This innovative program, which helps balance the water needs of landowners with the needs of salmon, steelhead, and resident fish, requires close collaboration.
In the 1990s, sockeye salmon in the Okanagan Basin were at a very low point. Today, thanks to a variety of restoration actions through multiple entities, sockeye returns hit record numbers at Bonneville and Wells dams in 2022.
Avian predation – hungry birds feeding on endangered salmon – is identified in the Council’s fish and wildlife program as a serious concern, and the program supports managing the impact of predators on juvenile salmon and steelhead.
In Corvallis, Oregon, Council members toured habitat projects, plus two research facilities at Oregon State University: the O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory and the NuScale Energy Exploration Center.
Epic salmon migrations through rivers and oceans take salmon across borders and cultures, so sustaining them requires a large-scale solution.
Last year, the Northwest saved 216 average megawatts of energy, which is slightly lower than the 223 average megawatts achieved in 2020, according to the Council’s recently released 2021 Regional Conservation Progress Report.
The Council’s Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Program represents a 40-year effort to mitigate the effects of the hydropower system on fish and wildlife in the basin.
“Ann brings a depth of experience, both as a communicator and as a liaison to local and federal government agencies, to the Council,” said Council Chair Guy Norman.
The Council has appointed Jennifer Light as its power division director; she had been the interim director since April 2022.
This past spring, Oregon Council member Louie Pitt, Jr. and Council staff toured the Trout Creek Watershed Restoration Project located in Central Oregon.
