Rallies are happening across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho on August 7 to call for a comprehensive solution to salmon recovery that invests in the Northwest and removes the lower Snake River dams. Background:

“The impacts of the NW heatwave continue to unfold. Right now, tens of thousands of endangered sockeye salmon are in the dangerously warm Columbia and Lower Snake rivers.

As the rivers get even hotter in August and September, many of these fish may perish. Water temperatures above 68 degrees are lethal for salmon and as they struggle to complete their epic migration— hundreds of miles upstream—water temperatures have already pushed above 70 degrees. Video footage has captured the fatal impact of hot water for cold-water fish. The threat led the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to authorize an emergency plan save endangered sockeye salmon—by trucking them the last 300 miles of their migration.

Saving salmon is an issue of critical importance across the Northwest, and we have an obligation to uphold our treaties with Northwest Tribes. Yet some of Washington’s elected leaders remain dangerously out of step with the realities of climate change and the cumulative, negative impacts of dams.

Scientists agree: Heat pollution is a problem that expensive dam upgrades simply can’t fix, and the climate change we are witnessing now is making it worse.”

Organized by: Endangered Species Coalition

When: 11:00 am – 2:00 pm PT

What: We will gather on the grass just north of Seacrest Park to hear from speakers and make posters. We’ll launch kayaks, canoes, and SUPs from the beach for a short paddle to Jack Block Park (we’ll have entertainment for those who prefer not to paddle).

Contact: Chris Connolly, cconnolly@endangered.org, (781) 367-1256