of happening.’’Removal of the dam opens up at least33 miles of habitat for steelhead. Habitatfor tule fall chinook will double.Yakama Nation chairman HarrySmiskin likened the return of fish to theriver’s upper stretches to ``welcomingback a relative that has been missing formany years.’’``It is sad that the dam is coming out,but again, it is a return to something ourCreator, our Mother Nature, created forus and to put it back to as close to itsnatural state as it can be,’’ he said.In recent weeks, work crews created atunnel 18 feet wide and 13 feet tall in thebase of the dam to allow water and sedimentto pass through from the reservoirbehind the dam once it is breached. Overthe years, a five-story wedge of silt hascollected in 92-acre Northwestern Lake,a popular recreation spot for boaters andthe dozens of cabin leaseholders on thewater’s edge.Fisheries biologists also captured andrelocated 679 tule chinook from below thedam to the river above it to protect theirredds, or spawning nests, from beinginundated by sediment.PacifiCorp has estimated the dam removalproject at $33 million, far less thanthe $100 million improvements and fishladders that would have been required byfederal regulators to relicense the dam.Fish ladders were incorporated on thedam when it was first built, but stormstwice tore down the structures.Demolition of the remaining portion ofthe dam is scheduled to begin in spring2012 and be completed by Aug. 31,2012. Restoration of the former reservoirshould be completed by the end of 2012.In the largest dam removal project inU.S. history, workers last month beganremoving the 210-foot Glines CanyonDam and the 108-foot Elwha Dam fromthe Elwha River in Washington, partof a three-year $325 million project torestore the Olympic Peninsula river andits salmon runs.IF ELECTED, I WILL BE ACCOUNTABLE TO TRIBAL MEMBERSHIP ANDWILL CONTINUE TO WORK TO ENSURE TRIBAL POLICIES REFLECTTRIBAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES, INCLUDING INTEGRITY, JUSTICE,FAIRNESS AND COMPASSION.THANK YOU. 541-310-7048Paid Political Ad32 Confederated Umatilla JournalNovember 2011