Giving Lonesome Larry a River
Posted on Friday, July 31st, 2009
Snake River sockeye are the most endangered salmon in the Northwest. Because of court-ordered protections and recovery efforts, Idaho’s “red fish” are returning in slightly improved numbers this year.
In the summer of 1992, a single Snake River sockeye named Lonesome Larry battled his way to Redfish Lake in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. Snake River sockeye swim nearly 1,000 miles inland and climb more than 6,500 feet in elevation, battle a gauntlet of eight hydroelectric dams and predator-filled reservoirs to reach the biggest, highest, wildest, best-protected spawning habitat left in the lower 48. The legacy of this incredible fish sparked a group of conservationists to form Save Our Wild Salmon — a national coalition that eventually took on what many thought to be the impossible: removing the four lower Snake River dams.
This would be the largest river restoration project in U.S. history. An action that would recover salmon, create and protect jobs, restore recreation and build a clean energy future. The path has been mired in a political and legal tangle, but today we are closer than ever to saving this iconic species. We have fought for and won in-river protections for fish, we have shouted loud enough for the White House to hear, we have created a new clean energy blueprint and we have pushed regional leaders to stand up and stake their salmon claim.
This is not one group. It is thousands of fishing and conservation groups, businesses, Northwest tribes and millions of people across the country. Together, we are part of a landmark conservation movement to save our wild salmon.
One of these groups is The Conservation Alliance. Last week, we helped them celebrate their 20th Birthday at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City. For two decades, the Alliance has granted more than $7 million to conservation projects throughout North America, protected more than 39 million acres of land, stopped or removed 27 dams, and preserved access to thousands of miles of rivers and several climbing areas. Save Our Wild Salmon has had good the fortune of being the Alliance’s longest running grantee. Without the passion and tenacity of our outdoor business partners, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Thank you.
The Busters get down with Gibbon Slackline extraordinaire Andy Lewis at The Conservation Alliance 20th Birthday bash.
Lonesome Larry brought this eclectic group together and his epic migration is symbolic of the journeys we all make. Salmon, if nothing else, are survivors. If we give them a river, they will return. So, let’s give them a river!
Snake River salmon return to the best-protected habitat left in the lower 48. Photo © Matt Leidecker.
Emily Nuchols is the communications manager for Save Our Wild Salmon, a national coalition working to recover endangered salmon in the Columbia and Snake rivers.
Quick Hits « Fly Fishers of Idaho says: August 4th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
[...] Giving Lonesome Larry a River: In 1992 a single Snake River sockeye salmon named Lonesome Larry returned to Redfish Lake. Short article on what Lonesome Larry spawned. (The Mountain Culture) [...]